Elevate: Bill Ritter

Timothy Webb: Thank you all for joining us today here on Elevator Broadcasting from the Razorback Camper Sales Studio. This National Park College podcast highlights a different nighthawk with each episode we'll talk about their journey challenges, key moments of success, their moments of elevation, leveling up and overcoming. I'm Timothy Webb, your host, and I'd like to welcome to the program Bill Ritter. Thanks so much for joining me today, Bill. Bill Ritter: Thanks, Tim. Thank you for the invitation to come on the show. I've listened to your podcast. I love the series. I love the idea and I really appreciate the opportunity to be here and to be a part of it. Timothy Webb: Oh, awesome. Awesome. We got a fan. Elevate. We got a fan. I didn't know anybody listened to it. Bill Ritter: At least one of us, dude. Timothy Webb: So Bill, tell us a little bit about yourself. Bill Ritter: Well, I am the director of adult education here at National Park College. I'm honestly probably the most boring person you would ever meet. I don't do a whole lot other than run a lot and ride a bike a lot. I work a lot, of course, especially here lately, and I was born and raised right here in Hot Springs. It was actually in Royal, but nobody knows where Royal is. So all of us who grew up in Royal, say we grew up in Hot Springs. I have one daughter, she is in her third year of college. She's a smart kid, goes to Hendrix, come from a big family. I have four sisters and two brothers. Oh yeah, that's always a good topic of discussion. I have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree both from Henderson State University and I have half of a degree from the University of Arkansas. And just as a little interesting side note, of my six siblings and myself, all seven of us have either gone to National Park College or work at National Park College or have gone to and currently work at National Park College. Timothy Webb: Wow. You're making this the family business. It really is. Bill Ritter: It's been such a big part of my family growing up and all of us just love the college and support the college so much. Timothy Webb: So Bill, you said you have a bachelor's and a master's. What are those degrees in? Bill Ritter: Well, my bachelor's degree is actually in music education and there's a story there I think we might get to later in the podcast, but I was a band director for 13 years. My master's degree is administration, public school administration, and I finished that master's degree because I wanted to do anything but to be a band director. And my half a degree is in adult education certification. It was a requirement to be a full-time employee of Arkansas Adult Education. Timothy Webb: So you became a band director and then you were like, "This isn't for me," and then you wanted to be a administrator. Bill Ritter: That's pretty much exactly what happened. Honestly, when I graduated high school, I didn't have anything else that I wanted to do. I didn't know what I was going to do, and the band director at Henderson had offered me a scholarship to go down there and play the trumpet, and I was pretty good on trumpet, so I thought, "Well, I don't have anything else that I want to do, so I'll take advantage of the scholarship." And I did. I spent five years there getting my music education degree, and when I graduated college, I didn't have anything else that I really wanted to do. So I thought, "Well, I might as well use this degree that I have." So I took the very first job that was offered to me at a little school in northeast Texas and became the assistant band director at Paul H Pewitt Consolidated Independent School District in Naples, Texas. And during my year there, I met the person who would become my wife and we married very quickly, and we very quickly had a child and all these big changes happened in my life. And eventually I was almost stuck because being a band director was paying the bills and had to keep doing it. And I loved it. Don't get me wrong, I love education. I'm truly an educator at heart, but educating sixth graders who would rather be hunting or fishing on how to play a flute or clarinet is probably not the best decision you can make for your health as far as employment goes. But I did find out one thing in that first year in northeast Texas, and that is that I love teaching and that I love serving others. So that's the big takeaway from that and I wouldn't trade a minute of it. Timothy Webb: That's great, Bill. That's great. Yeah, I can imagine that was fairly- Bill Ritter: It was always a challenge. Timothy Webb: Yeah, a challenge. It's very challenging Bill Ritter: And it didn't take long for me to go back to realize that, probably needed to create other opportunities for myself because looking at my long-term health and happiness, sometimes you have to make those changes. And so I entered the master's degree program at Henderson State University to become a principal, a building level administrator and finish that master's degree. I actually never got to be a principal because this job came knocking first and I really hit it out of the ballpark when I found this one. This is fantastic, and I'm so appreciative and so thankful to be here. Timothy Webb: Awesome. So Bill, how long have you been at National Park College? Bill Ritter: My first day at National Park College was September the ninth of 2013. Timothy Webb: So being the director