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Dr. Gene Harris was the longest-serving superintendent of Columbus City Schools. Dr. Gene Harris is a proud graduate of Columbus City Schools and spent 37 years as a professional educator. She is a true women of great faith who God has used to impact thousands of students, families and fellow educators. She retired from Columbus City Schools in 2013. She earned her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Notre Dame and her Masters degree and PhD in Education from the Ohio State University and Ohio University, respectively. Dr. Harris served as classroom teacher, high school principal, supervisor of principals, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent, state assistant superintendent and for 12 years, superintendent of Columbus City Schools.

Dr. Harris has served on a variety of volunteer boards and advisory committees including Action for Children, United Way of Central Ohio, and the Ohio University Board of Trustees, where she was chair in her final year as trustee. For 39 years, Dr. Harris has been a disciple at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church where she has served as high school Sunday school teacher, and Christ Centered Discipleship facilitator. Currently she is a member of the choir, participant in the Woman of Wholeness Ministry, chair of the Scholarship Committee, and vice-chair of the Ministry of Trustees. Also, Dr. Harris is a Group Leader for Bible Study Fellowship, an international Bible study group. Dr. Harris is married to Stanley E. Harris, a retired career banker. Together they have one son, Wade Thomas Harris (wife Belinda), and three precocious grandchildren, Nathan, Noah, and Naomi.

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What's up, Ballers! Welcome to the first episode of The NxtUp Ballers Podcast — where we spotlight those who are building something bigger than themselves. The ones turning their hustle and purpose into legacy impact. Today, we’ve got one of those voices in the building — A Columbus native, public servant, and community-builder who’s been putting in real work to make sure our neighborhoods get the love, investment, and opportunity they deserve. Today we will be talking to none other than Councilmember Nick Bankston. We will be discussing Nick’s journey ‘From Neighborhood Roots to Citywide Impact.’

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What if legacy is less about success and more about alignment? Coach Tim Brown sits down with veteran educator Taylor Smith to explore a 46-year journey from segregation-era Virginia to leading Worthington Christian Schools with excellence and conviction. Together, they unpack how parents, churches, and schools can work in unity to shape both character and competence. Taylor shares why modeling beats messaging, how faith and academics integrate into true discipleship, and what it means to finish strong. If you care about building leaders who love truth and live it, this conversation is for you.

If you care about Christian education, character formation, and purpose-driven leadership, this conversation offers clarity and courage. Subscribe for more legacy-minded conversations, share this episode with someone shaping the next generation, and leave a review to help us grow the movement. What’s one value you’ll model this week?

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What’s up! Welcome to The NxtUp Ballers (Building A Life Long Legacy) Podcast—where the next, and now, generation of leaders, dreamers, and builders come to talk real growth, real lessons, and real legacy. Here, with our host Christian Noel, we dive into business, leadership, faith, education, personal development, and community impact! Our guests are built on wisdom, driven by action, and leaving a legacy behind them. So, If you’re ready to level up, move with intention, and build something that lasts—this one’s for you. Get ready to BALL!

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What if the smartest move you ever made wasn’t the safe one—but the faithful one?

Detroit native, Central State University alum, and educator Kimberly Jones joins us to share how faith, a no-excuses mindset, and the unique power of HBCUs can transform students, campuses, and communities. From cleaning chalkboards as a child to leading a school from “continuous improvement” to “effective,” Kimberly reveals how love, structure, and high expectations turn doubt into momentum.

Faith runs through everything. Kimberly traces her roots to grandparents who migrated from Selma to Detroit, a church community that held her steady, and a daily practice of getting 1 percent better. She offers clear advice for young people: slow down, plan your future, avoid permanent decisions in temporary emotions, and treat education as a passport to the life you want. Her legacy is visible—in her children, her students, and the opportunities she advocates for behind closed doors.

She breaks down why professors who know your name matter, how HBCUs build identity and confidence, and what it takes to create authentic partnerships with organizations like Honda, P&G, and JPMorgan Chase—while always keeping students at the center. Grounded in faith and guided by legacy, Kimberly offers practical wisdom for young people and leaders alike: plan your future, grow daily, and treat education as a passport to possibility.

