Welcome to the LARA Living Room

In this kickoff episode, LARA Director Marlon Brown introduces the podcast, explains LARA’s mission, and shares what listeners can expect from future episodes.

Transcript

Anastasha Osborne: 0:00

Oh, Hi there. Make yourself comfortable. I am Anastasha Osborne, Assistant Deputy Director here at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and I am so happy to be your host as we kick off this brand new space to connect, share stories, and give you an inside look at the people and purpose behind LARA. Now, I've been a part of Team LARA for going on about eight years, and I am so passionate about the work that we do and the impact that it has across Michigan. So I'm hoping that through this podcast, I can be your guide as we meet the people who keep things moving and then dive into the different stories that don't always make headlines, but they absolutely matter. So the LARA Living Room is going to be your all access pass to a department that helps protect people and promote business through the state. So whether you're a licensee, an industry partner, or part of LARA, this podcast is perfect for you. We're going to explore the work, the why and the people behind the policies that really shape Michigan's future. And what better way to start that than with our very first guest, Dr. Marlon Brown. He is the director of LARA and a member of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's cabinet. So Dr. Brown leads the department that oversees nearly 2 million licensed individuals and businesses across dozens of industries. He's held leadership roles at the Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the State Budget Office. And listen, his academic background is just as impressive. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from American University, a master's in public administration from the University of Delaware and a doctorate in public administration from Valdosta State University. Wow, incredible. So simply put, Dr. Brown really brings a deep understanding of how government works. And today he's going to help kick things off with the Laura Living Room with insight, experience, and again, a look at what really drives the work that we do. So go ahead, fill up your coffee, grab a seat and get comfortable because you are now in the Laura Living Room. All right. Hello, Marlon. How's it going today?

Director Marlon Brown: 2:14

I'm great, Anastasha. How are you?

Anastasha Osborne: 2:16

I'm doing good. Thank you. Welcome to our first episode of our new podcast.

Director Marlon Brown: 2:19

Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

Anastasha Osborne: 2:21

Yeah, it's very exciting. We got a couple of really good questions lined up here, so I'm excited to kick things off.

Director Marlon Brown: 2:26

Looking forward to it.

Anastasha Osborne: 2:28

So before we really kind of jump into the meat and potatoes, so to speak, of the podcast, I want to start with a couple of the basics or appetizers, so to speak. So LARA does so much for the state of Michigan. But for those who may not really know the full scope, can you give us just like a big picture view of what Laura does and then, of course, why it matters?

Director Marlon Brown: 2:49

Well, LARA is one of 18 principal departments and agencies in state government. A lot of people may be familiar with getting their driver's license from the Department of State or seeing orange barrels and knowing that that's the Department of Transportation. Well, LARA is just as big in its scope and what it does. We are responsible for most of the licensing and regulatory actions of the state So we have over 200 different license types that we issue. And we have about 2 million licensees when you look at both individuals and entities. And so that includes health professionals, if you're a nurse, a doctor, a physician assistant, or even some of our health facilities like hospitals, long-term care, and homes for the aged. We also have various occupations that are licensed through our department. So if you are a builder, accountant, a realtor. If you work in the construction trades, a lot of skilled trades professions are also regulated by Laura. If you're a plumber, if you're an electrician, a lot of that is impacted by the work that we do. Outside of that, if you have a business or a nonprofit in the state, you're regulated by Laura. And if you ever enjoy an alcoholic beverage, the Liquor Control Commission is part of Laura. We also regulate public services in this state, and we even have our hands in industries such as cannabis and the indigent defense commission so all of our state public defender offices in the state are part of team lara at the end of the day we do a lot of different things but our work is vital to enhancing the quality of life in the state of michigan and so we take great pride in that

Anastasha Osborne: 4:29

That's incredible um you know hearing that we do so much and we touch so many people here in Michigan. Aside from the fact that we do so much, what is one part of LARA that you really feel would surprise people when they hear about it?

Director Marlon Brown: 4:42

I love that question. Whenever I go out and talk about what we do, I usually end with the fact that we have the state's Unarmed Combat Commission. It always raises eyebrows and I usually get a few people that will ask, what is that? So the Unarmed Combat Commission is the current version of the Boxing Commission that was originally established many years ago. And so it regulates not only the sport of boxing, but any other form of like kickboxing or mixed martial arts. Mai Tai was just recently introduced a couple years ago. And so that's a really unique one out of everything that we do. Unarmed combat and the regulation of those types of sports is something that is unique to a state government agency.

Anastasha Osborne: 5:26

Yeah, no, that really is. Have you ever made your way out to an event?

Director Marlon Brown: 5:29

I have not. Still on the bucket list.

Anastasha Osborne: 5:34

Yeah, I've been to a couple of their their board meetings or their commission meetings, and they're pretty interesting. So I'll have to add that to our list.

Director Marlon Brown: 5:41

Definitely.

Anastasha Osborne: 5:43

All right. Let's talk a little bit about why we launched this podcast. You know, as I mentioned, kind of in our intro a little bit, we kind of have this idea, right, of why we want to start this podcast and creating a place that we can really just share information. So let's talk about why we're doing this a little bit more and really what inspired the idea for the LARA Living Room.