of adult education, what all does that position entail? Bill Ritter: First and foremost, I have to manage people, whether it's employees or students, that's my first responsibility. I think we probably are the largest department on campus. We have about 34 employees, and that does fluctuate. I've had as much as 40, 42. Right now we're about 34 and we will easily serve a thousand or more students this school year. So that's a lot of employees and it's a lot of students and they depend on me to be the best leader that I can be. So managing people, that probably takes up more of my time than anything, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Budget management is also a big part of my job. We have a budget of about $1.4 million and that takes up a lot of time. Thankfully, I have people on my staff that do so much to help me with the budget. And also I think probably community relations after people management and budget management, community relations probably take more effort than any, and I wouldn't have that any other way either because I love making those relationships in our community and helping our college and our program grow. Timothy Webb: What are some of the common myths that you face being the director of adult education? Bill Ritter: I think probably most of our community and even people on our campus when they hear adult education, they still think that we just help people get GEDs. And that's very true, but that is not all we do. Since 2014, we have been more challenged than ever to be a integral part of workforce education in our community and we do things that we never thought we would do. Now starting in adult education, it was all GEDs and then year or two later it changed and now all of a sudden we're having to build these programs that can help people get into the workforce quickly and don't depend on, at least initially, don't depend on a college semester type schedule. It can get them into the workplace and get them working quickly so then they can continue when they have stable employment that pays them well, they can continue to move on into those college programs. So we are supposed to be the first step so they get their diploma and they can get some type of certificate and get the work for us. Right now, as of yesterday, we are a certified nursing assistant program for our area. Any student that is interested in that is can attend our programs at no cost to them. If they are eligible for TANF benefits, we can get even their scrubs and things like that paid for. But all of our classes, of course, and all the books and all materials are free of charge. And I can honestly say I never thought I would be the administrator of a healthcare program, but here I am in charge of a CNA program. And then we also added what's called a medication assistant program, which is a step up for a CNA and gives them a little bit more money, a little bit better responsibilities. Like I said, I never thought I would be here, but here I am and I love new challenges and this has certainly been a new challenge and it's been a fun ride building these programs. Can't wait to see them flourish. Timothy Webb: Well, that's so amazing that you guys are able to offer this to our community. I mean, just imagine a young person out there that's looking for their career and they hear about they can go to this program, get this certification for free and get started making their dreams come true. Bill Ritter: Absolutely. I'm just as excited as helping people get these good paying jobs and enter the workforce. I'm excited to be that first step to them entering the colleges programs, to further their education even more, to further their career even more, to earn even more money for their families. Being that first step is such a cool feeling. Timothy Webb: So Bill, what are some of the biggest obstacles you've had to overcome to get to where you are today? Bill Ritter: Oh, boy. So we could talk all day about obstacles. I've been in education 23 years now, as of this year. So I'm working on year 23 and looking back, I can think of so many obstacles and so many times that I could have jumped ship. And I think my biggest obstacle has been to resist that urge to kind of bail out and go to private sector and earn the money that I've seen my friends earn and to probably have a little easier row to hoe, probably have a little easier path if I were to leave public service and education and go to private sector. And I've had those offers. Even very recently, I had an offer to go to a very large national company and work in their training and education department. It was a recruiter that contacted me and was very persistent, but honestly, that's not where my heart is. And my heart is in educating people and helping people when they need it the most and playing that role in my community, and Hot Springs is my community. Born and raised right here. Like I said, my family's been here for decades. Hot Springs is where I want to be and I want to be doing what I am doing right now. Timothy Webb: That's great. Sounds like the dream has came true for you. Bill Ritter: Absolutely. Timothy Webb: So Bill, what is it about your position that rewards you? I know you've said that you love educating and that really rewards you. Is there anything else? Bill Ritter: I always tell people that I am the luckiest guy I know because everything about my job is rewarding to me. I have the greatest job in