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About Mercer

Native Texan, ex-Arizonian, proud former Memphian, Michigander, and future van-lifer.

Selfie taken with typical travel gear. I think this was Admirals DFW Terminal B. A common refrain in my world was “Arron’s had an AAdvantage number before he had a Social.”

My work and hobbies fuel journalism education, civic accountability projects, public relations programming, and technology stacks for healthcare and social service organizations.

It’s gratifying and thrilling to reinvigorate struggling programs that serve people in challenging environments, particularly rural healthcare programs. Right now, I’m working with a PHP/IOP center to create an entirely "wrap-around" post-discharge support model.

I really love trains, complex machines, and flying—not the tin can part—but marveling at the complexity of the American air travel system. You can often find me at Phoenix's most expensive amusement park: the short-term Sky Harbor Terminal 4 top deck, sitting on my car hood.

Beliefs

The Oxford comma matters (sorry, AP Style),
There are substantial operational differences between a nonprofit and a not-for-profit,
Daily eco-acts add up,
Innovation beats stock buybacks, and
Lowercase letters are fine as long as the ideas stay in uppercase.

My motivators

A street‐art paste‐up on a boarded‐up storefront showing a figure with a teddy‐bear head wearing a white hoodie, holding a torn cardboard sign that reads “No one cares about the Kardashians. Just give us clean water,” surrounded by weathered metal panels, graffiti tags, stickers, and a low white brick ledge in 2018 in Flint, Michigan.

Street art of a teddy bear paste-up in Flint, Michigan, in 2018. The bear is holding a cardboard sign reading, “No one cares about the Kardashians, just give us clean water.” Photo by Leo Mercer.

All about that data. How else would I know I never fly to the northwest?

Whatever your thoughts on Michael Moore or the movie Roger & Me, you should watch it. You’ll see and hear proud, salt-of-the-earth people and their families. Then, consider the movie’s release year (1989!) and the trickle-down impacts of corporate greed Flint continues to reckon with today.

Many remarkable individuals and collectives are working to improve Flint’s circumstances, and their efforts are yielding results. Notably, it is no longer “Murder Capital, USA,” though firearms and economic despair are still dilemmas facing the city’s beleaguered but resilient residents.

I’m incredibly grateful for the people I met while visiting Flint regularly starting in 2016, and while I lived there from 2020 to 2023.

Since driving by, this teddy bear on Court Street in Flint, Michigan, has motivated me when life feels challenging. It has since been removed as a new building owner has worked to improve the façade; however, as of April 2024, the community continues to suffer economically and morally due to inept bureaucratic leadership and corruption.

Memphis, TN, is in a similar situation, and it, too, deserves praise for addressing impossible circumstances. Flint folks, though—their stories—can truly change your life.

Quick facts

Curiosity drives me, and I keep a running list of ideas on paper. I also unwind with my pup under northern Arizona’s pines.
My free-time hobbies include marathon sessions of Monopoly, binge-watching old episodes of Modern Marvels (RIP), and photographing wildlife while pondering the planetary impact of capitalism.
My passions include investigative reporting, nonprofit operational viability, crisis strategy, community mental health compliance and expansion, health-access parity, secure systems administration, people-first process design, and—always—protecting our planet.
A lack of knowledge or resources should not be a roadblock. I open-source nearly every project, process, and personal thought that isn’t otherwise prohibited from disclosure.
I love architecture, Chicago, Chicago architecture, post-industrial history, sociology, industrial psychology, and a lush, green field of Bermuda grass.
I’m an advocate for funding research into the outcomes of de-annexing parts of Memphis, which has an absolutely massive footprint.

Areas of intense passion

Engineering— specifically aeronautical, industrial, and civil;
Rehabilitating fledgling programs that focus on serving humanity in acute circumstances;
Scholastic and investigative journalism;
Civic and nonprofit accountability programs and standards;
Strategic and crisis management for public sector and nonprofit agencies;
Community mental health organization operational success, compliance, and expansion;
Health accessibility, navigation, quality, and parity (particularly in rural and underserved areas);
Education and healthcare systems administration (mainly development and security, but otherwise enjoy the whole stack nonetheless);
Corporate process development, including identifying and building solutions to inefficiencies that increase employee morale and permit additional growth, and

(I believe it’s best to reallocate institutional talent and offer professional development instead of opting for layoffs, which, in the long run, has hurt countless firms financially and caused lasting reputational harm in their community)

Finding ways to prevent further damage to our planet.