🎧 Kate Morton: From AmeriCorps to Presidential Leadership
AmeriCorps Connections Podcast | Episode Title: “Purpose Finds You”

In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco reconnects with Kate Morton, an NCCC alum and fan-favorite from Episode 5 (March 2023). Now a Chief Clinical Officer at Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless and a Presidential Leadership Scholar, Kate returns to share how national service continues to shape her life—and how purpose has a way of finding you when you stay open to the signs.

From her early days as a pharmacy technician unsure of her path, to a transformative AmeriCorps year that led her to pharmacy school, Kate reflects on:
💊 Her mission-driven work in public health and addiction treatment
🏥 Building compassionate care systems for people experiencing homelessness
🇺🇸 Being selected for the Presidential Leadership Scholars program
🎨 The healing power of art, community, and dignity in healthcare
🌌 Trusting the universe and embracing the unexpected
✨ This episode is a reminder that service doesn’t end—it evolves.
📍 Listen to Kate’s first episode (Ep. 5): “Reshaping Your Future Through Service”
📌 Learn more about Healthcare for the Homeless
✨ Presidential Leadership Scholars

☎️ Contact your Congress person - Vocies4Service Tool

📢 This is not your average AmeriCorps Connections episode. We're issuing an urgent call to action.

On April 22, 2025, AmeriCorps Connections host Nicki Fiocco sat down with national service leaders Maureen Eccleston (Service Year Alliance) and Chad Driscoll (America’s Service Commissions) to discuss the unfolding threat to AmeriCorps programs across the country—including the demobilization of NCCC teams and the administrative leave of 85% of AmeriCorps agency staff.

💡 This episode breaks down:
What’s really happening inside the AmeriCorps agency
How we’re mobilizing to protect AmeriCorps programs
What YOU can do—today—to make your voice heard

🎯 Take Action Now
✍🏽 Share Your AmeriCorps Story: Submit your story to Service Year Alliance
📝 Register for the Letter to the Editor Workshop Wednesday, April 23 at 6:00 pm ET : Sign up here
📬 Email Your Members of Congress: Use this quick tool from Voices for National Service
💥 Amplify Online: Share your story and tag @AmeriCorpsAlums @ServiceYear @Voices4Service

💬 “There are 1.3 million AmeriCorps alumni. That’s a powerful voice. Let’s use it.” – Nicki Fiocco

From AmeriCorps Service to National Movement Leader: J.R. Jamison's Inspiring Journey

In this episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, we delve into an illuminating conversation with J.R. Jamison, an AmeriCorps alum whose year of service in 2001 with the Indiana Reading Corps shaped his impactful career.

Join us as J.R. shares his personal journey—starting from his passion for storytelling and education, traversing through his work in higher education, and culminating in his current role as Executive Director of the Facing Project. Discover how AmeriCorps instilled in him a lifelong commitment to community service, the transformative power of storytelling, and why staying true to your passion matters at every life stage. Tune in for inspiring stories, actionable insights, and a celebration of the enduring impact of service.

🙂The Facing Project

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, comment below, and join us in celebrating the power of service. #AmeriCorpsAlumni #NationalService #Storytelling #CommunityEngagement #CareerGrowth

➡️00:00 Discovering AmeriCorps: A Journey Begins
➡️00:59 The AmeriCorps Experience: Building a Statewide Program
➡️01:51 Connecting Through Stories: The Power of Narrative
➡️03:28 Welcome to the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast
➡️05:01 Introducing JR Jameson: A Career Rooted in Service
➡️06:45 From AmeriCorps Member to Executive Director
➡️09:01 Challenges and Triumphs in Literacy Programs
➡️13:39 The Impact of Service: Personal Reflections
➡️16:37 Navigating Career Paths Post-AmeriCorps
➡️21:24 Leadership and Imposter Syndrome
➡️24:54 Expanding AmeriCorps Programs: STEM and Beyond
➡️27:26 Reflecting on Special Collaborations
➡️27:56 The Impact of Kelsey Timmerman's Book
➡️29:29 Connecting with the Community
➡️30:45 Addressing Poverty Through Storytelling
➡️35:22 Launching the Facing Project
➡️36:20 Transitioning to Full-Time Leadership
➡️40:48 The Power of Storytelling
➡️47:59 Exciting New Projects and Future Plans
➡️51:01 Advice for AmeriCorps Alumni

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Alumni Connections

• AmeriCorps Alums LinkedIn Group
• AmeriCorps Opportunities
• Schools of National Service - Find an institute that will match/ honor or offer other incentives toward your Segal Education Award -
• Employers of National Service - Find employers who prioritize AmeriCorps Alumni service in their hiring

🤠Shout outs!
🌟🌟Podcast Marketing support provided by Do Good, Be Good - they provide training for AmeriCorps programs and are staffed by AmeriCorps alumni.

🌟🌟Hosting and podcast consultation provided by Producer Dan Metivier of Time or Money Production. Thank you, Dan! (p.s., he's an NCCC AmeriCorps Alumni)

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