the world, I'll tell you that. I'll tell everybody that. And I mean with all my heart. I get to see inmates in the Garland County Detention Center complete their high school diplomas, people that society have completely written off and cast to the side, and we lock them behind these gray doors and we don't want to look at them anymore. We don't want them in our society anymore. They've made mistakes and they have to pay their debt to society. But while these people are in the Garland County Detention Center, they are sober for the first time in years and they are clearheaded for the first time in years, and they are thinking clearly and they realize that they have a chance now and we are out there and we are able to help them earn their high school diplomas. So rewarding. So rewarding to see someone achieve something they never thought was possible. They couldn't achieve it when they were in high school and they couldn't achieve it when they were on the outside. But we are there for them. We give them that hand up. It's not a handout, it is a hand up. They're the ones that do the work. We are there to help them earn their diplomas. And of course we hope that translates into lasting success for them and that they don't ever go back to the detention center again. Unfortunately, some of them do. But we are finding now as we track the people who have graduated our program out there, they are much less likely to re-offend than someone who does not participate in our programs. So that's a good thing. We also help new immigrants to America learn how to speak English. When they come here and they move into the area, they're here for the first time. They don't know how society works. They can barely speak the language. They may or may not be able to read in their native language, which complicates learning English. So it's a very difficult position for them to be in, and it's a very difficult demographic to help. And we help them learn how to speak English. We help them learn how to read English. We help them get the basic workplace skills they need as well. We help them get the high school diploma if they need it. Such a rewarding demographic to help. And we also, we help people like a young teen mother who've dropped out of high school because they just couldn't be pregnant and be in high school, and we helped them finish their high school diploma so they can get their lives back on track and provide the life that they would like to provide for their children. It's such a rewarding job, and I'm thankful every day to come to work, and I love to get to work every day. I look forward to it and I can't wait to get here in the morning. Timothy Webb: Yeah, I can see why this is so rewarding. Back to your point about inmates less likely to offend a second time. I mean, you're giving them the opportunity to get this education, which is also going to flourish and give them even more opportunities to get other jobs and to get other educational opportunities. And within those opportunities, I've always thought that the reason why a person offends, a lot of people anyway, is because they didn't have opportunities in other areas to flourish. Bill Ritter: Tim. That's exactly right. And when you get to know these people and you hear their stories, it doesn't take long to pick up on the pattern that time and time and time again, these individuals did not have the opportunities that you or I had growing up. They grew up in very different situations with heartbreaking stories, extreme poverty, sometimes parents not even there, not having anyone to raise them, raising siblings, doing whatever they could, living on the streets to survive. And so much of it, of course, begins with drugs and people self-medicate with drugs because of painful events in their past. We know that. So all of that fuels this perfect storm that eventually leads to crime, eventually leads to arrest and conviction, and unfortunately, time in jails and prisons. Timothy Webb: Desperate people are more likely to commit crimes. Bill Ritter: Absolutely. Timothy Webb: They're desperate. What lessons has your position taught you? Bill Ritter: The biggest lesson I think that I have learned from my position is that the best leaders are servant leaders, and I want to be a servant leader. And we've got so many servant leaders that we've had at the college, have now at the college, have had in the past at the college. I value so much the lessons that those people have taught me. They probably didn't even know at the time they were teaching me these lessons, but I watched them and I learned from them. And it didn't take me long to find out that I want to be a servant leader like they are. Timothy Webb: Bill, what achievements are you most proud of? Bill Ritter: I think every parent will say this, at least I hope they would, but my most proud achievement is being there and whatever part I played for my daughter, growing to be the person that she is now, this amazing person who is intelligent and focused and flourishing. I'm so thankful to be her dad, and that is my number one achievement. And of course, other than my daughter, I'm most proud of seeing my program evolve through the years. The adult education program evolve, and we're talking about very tough evolutions. It has not been easy for my program, the people in my program or the students in my program to go through the changes we have had to go through since I've been