Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Internationally Recognized Accessibility Leader, Jeff Wissel, to the show. Mr. Wissel will discuss career highlights, including being the first ever Chief Accessibility Officer for Disability:IN and spearheading the groundbreaking Procure Access Initiative, which drives systemic change by making accessibility non-negotiable in procurement practices. He is a trailblazing strategist and inclusion champion who partners with Fortune 500 companies to embed accessibility and disability inclusion into the DNA of their business strategies. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Sara Innamorato, County Executive for Allegheny County and Caylin Snyder, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for Allegheny County to the show. The guests will share the Administration's commitment to making sure the county meets the needs of its residents with disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology and Jill Zomp, Manager of Talent Acquisition with Bender Consulting Services, Inc., back to the show. ​ A wide range of employment opportunities available at Bender Consulting Services for qualified people with disabilities will be discussed. Opportunities range from early career to leadership roles in healthcare, engineering, artificial intelligence, IT, and skilled trades, among others. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Kent Chevalier, keynote speaker and author of Do It Afraid to the show. Among the topics discussed will be the countless motivational speeches he has provided to organizations and companies as well as his role as Chaplain for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes John D. Kemp, President and CEO of The Lakeshore Foundation to the show. The Lakeshore Foundation has become an internationally renowned organization, serving over 4,000 unique individuals annually through physical activity, sport, recreation, advocacy, policy, and research. It serves as an Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, strengthening the ongoing commitment to the development of para sports. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Harvey Davis, Currently Director of Strategic Development for Service and Critical Support for MC Dean and Retired Senior Executive from the NSA. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Deborah Williamson, Vice President, Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation (IWSI) America. IWSI is a workforce development organization that collaborates with enterprising businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. The organization provides technical assistance and program design to assist these entities in growing pipelines of talent and meeting dynamic workforce needs. Ms. Williamson will discuss the mission of the organization in depth and share her role. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Tracy Saula, Senior Vice President and Chief Product and Experience Officer of Highmark Health, a $32 billion blended health organization. This includes one of America's largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network, to the show. Ms. Saula will share details of her role with Highmark and her commitment to helping make the healthcare industry more manageable for all of Highmark's members, including those with disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Ari Ne'eman an American disability rights activist. Ari is currently serving as an assistant professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is well-known researcher who co-founded the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in 2006. On December 16, 2009, President Barack Obama announced that Ari would be appointed to the National Council on Disability. He chaired the Council's Policy & Program Evaluation Committee. He was the first autistic person to serve on the Council. In 2015, Ari left the National Council on Disability at the end of second term. He will share all this and more during the show. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes welcomes Colin Killick, Executive Director of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN). This nonprofit organization is a national grassroots disability rights organization for the autistic community. It fights for disability rights and works to make sure autistic people are included in policymaking, so that laws and policies meet that community's needs. It also works to support all forms of self-advocacy and to change the perception of autism. Members and supporters include autistic adults and youth, cross-disability advocates, and non-autistic family members, professionals, educators, and friends. Mr. Killick will highlight the accomplishments of this organization. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Elizabeth Karan, Principal, Artemis Policy Group, Fred Lado, Professor of Neurology & Director, Epilepsy Division, Northwell Health Eastern & Central Regions, and Amanda Mitchell, Executive Director, Epilepsy Alliance Louisiana to the show. These guests are the core organizers of The National Plan for Epilepsy Committee, NPEC, designed to advocate for the creation of a National Plan for Epilepsy. More than 120 epilepsy-related organizations joined together to celebrate these efforts and urge members of Congress to co-sponsor and pass the bill. National plans exist for other neurological conditions and NPEC is lobbying to create a similar National Plan for Epilepsy. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Bobbi Watt Geer, President and CEO of the United Way of Southwestern, PA to the show. Ms. Geer will share the mission and accomplishments of this non-profit organization. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Philip M. Gattone, the current President and CEO of the National Bleeding Disorder Foundation (NBDF) to the show. NBDF's core mission areas are research, education, and advocacy to improve the lives of people with inherited blood and bleeding disorders. Mr. Gattone will expound on the mission of the organization and share more about his lifelong career leading various other impactful nonprofit organizations. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Laura Carlson, Executive Director of Development for Allegheny Health Network's Division of Brain & Spine Health, to the show. Among the topics discussed will be the latest advancements in the role of philanthropy in this area of specialized healthcare. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes back to the show, Joy Matoney, Vice President, Diversified Businesses & Growth Planning and Enablement at Highmark, Inc. She will discuss her career at Highmark, Inc. and her commitment to the Bender partnership to hire people with disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce welcomes Dr. Bridget Green, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations & Leadership in the School of Education and the Executive Director of the Institute for Disability Empowerment and Advocacy at Duquesne University. Dr. Green will discuss her past association with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and how that experience shaped her career upon graduation from Duquesne University, leading led to her current position at the university helping students with disabilities achieve their goals. She will also discuss her work as a Board member of the Bender Leadership Academy. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce is honored to have back as her guest Christine Griffin, a strong disability rights advocate and current Bender Consulting Services' Senior Search Specialist Consultant. During the show, she will discuss her long career which, includes her past work as Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She will also discuss her protection and advocacy work, her current work with Bender Consulting Services and the Bender Leadership Academy. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

As Black History Month continues, Joyce welcomes back to the show, Shaunda McDill, Managing Director of the Pittsburgh Public Theater. Among the topics discussed will be her passion for public theater productions, the arts, and Pittsburgh Public Theater's commitment to making productions accessible for individuals with disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

Joyce back to the show, Sam Estes, an executive leader, published author, and philanthropist. Mr. Estes will discuss his long-standing career in the defense world and his passion for helping youth with disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy

To kick off February and Black History Month, Joyce welcomes Barãta Bey, President, African American Chamber of Commerce of Western, PA to the show. President Bey will share the mission of the organization and its latest accomplishments to enhance business growth. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Bender Consulting Services, Inc.Bender Leadership Academy