Episode 77_Karl Kadon - Season Four Premiere

02/14/24 • 56 min

Karl Kadon, a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, is an alumnus of Walnut Hills High School, Miami University, and the Salmon P. Chase College of Law. Since 2006, he has served as a Criminal Chief, a federal prosecutor, stationed at the Cincinnati branch office of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

In his role, Kadon dedicated a significant portion of his federal career to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, focusing on pursuing major drug dealers and drug cartels. In 2019, he was appointed as the Deputy Criminal Chief overseeing the Task Force. Shortly thereafter, he assumed the position of Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he took charge of all investigations and criminal cases. Over the past two decades, Kadon has either personally litigated or supervised some of the most notable federal prosecutions in the Southern District of Ohio, earning several awards and recognitions for his contributions.

Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Kadon served as the Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Prior to that, he held the position of Deputy City Solicitor for the City of Cincinnati, where he was responsible for managing all civil litigation and criminal prosecution matters. In 1987, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Reserve, serving as a Judge Advocate ("JAG") in the Judge Advocate Generals Corps until his retirement in 2015 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His military service included mobilization for Operation DESERT STORM, deployment as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the Special Operations Component of U.S. Central Command during Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM, with assignments in the Gulf, Afghanistan, and other regions.

Beyond his professional and military commitments, Kadon has actively participated in youth soccer and the Boy Scouts. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Dan Beard Council of the BSA and currently holds positions on the Board of Directors of the FC Cincinnati Foundation and the Miami University Alumni Association Advisory Board.

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Episode 76_Siobhan Taylor - Season Three Finale

Siobhan Taylor believes that transformational education changes not only students but also families and communities. She was named the second president of DePaul Cristo Rey High School (DPCR) in Cincinnati in August 2020. A Cincinnati native, Siobhan is a graduate of Ursuline Academy, Miami University and the University of Michigan. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and anthropology, a master’s degree in social work social policy, and completed additional studies at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She has held several education leadership positions including at the Springer School and Center, and James N. Gamble Montessori High School. Prior to taking the leadership position at DPCR, she served as Head of High School at Marburn Academy in New Albany, Ohio. As President & CEO of DePaul Cristo Rey High School, Siobhan is passionate about providing opportunities for students to secure their futures, and is equally committed to fostering each student’s spiritual development. DPCR serves students who aspire to go to college but whose families have limited financial means. As a Catholic, college preparatory high school with a unique Corporate Work Study Program, DPCR gives students the experience of working in businesses and organizations throughout their high school careers. Siobhan was named a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 47 in 2023; as a Power 100 Rising Star in July 2023; as an Ohio Top 500 Leader in 2022 and 2023; and among Greater Cincinnati’s Forty under 40 list of emerging leaders in September 2021. Her interests in and passion for education, female empowerment, and mental health advocacy have led her to make an impact through significant volunteer work that has an international reach. She serves on the Ambassador Council of the Eating Recovery Center and frequently serves on mental health panels with a particular interest in those that address mental health and spirituality issues in diverse communities. Siobhan is committed to support youth and women locally and globally through multiple organizations: Compassion International, where she sponsors religious life and education for four children in multiple countries; Montana de Luz, a Honduran orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS; Miami University Regionals Community Advisory Board; and Women in Christian Leadership, where she supports programming for Christian, women and business leaders. Drawing upon her love of young people and God, she also serves as the Founder of Conflicts of the Heart, a Christian women's small group ministry and blog. She is currently working on a devotional and other opportunities to share God’s love with others.

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Episode 78_Roger David

Roger David is president and CEO of Gold Star Chili, Inc., an iconic Cincinnati business with two well-known brands in its portfolio of companies – Gold Star and Tom & Chee.

Roger leads a team of dedicated professionals working to continue to build the brand his father and uncles started more than 50 years ago. Since being named president and CEO, Roger has grown Gold Star Chili, Inc. to include Tom & Chee, the famous grilled cheese and soup restaurant chain that rocketed to stardom thanks to an appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank.”

Under his leadership, Gold Star has completed strategic updates to all areas of its business in order to drive success and growth for the next 50 years and beyond. A $30 million investment translated into a new restaurant look, menu and guest experience for its 70+ locations throughout Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Roger believes restaurant brands are built tableside and has advanced the companies training and development efforts. The company also made a deliberate investment into facility efficiencies in order to build environmentally-friendly restaurants, which pays off for its franchise owners who are realizing improvements in labor costs, energy usage and employee productivity. Gold Star is in the process of bringing those same strategies to the Tom & Chee brand in order to position it for success for years to come.

Earlier in his career, Roger served as CEO of national sports restaurant franchise Buffalo Wings & Rings; director of brand strategy at Brandimage, a brand design and consultancy serving fortune 500 clients; and vice president of marketing at Gold Star. He has served a member of the Cincinnati Parks Foundation board, President of the Music Resource Center, Vice President of the Council on Child Abuse, and ArtWorks Big Pitch mentor and judge. Roger is currently in Leadership Cincinnati Class 47.

Roger holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Xavier University. He is married to Ceci and has three children: Liza, Alex and Margo.