Dr. Alex Gee

Rev. Dr. Alex Gee's personal website: articles, audio, Black Like Me Podcast and videos, Madison Wisconsin

Season 12

S12 E227: Season 12 Wrap-Up: 5 Lessons From Opening The Center for Black Excellence and Culture

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After devoting Season 12 to conversations with those that played roles in the development, designing, building, and opening of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, Dr. Alex Gee takes some time to reflect on this long journey of seeing his vision come to life. He shares some of the biggest highlights from the process of The Center coming together as a reality for the Black community. Listen in to hear five lessons that he learned from opening The Center and insights into his process.

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S12 E226: Catching The Vision: Community Connection With Susan Pierce Jacobsen

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Susan Pierce Jacobsen is a community connector and advocate who has worked in many different positions. Through several of Susan’s roles she has supported The Center for Black Excellence and Culture. Dr. Gee shares about Susan’s support and their relationship in development projects in the community.

They discuss some of the various connections that Susan helped bring together with The Center from architects, community organizers, and company leaderships.

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S12 E225: Point Of No Return: Iterating On Vision Until It Becomes A Reality With Jim Bower

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How did the vision for The Center for Black Excellence and Culture find its shape? Dr. Gee talks to Jim Bower about how their collaboration helped shape the vision for what was valuable for the Black community in Madison. Jim’s role was to continually clarify Dr. Gee’s vision and find a way to make it a reality. He saw Dr. Gee as a social innovator, who had something important he wanted to change in society that needed to have a track for the project to move forward on. 

Dr. Gee explains how the cross-cultural partnerships involved coalesced around the vision despite issues that the community and country were facing. The project is a rare example of a team of people unified around the vision that they invested so much of their skills and heart in.

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S12 E224: Sharing The Story Of The Center: Marketing Partnership With Dave Floran and Dana Arnold Of Hiebing

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Hear about the long term relationship with Hiebing for marketing services for The Center for Black Excellence and Culture with Dave Floran, CEO, and Dana Arnold, Chief Growth Officer. Dr. Gee discusses how Hiebing helped articulate the story of The Center and share this visionary cultural space with the community. The team partnered in bringing the language and image of The Center to clarity and the public.

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S12 E223: “Building Belonging”: Carrying The Space With You With Jim Yehle And Denzel Bibbs Of Findorff Construction

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Dr. Gee tells the story of how The Center for Black Excellence and Culture was actually built with Jim Yehle, the President and CEO of Findorff Construction. Denzel Bibbs, Findorff Construction Project Manager, fills in the details of the building process. He discusses his role in maintaining the vision of the Black aesthetic laid out by the team. Hear how the design and physical building exemplify the multi-dimensionality of the African Diaspora and the African American communities.

The relationship of this team demonstrates the cross cultural innovation that strengthens the accomplishments of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture. Jim Yehle contributed to the process by making strategic community introductions and creating enthusiasm around fundraising to create a debt free construction. Denzel Bibbs talks about the atmosphere of the construction project that speaks to the positive energy and environment that will be taken onto other projects.

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S12 E222: Bringing The African Diaspora To Madison: ZebraDog’s Mark Schmitz Helps Design A Space Full Of Black Truths

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How do you share a vision that has never been seen before? Mark Schmitz shares how ZebraDog acted as a conduit for the vision of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture. Zebradog knew how to tell stories through a space and The Center team knew the stories of the Black community, and they came together to bring these stories to life. Dr. Gee and Mark discuss the importance of storytelling, especially right now, where history and storytelling are in danger.

Mark works on projects all over the world but he has been changed by the this hometown project that is a part of his shared community. They explore together how we are the embodiment of our history and how you become the buildings that you inhabit. The space of The Center is a hopeful vision of what we want to see for the Madison community. 

Mark has been in the visual design and storytelling world since 1985. About 35 years ago, he started shaping what would become ZEBRADOG with a simple but bold idea: combine traditional visual communication design thinking with emerging technologies to create environments that engage all the senses. He wanted to build places that tell stories, connect people to brands in authentic ways, and invite them to linger a little longer—to learn, to touch, to feel. Today, that idea has grown into a world-class experiential design consortium that brings visual brands to life within built environments around the globe. The ZEBRADOG team is made up of exhibit architects, interior and graphic designers, producers, programmers, and software developers, all sharing one thing in common: they’re passionate thinkers who love what they do. Mark travels across the country speaking about “Dynamic Environments” and “The Human Experience of a Brand.” He’s a frequent keynote speaker for groups like the American Institute of Architects, the International Interior Design Association, and the American Marketing Association. As a Certified Experience Economy Expert (CEEE), he helps clients understand how to design experiences that feel personal and memorable. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Taliesin Preservation, Inc., where he’s helping shape design programs that elevate the industry and celebrate creative heritage. And when he’s not deep in a ZEBRADOG project, you might find him rating golf courses for Golfweek Magazine, lending a hand at Taliesin, or tearing up the mogul fields in Summit County—still smiling on his 62 year-old knees.

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