here. Totally retooling from just a GED program to so much more than a GED program. I'm proud to be here and proud to be a part of that. Timothy Webb: Yeah, that's a lot to be proud of. To your point, it's so amazing to me as well, seeing my son grow up and becoming the little young person he's becoming. It's definitely well worth it. It's a big sacrifice becoming a parent, but when you do it and you put your whole heart into it's so worth it. Bill Ritter: It's the best thing in the world to watch your kids grow and to watch who they become. It's so cool to watch this little person grow into an adult and be their own person and have their own successes and build their own lives, and it's such a cool thing for a parent to see. Timothy Webb: So Bill, you said you were born and raised here in Hot Springs. What was it like here for you growing up? Bill Ritter: Yeah, so I grew up about five miles west of campus and the very much so in the country. It was kind of like the wild, wild west back then in the '70s, '80s, and even into the '90s. Western Garland County was very rural. Still is, parts of it are very rural. And we grew up on a little piece of property out there, and it was a hard life. I think everybody says that and everybody rightfully says, "Growing up was tough for me." I don't think anybody's ever going to say, "Growing up was easy." And my personal experience growing up, it was a tough life, and my parents were very hardworking people. My dad was a mechanic. He worked for every dime he ever had. Daylight to dark, he worked. He was very good at what he did, and people came from all over, depended on him to keep their vehicles running. School districts in the area, Jessieville, Mountain Pine, Cutter, even Lake Hamilton from time to time brought their school buses exclusively to my dad, and he kept up those school bus fleets. So obviously he was good at what he did, but it was still a very hard life. All of us kids helped in the shop, so I got a lot of great skills working in that shop. To this day, I still maintain my own vehicles. So it was a very unique way to grow up being barely tall enough to walk and your hands covered with grease and your mom hosing you off before you even go on the house at night. And it was a tough way to grow up, but also a very good way to grow up. There were a lot of us in the house, of course, there was seven kids and my parents, and we didn't know it at the time, but we were very poor and my parents did such a good job of raising us though, we never knew we were poor. We had everything we needed. We were never hungry. We always had everything we needed and even things that we wanted. So it was a wonderful way to grow up. Timothy Webb: Yeah, I hear that story so often. Not exactly to your point, but to make my point, my dad was a mechanic. We grew up very poor and I didn't know it. Same thing. And I had things I wanted and definitely had everything I ever needed. So yeah, it's amazing how many Arkansans have a similar story. Bill Ritter: Yeah. And Tim, that happens all over the world. I don't think it's just an Arkansas thing. You're exactly right. But lots of people we encounter from all walks of life will say the same thing. Thankfully there's lots of good parents out there, and it's on us to fill in that gap for people that didn't have the good parents growing up. So that falls on our shoulders, and that's a role that I'm proud to take on too. Timothy Webb: Bill, can you tell us about an influential person in your life and how they impacted you? Bill Ritter: I would be happy to. So Tim, there are just about... Oh, there's probably three or four people actually living, breathing, walking the earth right now, and some of course that are no longer with us, that I really look up to and try to be more like. Some of them are going to be very familiar to you. Wade Durden is definitely one of them. He's vice president for academic affairs here on campus. Wade is a servant leader who is one of the best leaders I have ever known. I'm so thankful to have him as a boss, and every day I try to be like him and he is so even keeled and so thoughtful and so deliberate and nothing rattles him. And he's based his leadership on servant leadership, and that's exactly what I want to do as well. Dr. Hogan, of course, is another. Dr. Hogan has a moral compass that guides him. And regardless of what other people may think, what other people may do, he will do what he feels like is right no matter what the situation is. And I admire that very much, and I hope that I can be that same way in those difficult situations that I encounter. That even if I am standing alone, that I am still standing for what I feel like is right. And I feel like Dr. Hogan does that so well. Another would be George Foci, who was my longtime superintendent at Jessieville where I spent my public school career, most of it anyway, except for one year in northeast Texas. George Foci is such a fine man, and I learned so much from him about how to treat people and how to be that truly good person that your employees can depend on and can take care of their employees and can take care of their students and be kind to people because that's so important. I've had terrible bosses. I've had terrible working experiences. I'm very thankful to say I'm not in one of those now, and I wasn't in one of those long, but it sure left a long and lasting impression on me and solidified my true desire to be