Best Leadership Podcast Ever
Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio will showcase alumni from the program. Guests will share stories of leadership successes and challenges.
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Episode 6 -- Keleigh Veraldo-Zucchero '23
01/07/2026
Episode 6 -- Keleigh Veraldo-Zucchero '23
Keleigh Veraldo-Zucchero, Leadership Portage County Class of 2023, is our guest for episode six of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! Keleigh is a longtime Kent resident, community volunteer, and real estate advisor who spent more than two decades in elementary education before transitioning into real estate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her conversation with Andra, Keleigh shares her personal journey of putting down roots in Kent after attending Kent State University, meeting her husband Sean, and raising their daughter in the same community that has come to feel like home. She reflects on the importance of place, family, libraries, walkable neighborhoods, and the deep sense of belonging that has shaped her life in Portage County. Keleigh describes her career shift from education to real estate as a natural extension of her passion for service, social-emotional development, and helping people navigate life transitions. Rather than viewing herself as a salesperson, Keleigh frames her work as that of a real estate advisor and coach—someone who listens deeply, builds trust, and supports clients during emotionally complex moments. She and Andra explore themes of servant leadership, authenticity, relationship-building, and the importance of leading with humility and empathy, especially during times of uncertainty and change. In addition to her professional work, Keleigh discusses her extensive community involvement, including volunteering with Main Street Kent, serving on nonprofit boards, and her experience as a member of Leadership Portage County. She reflects on the value of engaging with people who hold different perspectives, the responsibility of leaders to reduce division, and the power of showing up for others—particularly when times are hard. Throughout the conversation, Keleigh emphasizes that leadership is not about getting ahead of others, but about bringing people with you, creating community, and helping others feel seen, valued, and supported. ------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.
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Episode 5 -- Randy Griffith '05
12/17/2025
Episode 5 -- Randy Griffith '05
Randy Griffith, Leadership Portage County Class of 2005, is our guest for the fifth episode of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! As the Superintendent of Maplewood Career Center, Randy is a leader in public vocational education. In his conversation with Andra, Randy describes his winding professional journey, starting with his undergraduate experience in computer programming at the University of Akron, and then moving toward education, as he became a certified middle school math and history teacher while coaching in Southwest Ohio. Randy shares how he returned to Northeast Ohio to work in construction and received a job offer to work at Trumbull Career and Technical Center (TCTC) as a building trades teacher, which helped him recognize his passion for vocational education. Randy then describes taking a supervisory role at Maplewood and quickly moving up the organizational chart to fill the Superintendent role in 2004. In addition to discussing the programs offered at Maplewood, Randy and Andra also touch on whether it's important to be liked as a leader, the difficult process of making change in organizations, and Randy's view that comprehensive education needs to move beyond rote memorization to incorporate experiential education and prepare students to have productive careers. Randy also describes the surging interest in career tech--and Maplewood--among area students. ------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.
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Episode 4 -- Shannon Zemba '25
12/03/2025
Episode 4 -- Shannon Zemba '25
Shannon Zemba is our guest in Episode 4 of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever. Shannnon is a member of Leadership Portage County's Class of 2025. Shannon is a wife, mother, and owner of downtown Kent's Over Easy at the Depot. Shannon shares with Andra her experience growing up in Streetsboro, graduating from Maplewood Career Center, and then moving to St. Croix to assist her mother and stepfather with managing hotels and restaurants they owned there, eventually falling in love with the service industry. Shannon describes the process of returning to Portage County in 2010, her goal of owning her own restaurant in the area, and what she did to make it happen. In their conversation, Shannon shares with Andra the importance of creating a work environment that values humility, respect, and common purpose, and they touch on how Shannon and Over Easy at the Depot have, in just a few years, responded to our community's needs while taking advantage of the services our community provides to small businesses on the rise. Shannon also announces future plans for the second floor of the historic train depot. ------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.
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Episode 3 -- Leighann Fink '22
11/19/2025
Episode 3 -- Leighann Fink '22
Leighann Fink from the Leadership Portage County Class of 2022 is our guest for our third episode of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! Leighann is a mom, wife, and accomplished attorney who works at Ohio's Ninth District Court of Appeals and who regularly volunteers throughout the county. She is the President of Leadership Portage County's Board of Directors while also serving on the boards of Habitat for Humanity of Portage County and CASA of Portage County. Leighann describes her experience growing up in a coalmining family in eastern Pennsylvania and then shares how she moved to Portage County by way of Columbus, falling in love with both her now-husband and our welcoming community. Leighann and Andra discuss Leighann's multi-generational household and her close relationship with her father. Leighann recounts her own experience in Leadership Portage County, noting that it helped her make friends and understand what Portage County residents care about. In their conversation, Leighann and Andra explore the freedom that practicing authentic leadership provides, the importance of evolving as a human being every day, the need to be able to ask for help, and Leighann's favorite quote. ------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.
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Episode 2 -- Will Duck '25
11/12/2025
Episode 2 -- Will Duck '25
Will Duck from the Leadership Portage County Class of 2025 is our guest for our second episode of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! Will is a husband and dad, and he serves the Portage County Combined Health District in the position of Environmental Health Supervisor of Water Quality. In their conversation, Will shares with Andra how a conversation he had while earning is biology degree and working in the Grounds department at Kent State University first led him to the Health District. Andra and Will discuss the importance of active listening and building a strong, positive culture in a work environment--especially one that empowers employees, develops their leadership, and builds trusting teams. Will also describes his view of leadership as a relational, caring, and educational process, not a top-down, order-giving experience. As they wrap up their conversation, Andra and Will also touch on how scary it can be to ask clarifying questions in a situation if we're not understanding particular dynamics or feeling inadequate, but also how doing so can not only benefit ourselves but also serve others who may have been holding on to the same question. Will credits his Leadership Portage County experience--he served as Co-President of his class, by the way--for exciting future opportunities, including his joining the United Way of Portage County Board this fall. ------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.
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Episode 1 -- Janet Dix '92
11/05/2025
Episode 1 -- Janet Dix '92
Our first guest on The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is none other than Janet Dix from the inaugural Leadership Portage County Class of 1992. Janet is a wife, mom, and a new grandma, retired therapist, and philanthropist. In their conversation, Janet shares with host Andra Polasky how she came to plant roots in Portage County, her experience as a member of the first LPC class, and how her own diagnosis of attention deficit disorder that was discovered while serving as a therapist deepened her connection with her clients. Janet also describes her love of reading, balancing her community interests and involvements with her husband's, and how falling can lead to better things, especially when you have a support network. ------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.
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