Metropolitan Breakfast Club upcoming events

J. B. Sauceda, Texas Country Reporter (July 15, 2026)

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

J. B. Sauceda, Host and Executive Producer, Texas Country Reporter, Texas Monthly

About the Program:

A Mile Above Texas: My Journey to Hosting Texas Country Reporter

"How did you get the job hosting TCR?" is the number one question J.B. is asked by people he meets, and he'll describe the meandering career that led him there. We'll make stops in advertising, logistics, social media, and eventually the last several years taking on the role of hosting TCR. Hop in and join J.B. for his meandering journey to TCR.

About the Speaker:

J.B. Sauceda is the host and executive producer of Texas Country Reporter, the longest running independently produced show on television, now entering its 55th season. Each week, J.B. and his crew travel the state uncovering the stories of ordinary Texans doing extraordinary things — a job that feels less like hosting and more like a calling.

Before stepping in front of the camera, J.B. spent a decade as a commercial and editorial photographer, then built a career as a serial entrepreneur. He founded Texas Humor, a social media brand that grew into a retail clothing company, then founded and scaled Sauceda Industries, a third party logistics firm, from a startup into a 150-person third-party shipping operation before selling it to Cart.com in 2021. He's also the author of Y'all Need This Book: The Definitive Guide to Being Texan, with over 50,000 copies sold.

Agenda:

6:45am - Coffee & Networking

7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

7:50am - Speaker Introduction

8:20am - Q&A

8:30am - Leave inspired or curious!

WiN (Women in Neuroscience) (July 22, 2026)

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rebecca Farrell Ewing, Executive Director
Judi Nudelman, Founder
Valeria Marquez Cardenas, Program Director
Women in Neuroscience

About the Program:

Women in Neuroscience: Equipping and Empowering Future Scientists

WiN's mission is about empowering students from under-resourced and underserved communities to pursue research and leadership pathways in neuroscience fields, ultimately contributing to advancing scientific innovation and improved health outcomes.

About the speakers:

With over twenty years of experience, Rebecca Farrell Ewing, Ph.D., LPCC-S (KY), has dedicated her career to empowering individuals to thrive in their overall health and wellness while honoring their autonomy, purpose, and dignity. Her work is rooted in principles of intersectionality, inclusivity, equity, social justice, and diversity. Dr. Farrell Ewing has held leadership roles in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, alongside her teaching experience in higher education. Her dedication to mobilizing communities and resources through collaborations, partnerships, and policy reforms is highlighted by her active involvement in various multidisciplinary teams, boards of directors, task forces, and committees.

Judi Nudelman entered the computer field with IBM as a systems engineer in 1962 when few women were in the corporate and STEM worlds. Throughout her thirty-year career, she broke new ground, strived for excellence and overcame obstacles confronting women. Since retiring in 1991, Judi has used her experience and skills to establish new organizations and assist people. She was her husband Harvey’s caregiver for five years. In 2018, after Harvey died, she established Women in Neuroscience. Since 2019, she has led the Central Texas CurePSP Support Group and since March 2025 serves as a Commissioner on Austin’s Commission on Aging.

Valeria Marquez Cardenas is a recent UT graduate with a degree in neuroscience and a teaching certificate in 7-12th grade Life Sciences. They are a two- time alum and current program director for Women in Neuroscience, which provides neuroscience lab experience during the summer for underrepresented communities. Additionally, Valeria has four years of stroke research experience, using software such as ITK-SNAP for lesion tracing (T1 and FLAIR) and Brainsight. They are also familiar with data collection and analysis techniques such as EEG, and TMS, and behavioral testing. In the near future, they will be applying to PhD Neuroscience programs across the United States. They are hoping to continue pursuing their interest in aphasia, and how it affects bilingual vs monolingual populations whether it is in stroke survivors or people with frontotemporal dementia.

Agenda:

6:45am - Coffee & Networking

7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

7:50am - Speaker Introduction

8:20am - Q&A

8:30am - Leave inspired or curious!

Chaka Mahone, DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action) (July 29, 2026)

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chaka Mahone, Founder/Creative Director, DAWA

About the Program:

Community is Our Greatest Technology

Community and collaboration as infrastructure for the future we want to see. Award-winning hip hop artist, Jonathan 'Chaka' Mahone has built an innovative, culture-forward, non-profit organization in the 'Live Music Capital' that has distributed over $500,000 in 6 years.

About the Speaker:

Jonathan 'Chaka' Mahone is a visionary storyteller who believes in the power of art, and the importance of the artist as a community catalyst for social and cultural change, economic development, healing, planning, and collective conversation. As a performing artist and musician, he has traveled the world as one-half of the award-winning hip hop duo, Riders Against the Storm (RAS). As a civic leader, Mahone became the first African-American Chair of Austin's Music Commission in 2021. In 2019, he founded DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action) to provide a safety net for People of Color that are experiencing short term life crisis.

More specifically, those who are givers: musicians, artists, social workers, teachers, healing practitioners, and service industry workers. Through its mission of ‘giving to the givers,’ and its vision of centering community and culture to drive social impact, DAWA has directly invested over a half million dollars in this group over the last 6 years.

Agenda:

6:45am - Coffee & Networking

7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

7:50am - Speaker Introduction

8:20am - Q&A

8:30am - Leave inspired or curious!

Metropolitan Breakfast Club upcoming events

J. B. Sauceda, Texas Country Reporter (July 15, 2026)

J. B. Sauceda, Host and Executive Producer, Texas Country Reporter, Texas Monthly

WiN (Women in Neuroscience) (July 22, 2026)

Rebecca Farrell Ewing, Executive DirectorJudi Nudelman, FounderValeria Marquez Cardenas, Program DirectorWomen in Neuroscience

Chaka Mahone, DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action) (July 29, 2026)

Chaka Mahone, Founder/Creative Director, DAWA

Rebecca Farrell Ewing, Executive Director
Judi Nudelman, Founder
Valeria Marquez Cardenas, Program Director
Women in Neuroscience