This week on the Change Maker: Ariana Pekary. Ariana is formerly an award-winning journalist, current Yoga instructor, and future podcast host.
She has worked in the media for years and brings an insider perspective on how the news works and how it creates division in its viewers. She’s also the future host of her own podcast and founding member of Starts With Us and organizes with the hopes of increasing transparency in news.
You can find Ariana on Twitter and Instagram at: @arianapekary
Find us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FVGs1BboeO4
To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker
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.