Building Bridges Starts With Us With Tom Fishman artwork
The Change Maker

Building Bridges Starts With Us With Tom Fishman

  • S2
  • 48:35
  • January 20th 2025

This week on the Change Maker: Tom Fishman returns. Tom is the CEO of Builders, former known as Starts With Us, a movement designed to bridge the political gap in the United States. Tom talks about the name change and how our current politicians measure up to building bridges.

Connect with Builders on social media and find out more at: https://startswith.us/builders/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/UihCF6B5M_4

The Change Maker

The Change Maker is hosted by Deke Copenhaver. When Deke took over as mayor of his hometown of Augusta, Georgia, the city’s politics were broken and riven along racial lines. No group trusted any other group, so nothing got done.

From 2005 through 2014 Deke was a catalyst in helping to transform Augusta, attracting businesses to spur economic development, implementing social programs that impacted the lives of Augustans on a daily basis. He focused effort on communities that had been neglected for years.

No serving as the Principal of Copenhaver Consulting, Deke remains committed to being a Change Maker while helping others realize their potential to impact their communities for the better. For his work, he’s been recognized on multiple occasions by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians.

Deke currently authors a monthly column on leadership published by the Georgia Municipal Association. Deke earned a BA in Political Science from Augusta College and is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and the Mayors’ Institute on City Design.

A passionate athlete, Deke has completed five Ironman 70.3s and several half marathons. He and his wife, Malisa, reside in Augusta with their dogs Sarah Bet, Buddy, and Johnny.