the servant leader that everybody needs. Timothy Webb: You're so right. It's terrible to be in a bad work environment. We're very lucky to be here at National Park where there's such a good work culture, really here. Bill Ritter: Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. Timothy Webb: So if you could give your younger self any piece of advice, what would it be? Bill Ritter: I'd say, "Don't worry about what other people think." I spent so much of my life being concerned with what other people thought of me, and truth be told, of course, it still sneaks in every once in a while. Timothy Webb: Sure. Bill Ritter: The people who love you and care about you and support you, you will always be concerned with what they think about you and think about what you're doing. But those critics out there who just want to take pot shots at you or take swipes at you, those are not people you should concern yourself with. And I wish I would've figured that out a lot sooner. Timothy Webb: It's easy to get caught up in all that sometimes, especially when we're younger. Bill Ritter: Absolutely. Timothy Webb: I really feel for this generation growing up with all the social media, to be honest with you, just because of that. Bill Ritter: There's no way for kids today to escape it. When we were in middle school or junior high and everybody goes through periods where they're bullied. When we were kids, you could get on a bus and go home and get away from it. Today, it is not possible for kids to get away from the bullying. It's at school, it's at home on social media, it's on the weekends, it's on summer vacation, it is everywhere. And they can't escape it. It follows them everywhere they go. And as adults, we have to be looking for strategies to end that type of terrible situation for kids to be in. Timothy Webb: So Bill, what brought you to National Park College? Bill Ritter: I needed a job. So one of those moral stand kind of things. I took a moral stand and left a job because of some things I felt were happening that weren't right. And right or wrong, I left that job without another job to go to, but that's what I felt led to do and I had to do that. And I don't regret it a bit, thankfully. Thankfully it worked out for me. I'm not encouraging any listener to take a moral stand and quit your job without another job to go to. It was a very stressful time, but I did know that it would work out, and thankfully it did work out. I knew of a job coming open at National Park College in... Well at that time, National Park Community College in the adult ed department as a teacher. And they called me and asked me if I'd be interested in it. Of course, I said yes, because let's be honest, I needed a job and I loved it. And I've been here ever since. I was a teacher for a couple of years and became interim director in July, first of 2015. And some months later, they made it official and made me director of adult education here. Timothy Webb: Awesome. That's awesome. I didn't know that you started as a teacher down there. Bill Ritter: Sure did. Yeah, sure did. Timothy Webb: Other than National Park College and Adult Education, what are some of your hobbies? I think we have some similar ones. I know from you said you were a musician, and I know you cycle a lot. I like to cycle some. Bill Ritter: I do. I was a trumpet player. Honestly, I haven't touched a trumpet in many years since I left public school in 2013. I really haven't played the trumpet. I do miss it. I did play some when my daughter was in school, she was in the band. She was a French horn player, so there were a few times that I played with her. I'm getting to a point in my life where... Well, when I left public school, I didn't want to play the trumpet. I was burned out and I didn't want to do that. I had done it since I was in sixth grade, seventh grade. And here I was an adult, been playing trumpet and all these years and I was burned out. So I didn't touch my trumpet at all. And I think now, just now in my life, I'm getting to a point where I'm thinking I might like to pick it up again and I might someday. I also do cycle a lot. I ride bicycles a lot, probably more than I should. I have done a number of hundred mile rides. I will do another hundred mile race on a gravel bike, which is just a heavy duty road bike with mountain tires on it. Do another a hundred mile gravel bike ride in March. Yeah, that kind of kicks off the hundred-miler season. I'll do at least two more this summer, one of which is called the Hotter Than Hell, 100 in Wichita Falls, Texas, which is in fact very hot. Timothy Webb: So it's not just a clever name. Bill Ritter: No, it's not just a clever name. It's aptly named. Also, I run a lot, probably again, more than I should as a 45-year-old guy, but there's a lot of wear and tear on a body. But I always tell people I'd rather have worn out knees than heart disease or any number of things that could come about from not being active. So I love being active, I guess is my biggest hobby. Timothy Webb: I don't know how true it is, but I think it is because I've read this several times, that being a cyclist does add about seven years to your life. Bill Ritter: Oh, yeah? How about that? Timothy Webb: Now runners, I don't know. I happen to be a basketball player, so I know what you're talking about. You beat your body up pretty good. Bill Ritter: It's good to have that balance. I can cycle when I'm sore, cycle when