New 'Heart to Heart' podcast episode spotlights Congressman Mike Flood and public service

The University of Nebraska System has released the newest episode of its "Heart to Heart" podcast series. The podcast series, hosted by President Jeffrey Gold, features conversations with University of Nebraska researchers, students and educators, alums and partners who are changing lives and making an impact.

Dr. Gold is joined by Congressman Mike Flood, a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Law, who has served Nebraska's 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2022. They discuss Congressman Flood's career journey, his time in the Nebraska Legislature, some of his key priorities and the importance of public service.

Raised in Norfolk, Congressman Flood began working at a local radio station at 15 years old, which led to his passion for broadcasting and communications-and sparked an early interest in public service.

"It was during that time that I fell in love with the business of connecting people. If you're doing your job as a broadcaster, you're serving the community and getting needed information out," Flood said. "When you sit through as many city council meetings as I did, you start to say, 'Well, if I were in that seat. What would I do?' It inspired me to think about becoming an elected official."

In 1999, he founded Flood Communications and grew the company from one Norfolk radio station into a statewide media network-delivering important information to rural communities and creating hundreds of jobs. In 2004, Flood was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, and in 2007, was elected as the youngest Speaker of the Legislature in Nebraska history.

In 2022, Flood was sworn in as the congressman for Nebraska's First District. The day of his swearing in, he thought back to his early days at the radio station in Norfolk:

"I thought about that as I walked up the stairs of the U.S. Capitol to get sworn in by Speaker Pelosi. It made me think of walking upstairs at the city council meeting to get to the second floor chambers to cover my first meeting."

Among the many priorities Flood has focused on during his time in Congress, one of his most critical has been working to highlight the effects of loneliness on American communities. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness as a national epidemic.

"Many people across our state and nation are living in social isolation. They're lonely, depressed and not managing chronic conditions," Flood said. "We've introduced a bi-partisan bill that sets out to define loneliness and set data parameters so that we can take this issue to research universities like University of Nebraska and work to find solutions."

As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Congressman Flood is also focused on digital assets, cryptocurrency, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. In addition to legislative work in this area, he hosts a yearly event at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln-the Flyover Fintech Conference-which brings experts from across the country to Nebraska for a discussion on these issues.

"Being on the committee gives me a front row seat to these issues," Flood said. "Everything's going to change as we think about the future of payments, banking, credit and artificial intelligence, so that's one of my focuses in Congress."

Dr. Gold praised Congressman Flood's collaboration, leadership and work on behalf of all Nebraskans:

"You and I have worked together for better part of the last decade, and your friendship, camaraderie and inspiring words to me over the years have meant a great deal. Not everybody has the tenacity get up in the morning and work so hard to represent us in our nation's capital, and I want to thank you for doing it-and for doing it so well."

New episodes of the "Heart to Heart" podcast are released monthly and feature guests from across the University of Nebraska System and the community, covering topics ranging from education and healthcare to athletics and student success.

Listeners may follow the podcast here.

About the University of Nebraska

The University of Nebraska is the state's only public university system, made up of four campuses - UNL, UNO, UNK and UNMC - each with a distinct role and mission. Together the campuses enroll nearly 50,000 students and employ 16,000 faculty and staff who serve the state, nation and world through education, research and outreach. For more information and news from the University of Nebraska, visit www.nebraska.edu/news.