If you’re hungry for leadership that serves, teaching that transforms, and partnerships that create real pathways, you’ll find a blueprint here. Subscribe, share with a mentor or student who needs encouragement, and leave a review to help more listeners find conversations that build courage and legacy.

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In this compelling episode of Be a Baller, Coach Tim Brown sits down with Dr. Donja Thomas—educator, curriculum pioneer, and TEDx speaker of Blackness Is a Superpower—to explore how truth-telling in schools awakens identity, restores dignity, and unlocks possibility for every student.

From her days as a Junior Olympics runner to redesigning English core classes around Black literature, Dr. Donja Thomas shares how discipline, faith, and community shaped a clear and courageous mission: to build brave spaces where students speak freely, think critically, and lead boldly.

The conversation traces the quiet moments that transformed a substitute teaching role into a calling—and the bold decisions that brought African American Voice and African Heritage Literature into the core curriculum. Dr. Thomas explains why Black studies in K–12 education is essential, not optional—because accurate history liberates all learners, strengthens critical consciousness, and helps heal communities.

Along the way, she reflects on the foundations that shaped her leadership: a mother’s bookshelf, a tight-knit neighborhood, and Sundays in the Black church. You’ll also hear the powerful origin story of Diaspora: Truth From the Youth—a student-led platform that grew into an eleven-year tradition and is now expanding citywide. It’s a blueprint for youth leadership, collaboration, and public scholarship that turns classrooms into launchpads.

Dr. Donja Thomas’s north star is both simple and seismic: plant seeds of lifelong learning, affirm that students come from greatness, and trust that faith carries the work far beyond any single lesson or school year.

If you care about education, culture, and building a legacy that lasts, this conversation will challenge and charge you. Subscribe, share with an educator or parent, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

What seed will you plant today?

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Obie Stillwell, Former OSU Buckeye walk-on, Buckeye Fever television co-host and real estate professional serving hundreds of residents in affordable housing. Obie Stillwell has lived enough lives for three people—and in this episode, Coach Tim Brown dives into the through-line behind all of them: faith-driven leadership and relentless perseverance.

From Mansfield roots to Big Ten locker rooms, Obie shares how a walk-on mindset—humble, gritty, and resilient—continues to shape how he leads family, work, and community today. The conversation spans the Breakfast Club he co-founded that regularly brings together more than 700 people across race, industry, and age, the realities of overseeing 248 units for elderly and disabled residents, and the art of running a mission with a business backbone.

Obie pulls back the curtain on why hard coaching is often the truest sign of belief, how to accept critique as investment, and why endurance—quiet, steady, uncompromising endurance—is the hidden currency of sustainable leadership.

Things turn deeply personal when Obie opens up about his son’s multi-year court battle and his own cancer fight—and the faith, scripture, and village of mentors that carried him to the other side.

You’ll leave with actionable lessons and a mandate:

• build rooms where difference strengthens community
• give people chances to fail, learn, and come back stronger
• lead in ways that are measurable and humane
• bridge generations so wisdom and energy align

If you’re building something that lasts—family, business, ministry, or neighborhood—this story will sharpen your mindset and expand your mission.

If this episode fuels you, share it with a leader in your circle, leave a review, and subscribe for more conversations that inspire excellence, service, and purpose.

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What. A. Year.
Coach Tim Brown kicks off this special Be A Baller Podcast episode by reflecting on the unforgettable journey of 2025 — a year overflowing with stories, student leadership, and community impact.

From powerful conversations to life-changing lessons, this season was shaped by YOU — the listeners, partners, and friends who support the mission of helping young people lead with purpose and faith.

And now the momentum continues.

Season 7 launches Tuesday, January 20th.
Get ready for new voices, fresh conversations, and more inspiration to step up and Be. A. Baller.

Stay subscribed, spread the word, and get ready to make 2026 the most impactful year yet!

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