After 150 episodes covering all aspects of innovation in Fort Worth, the Innovate Fort Worth podcast is coming to an end. Thank you to all of our listeners, guests and supporters who have made this podcast possible over the last five years. Thank you to PNC Bank for serving as our faithful sponsor the last two years. And thank you to all of the HSC folks who made it happen: Kendel Rogers, Jamie Barnhart, Dr. Rob McClain, Alex Branch and Matt Havlik. Thank you also to Rob Upchurch from RobMakesPods Productions for making the show look and sound great for all 150 episodes.

To learn more about HSC Next and Innovation in Fort Worth, visit https://www.hscnext.com

Meet The Honorable Mattie Parker, the Mayor of Fort Worth, a staunch advocate for innovation in our city. Mayor Parker is one of the most innovative mayors in the country and is currently seeking her third term as the Mayor of Funkytown, having served as the 45th Mayor of Fort Worth since 2021. She has been successful in implementing key efforts and community partnerships to bolster Fort Worth’s development, improve public safety, expand access to education and workforce opportunities, and advance the overall quality of life for all residents. Mayor Parker is a licensed attorney, with more than twenty years of experience in national, state and local public affairs, including her service as the chief of staff for Mayor and the Fort Worth City Council where she helped shape major policy decisions on a variety of complex issues. She was the founding CEO of Fort Worth Cradle to Career and the Tarrant To & Through (T3) Partnership. Mayor Parker provides and update on some of the recent progress in innovation in Fort Worth and provides a glimpse into the future about where she thinks our city is headed.

To learn more about the City of Fort Worth, visit https://www.fortworthtexas.gov

To learn more about HSC Next, visit https://www.hscnext.com

Meet Lourdes Ramboa, an expert in entrepreneurial mindset education and design thinking principles that is bringing a new course to healthcare professionals in Fort Worth. Lourdes is a Senior Program Manager at HSC Next, where she works with students to help them think more like innovators and entrepreneurs that can solve real world problems and advance solutions for a healthier community. Originally from Panama, Lourdes most recently taught business and entrepreneurship at Tarrant County College and worked at buy.com, Elevate and with clients such as YUM brands, The Dannon Company, and the US National Guard. She shares about her experience in training all of us, yes, all of us, about how we can think and act like an entrepreneur, no matter what our background or experience level may be.

To learn more about HSC Next, visit https://www.hscnext.com

Meet Bobby Ahdieh, the game changing Dean who is bringing innovation from around the state to downtown Fort Worth. In this episode, we are talking about academic innovation from the flagship institution of the state, the Texas A&M System. He has been the driving force behind the new Texas A&M Campus in downtown Fort Worth that will not only bring five new buildings to the southeast corner of downtown, but will also bring a focus on innovation and research from the Texas A&M System to Fort Worth. In addition to his role as Dean, Ahdieh is also the VP of Professional schools and Programs and the COO of the Texas A&M Fort Worth campus. Before starting his career in law, Ahdieh also spent extensive time in Cold War Russia and speaks fluent Russian.

To learn more about Texas A&M Fort Worth, visit: https://Fort-Worth.TAMUS.edu

To learn more about HSC Next, visit https://hscnext.com

Meet Kelly Baggett, the Innovation Coordinator for the City of Fort Worth’s Economic Development Department. She drives innovation in the city by helping foster policy recommendations to help innovation-led companies, assists companies in filling financing gaps through tax incentives and connects innovation districts around the city. A former librarian, Kelly is driving research and development tax credits for qualified companies to spur innovation and economic growth in Cowtown. Kelly also shares where she thinks innovation is headed in the future and shares a glimpse of some exciting projects on the horizon in Fort Worth. Kelly is also a published author of a children’s book of fables that help explain technology in the connected age.

To learn more about the City of Fort Worth's Department of Economic Development, visit https://fortworthtexas.gov/econdev

To purchase Fables for the Connected Age by Kelly Baggett, visit Monkey and Dog Books or https://a.co/d/8ONO811

To learn more about HSC Next, visit https://hscnext.com

Meet Ned Carroll, who is taking the latest technology to the banking industry. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of PNC’s data strategy that includes PNCs efforts to promote intelligent automation and artificial intelligence throughout their nationwide organization. He shares his views on what he thinks the future will look like for innovation and includes his assessment of AI, machine learning and the future of brick and mortar bank braches. Ned has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry with a focus on data, analytics and risk management. Before joining PNC, he held high level roles at Azimuth, TIAA and Bank of America.

To learn more about PNC Bank, visit https://www.pnc.com

To learn more about HSC Next, visit https://www.hscnext.com

Meet Dylan Jones, a serial entrepreneur who wants to make sure your pets are heavy drinkers. His new company, called LYX is providing care for animals by making sure they stay well-hydrated, particularly during those hot Texas summers. LYX provides essential hydration for dogs and will be on the market in the next few months, just in time for summer. The pet nutrition market saw over $700 million in sales last year and Dylan thinks LYX is poised for a big year in 2025.

To learn more about LYX, visit https://www.lyxhydration.com

To learn more about HSC Next, visit https://www.hscnext.com

Meet Rob Lalka, Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Tulane University. An expert in entrepreneurship and innovation, Lalka authored The Venture Alchemists: How Big Tech Turned Profits into Power. He has held positions in the U.S. Department of State and organizations like Village Capital and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

To learn more about Rob, visit https://roblalka.com

To learn more about HSC Next, visit https://hscnext.com