Director Marlon Brown: 6:03

Definitely. Well, I'll point to two different ideas. The first is last year we were kind of traveling around the state talking to staff in different regions. And one of the pieces of feedback that we received is from our staff that work out in the community and they're inspecting different facilities around the state. And so they asked whether or not we had thought about engaging in any sort of podcast so that people in the department can hear about what's going on while they're driving from one location to another. And so we took that idea to heart and really kind of kicked the tires on it and said, hey, what would it look like if we put together a Lara podcast? And as we thought about that, we kind of came at the second reason why we should do this. And that is because within our strategic goals, we have have the perspective of educating before we regulate. And so it became not just something for our staff to learn about the different types of activities we perform, but as a way to engage with the public and to really share what Laura does and why it matters and why it's important. So we really view this as an outreach tool so that people can become more familiar with our department. And in addition to seeing orange barrels, you'll know what LARA does because you listen to the LARA Living Room podcast.

Anastasha Osborne: 7:18

I love that. That's just one of those highlights, right? One of the perks, I guess, of living in Michigan is those orange barrels.

Director Marlon Brown: 7:26

All the time.

Anastasha Osborne: 7:29

Well, you know, we've got so many amazing people that are doing critical work. This feels like a perfect way to pull back the curtain a little bit, so to speak. So what do you hope this podcast helps accomplish, as you mentioned, for both our Team LARA and for the public?

Director Marlon Brown: 7:45

Yeah, that's a really good question. I like to Amazing. Amazing. about the podcast. And so we want to give people a sneak peek of what it's really like to work in a regulatory agency. And I promise it's much more exciting than it sounds.

Anastasha Osborne: 8:31

And if you come and work for Team LARA, you get really cool swag.

Director Marlon Brown: 8:35

Really cool swag.

Anastasha Osborne: 8:37

We'll have to post something on social media. We actually are both wearing pretty cool LARA swag right now and drinking out of really cool LARA mugs. And our mugs are sitting on some LARA coasters. So there you go. I love that. All right. So let's kind of talk about what's to expect moving forward. Let's give our listeners a little sneak peek. What kind of topics and stories, you know, can they look forward to listening to our podcast?

Director Marlon Brown: 9:02

Yes. In fact, I feel like this is the question I should be asking you as the host of our podcast. But I know we've got a great lineup of different episodes that we'll be sharing with the public. We'll be looking at how does regulation actually work? How do regulations get created? What's the difference between a rule that the department makes and maybe a law that the legislature passes. We'll also be looking at the people behind the work that we do. So inside Team LARA, getting a better understanding of who these state employees are and what do they do and why is it important to them and why they find fulfillment in their job. We'll try to look at a day in the life of the regulator. This is something that we do at our leadership team meetings throughout the year. We'll bring in someone who works in the department and have them showcase the work that they do. And they're very proud of the work that they do for the people of Michigan. And so giving a platform for some of our team members to share what they do is key. And then we'll hone in on some of the different types of industries and licenses that we regulate and issue. And so I know we're going to look at how do you start a business in Michigan and how do you get that registered with LARA. I know we'll talk about things like fire safety, always a big, important topic. with us in some of the work that we do in our public outreach. And then we'll look at the construction industry or look at health facilities. If you have a loved one in a nursing home or in homes for the aged or something like that, you probably want to know what the state is doing to make sure that they are protected and well cared for. So we've got a lot of different topics. I think our listeners will really find them engaging and thought provoking. And you probably will walk away from a conversation saying, wow, I had no idea that LARA did that or so much went into that particular program.

Anastasha Osborne: 10:51

Absolutely. Well, great. Well, we do want to hear from our listeners too. So, you know, if you are part of Team Laura or, you know, you're someone who interacts with one of our bureaus or agencies, you know, send in some questions, send in ideas, feedback. We'd love to hear it. And you never know, you might be featured in a future episode. So send them on over.

Director Marlon Brown: 11:10

The more, the merrier.

Anastasha Osborne: 11:12

Absolutely. Well, Marlon, thank you for being here and for helping us kind of kick things off. Like I said, first episode of the new podcast, super exciting. But before we go, I do just want to ask one more question. What excites you most about this new podcast?

Director Marlon Brown: 11:26

Well, we've talked for many years about how we tell the LARA story. And it's a certainly unique one to tell. We are probably the most diverse state department in the state of Michigan. We do so many different things. And so this is a great way to tell our story and to really talk about why it's important, why it matters, how we make a difference in the lives of every Michigander. We like to say that whether it's from birth to death, anywhere in between, LARA has a vital role in ensuring that the quality of life in Michigan is one that we can all be proud of and one that we want our kids to grow up in. And so telling that LARA story is important. But the other aspect that I'm really excited about with the podcast is that it gives us an opportunity to promote public service. And one of our core values at LARA is public service. We take immense pride in what we do and knowing that it is for a public purpose and it is for the people of Michigan. And so I think it will be a great way to celebrate the value that public service brings to our lives. And who knows, we may inspire some future generations to want to go into government and work in a public sector career. So hopefully we will promote the value of public service and be able to tell a little bit about our story as we go through the season.

Anastasha Osborne: 12:46

Yeah, I'm really excited. We got a couple really good things lined up, so stay tuned for that.

Director Marlon Brown: 12:52

I'll be listening as well.

Anastasha Osborne: 12:54

I know, I'd hate to hear my voice back, but you know, I still got to listen in, you know. Well, thank you for being our first guest. I really appreciate your time. I know you're a busy man being the director and all.

Director Marlon Brown: 13:04

Oh, I had to make time in my schedule for this. This is really exciting.

Anastasha Osborne: 13:09

Yeah. And thank you to everyone for tuning in. We really appreciate it. We hope you found something valuable in this first episode. So be sure to subscribe. Join us in future episodes because, you know, we're just getting started. So I'll close out with from our living room to yours. See you next time.

Unknown: 13:26

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