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Central to NWA: A UCA Podcast
Central to NWA: A UCA Podcast is the University of Central Arkansas’ official platform for deepening its presence and building relationships in Northwest Arkansas. Hosted by Paul Gatling, UCA’s Senior Director of Northwest Arkansas Engagement, the show connects alumni, business leaders, and community partners through interviews and relevant conversations.
Some guests will be UCA graduates making an impact in the region. Others will include industry voices, institutional partners, campus leaders in Conway, and community leaders in Northwest Arkansas, all of whom are shaping this region from different perspectives. Each episode explores how leadership, workforce and education intersect in one of the country’s fastest-growing regions.
The goal is straightforward: listen, connect and make sure UCA has a stronger, more visible presence in Northwest Arkansas.
If you want to stay plugged into the people and ideas defining Northwest Arkansas, this is the channel.
Central to NWA: A UCA Podcast
Latest Episodes
Ep. 15 - Region-First Growth: Robert Burns on Shaping Northwest Arkansas
Growth is a massive regional win, but unmanaged expansion quickly turns into a infrastructure and talent leak. As populations spike, civic leaders face the ultimate balancing act: keeping a booming economy running efficiently while protecting t...
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Ep. 14 - Career Trajectory Shifts: From Small Business to NASA COO with Amir Deylami
Operating a massive tech hub in the middle of the world's most aggressive innovation environment leaves zero margin for error. When you are responsible for keeping a 2,000 acre campus running smoothly to support human spaceflight, theory takes ...
Ep. 13 - Delusional Ambition: Scaling a Financial Empire with Kristin Daniel
Financial volatility is often just a symptom of excessive noise, and for many high-stakes founders, "doing it all" is the fastest way to lose everything. In an era where everyone with an Instagram account claims to be a market expert, the real ...
Ep. 12 - Life in Education: Dr. Bobby New’s Legacy
A Fayetteville superintendent who also spent 26 years flying helicopters and airplanes as an Army and National Guard aviator has a different way of talking about leadership: calm, practical, and shaped by responsibility that never really shuts ...
Ep. 11 - Banking on Relationships: Ron Branscum's Playbook
Your banker can’t approve what they can’t understand and most business owners don’t realize how often the deal breaks down long before the loan committee meets. We’re joined by Ron Branscum, a University of Central Arkansas alum who has lived t...