I'm hurting, and running when I feel like it. So it's good to do both. And one helps recover. Cycling definitely helps recover from running too, so they complement each other well. Timothy Webb: So what drew you to these cardio exercises and events like cycling and running? Bill Ritter: When I was a public school teacher, it was a very stressful job for me like we've already talked about, and one of the ways that I dealt with that stress was to eat. And I was severely overweight and had high blood pressure, and I was almost a diabetic. And when I was about 35 years old, my doctor said, "You really need to think about making changes in your life because the path that you were on is not going to be a long one, if you know what I mean." That kind of inspired me to... And then I look at my family medical history, which is not good. Like everybody else, a lot of heart disease, a lot of diabetes, a lot of high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, things like that. And I think, "Well, I want to be here for my daughter when she is older and needs me, and I want to have an enjoyable life when I retire. I want to be healthy for a long time." So that inspired me to start running on a treadmill, and I stopped drinking cokes and started trying to eat healthier, which I still don't eat really healthy, but I should do much better at that. But just by virtue of being active, was able to drop weight pretty quickly. I lost almost 50 pounds. Yeah, I managed to... Thank you. Yeah, I've managed to keep it off now for 10 years, and it's easy to gain weight when you just sit around and eat and you're not active. So it's important to me to be active, just to be healthy. And it helps with mental health too. It helps deal with stress, it helps deal with the pressures that you feel sometimes in jobs like we do. And exercise plays a pretty important role in my life. Timothy Webb: So Bill, if you could talk to anyone, who would it be and why? Bill Ritter: That's not hard for me to answer. I would talk to my dad. I was 26 years old and my dad died, and I was a young father and a young husband and in a stressful job in a stressful world, not long after 9-11, and he died when I was in that time of my life. And there have been so many times then and since, raising my daughter and just living life since then, that I wish that he was here. I wish I was able to get his advice. I wish I was able to talk to him about the things that I have been through and the experiences I've had. I feel like he would've had some type of advice that would've helped me, and I miss him every day and I'd talk to my dad if I could. Timothy Webb: So Bill, what are your future plans? Bill Ritter: I'm not going anywhere. I love my job. I love where I'm at. I love the life that I have been blessed with, and I have no desire to go anywhere. I will go wherever I'm led, and right now, this is where I'm supposed to be, and I'm supposed to be doing exactly what I'm doing. Timothy Webb: Well, I'm sure that your future is going to be filled with wearing out a bunch of bicycle tires. Bill Ritter: Yeah. That's probably true, Tim. Timothy Webb: So any advice or quotes or mottoes that you live by that you'd like to leave our listeners with? Bill Ritter: I do. I have a really good one that I would like to share and I want to give some background before I actually share it. I was never an athlete as a child. I never played team sports other than a disastrous semester in basketball and a couple of weeks in football. I never did those sports growing up. I was never an active person until I was much older in life. And so when I became active, a lot of things kind of clicked into place for me as far as people's personalities and the people you want to surround yourself with and the people you want on your team. And I think it's important that you look for the people who have a competitive spirit to be on your team and to surround yourself with. And that doesn't have to be sports. It can be marching band, it can be quiz bowl, it can be pickle ball. If a person has a competitive spirit, they're somebody I want on my team and I want to surround myself with. Being a runner, of course, it's easy for me to look up to Steve Prefontaine, who was quite a character and such an amazing runner. Steve Prefontaine's strategy was always to run flat out. There was no strategy. You start out fast and you end fast, and you just hang on and gut it out to the end. One of Steve Prefontaine's quotes that I absolutely love is, "To give anything less than your very best is to sacrifice your gift." Man, those are words that I live by and I try to give my best each and every day. And when I read that Steve Prefontaine quote, it just spoke to me and it stayed with me ever since. Timothy Webb: Man Bill, I love it. I love the advice about keeping competitive people around you too. That hits hard. Bill Ritter, thank you so much for joining me today on Elevate. I've really appreciated sitting down and talking with you. Bill Ritter: Well, thanks, Tim. I have enjoyed it very much. I appreciate you having me. Timothy Webb: Absolutely. And thanks to all of you for listening to Elevate today from the Razorback Camper Sales Studio. New episodes are released each Thursday. Special thanks to National Park College and to The Sentinel-Record for making this podcast possible. Until next time, this is Timothy Webb reminding you that every day is a chance to elevate.