The InNOLEvation® Mindset Podcast

On the InNOLEvation® Mindset Podcast, host Mark McNees welcomes Interim Dean Michael Brady of FSU’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship to discuss his background and vision. Brady, a Jacksonville native, played baseball at FSU under Mike Martin, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, then earned a PhD in marketing at FSU, taught at Boston College, and returned to FSU in 2003. He served 11 years as marketing department chair, became an assistant provost, and was appointed interim dean for a six-to-nine-month period while a permanent dean search proceeds. Brady describes his research on frontline service and a widely cited service-quality measurement scale, shares perspectives on the 1994 MLB strike, highlights strong student-athlete academic outcomes, and outlines a leadership approach centered on customer-centricity, listening, strategic-plan implementation, and clarifying roles for specialized and tenure-track faculty.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:57 Baseball Roots at FSU

02:11 Dodgers Draft and Pivot

02:56 Academic Career and Leadership

06:34 Interim Dean Opportunity

07:35 Tallahassee Life and Surf Trips

09:39 1994 Strike and Replacement Call

12:47 Players Owners and Fan Loyalty

17:38 Student Athletes Academic Success

22:58 Marketing Research Service Quality

25:47 Frontline Research Community

26:29 Red Eye Coffee Founder Story

26:45 Serving People First

28:13 Customer Centric Dean

29:28 Listening And Strategy

31:46 Make Plans Real

34:15 Leadership Hallmarks

35:19 CASA Framework

38:18 When To Reach Out

40:29 Practitioners And Tenure

44:46 Blending Rigor Practice

46:17 Interim Dean Process

49:58 Defining Success

51:52 Unexpected Discoveries

54:30 Advice To Younger Self

56:50 Closing Thanks

On the InNOLEvation® Mindset Podcast powered by the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, host McNees interviews Leslie Oxford, founder of Rakad Dance Camp, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit started in 2009. Leslie explains that “rakad” is a Hebrew word meaning to leap or dance with joy, reflecting the camp’s focus on joyful movement, confidence, and leadership rather than perfect technique. Though faith-based and using Christian music, the camp welcomes girls of all backgrounds without proselytizing. Serving ages 5–12 with teen staff ages 13+, Rakad runs primarily as multi-day summer day camps with an end-of-summer recital, serving 150 girls last year, with 75% attending free. Leslie discusses grants, partnerships, paying staff for the first time, and goals to expand programming, grow in Jacksonville and Clay County, and one day build a permanent facility and overnight camp.

00:00 Welcome to InNOLEvation

00:18 Meaning of Rikod

01:02 Why a Faith Nonprofit

02:08 Bible Roots of the Name

03:05 Who the Camp Serves

04:17 Girls Only Safe Space

05:01 From Teen Idea to 501c3

05:29 Training and JMI Program

07:15 Going Independent

08:23 Camp Model and Schedule

09:32 Facilities and Future Space

09:58 Funding and Grants

11:25 Dance Styles and Recital

12:41 Impact Numbers and Staffing

14:05 Leadership Lessons from JMI

17:41 Hardest and Best Surprises

21:00 Sustainability and Income

23:19 Goals and Big Vision

26:20 Board Dynamics

27:14 Advice and Closing

28:29 How to Support and Follow

29:12 Podcast Outro