Our first guest is Phil Granchi, the author of the new novel Mart of Darkness When More Is Not Enough. Today he will discuss why he wrote this novel and why most of his life he has avoided novel writing.
Mart of Darkness explores, what would happen if everyone on Earth had everything they wanted? How does our materialistic and consumer-driven society shape our humanity? If this present civilization of seemingly endless economic growth ended, what would 
humanity become? Debut author Phil Granchi utilizes satire to explore these questions and more in Mart of Darkness, a comic dystopian thriller that invites readers to both laughs and reflect on the state of the world. Phil’s many distractions have included collecting fossils in Antarctica, performing a completely improvised university lecture at comedy festivals around the world, working as a freelance graphic artist in direct marketing agencies, and producing online educational games for a now-defunct dot-com startup.
Phil is currently a practicing radiologist and is the president of Mother Lode Diagnostic Imaging, a small private practice radiology group where he fills roles ranging from IT to HR. He earned BS and MS degrees in Geology from Purdue University. He later returned to school, achieving an MD from West Virginia University School of Medicine. Living in rural northern California, he enjoys spending time in the wilderness with his wife and favorite travel companion, Melissa Granchi. You can find out more about Phil Granchi at PhilGranchi.com Order the book at: https://www.allmartstores.com
Justina Nixon, IBM’s VP and Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, will talk about the digital skills gap and how companies can work with students and job seekers to prepare them for new technical roles. Justina Nixon-Saintil drives strategic, socially responsible programmatic investments that enable IBM’s technology and talent to address some of society’s biggest challenges worldwide.
The CSR programs Justina manages enable IBM and its employees to transform their altruism into reality. Some of these resources, such as IBM Service Corps, rely on skilled employee volunteerism to foster community success and wellbeing; they demonstrate the power of technology when combined with humanity. Other initiatives she leads, such as P-TECH, Open P-TECH and SkillsBuild, use multisector partnerships to help create more inclusive and innovative schools and workforces. She also spearheads corporate practices that underpin the company’s tradition of uncompromising ethics and transparency in its operations. For more information please visit: ptech.org and skillsbuild.org
Finally, as we recover from the pandemic, women have seen their careers disproportionately impacted leading them to take a hard look at their current job and their future in the workforce. A new global survey by the learning company Pearson. Joining us to explain some of these significant survey results is Vicki Greene is the President and CEO of GED Testing Service. Vicki works with the GED team, adult educators, GED Administrators, employers, legislators, and learners to create pathways of success to a high school equivalency credential. Before this role, Vicki served as the organization’s vice president, where she led a wide array of functional teams, including marketing, technology, operations, sales, and public relations. She has been a member of the GED Board of Directors since 2019. Vicki also currently serves on the board of directors for the Creating IT Futures Foundation. For more information on the survey go to: www.pearson.com