Presenters: Business Leadership Network SUMMIT '03

IMAGINE: Workforce Inclusion

Business Leadership Network SUMMIT - November 5 - 7, 2003 - Westin Hotel, San Francisco Airport

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October 6
Extended to October 26!!

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The 2003 SUMMIT will feature an exceptional lineup of presenters - each of them selected for their expertise and knowledge in the subject area.

Workshop Presenters (In Alphabetic Order)

Shayn Anderson Business Liaison and Outreach Coordinator California Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities Sacramento, CA	Shayn is a former senior rehabilitation counselor and state-wide trainer with the Department of Rehabilitation, he also has the balance of working in the private sector as a business owner of Occasions Wedding Consultants Inc. and as a financial officer with Wells Fargo. His current duties have him as primary staff support to the California Business Leadership Network.
Susan Blair-Mather BOOST Project Manager Discover Financial Services New Albany, OH	Susan Blair-Mather began her career with Sears in 1974. In 1985 she transferred to their new Discover Card venture. She began as a Sr. Credit Analyst in the New Accounts department and has held various management positions in New Accounts and served as the Cardmember Service and Collections Training Manager. In 1998 Susan accepted the position of BOOST Project Manager for the Discover Financial Services Operations center in New Albany, Ohio. BOOST is a community based, eight-week job skills training program sponsored 100% by Discover Financial Services. Participants are those facing challenges to employment and needing to develop their marketable job skills.
Susanne M. Bruyere, Ph.D., CRC Program on Employment and Disability Cornell University School of Industrial & Labor Relations Ithaca, New York	Dr. Bruyère is the Director of the Program on Employment and Disability at Cornell University in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations - Extension Division. She is currently the Project Director and a Principal Investigator of numerous research efforts that relate to employment outcomes to people with disabilities. She is currently working on projects to address ways to improve the employment practices covered under the ADA. Dr. Bruyère also serves as Project Director and Co-Principal Investigator of the Cornell Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) for Economic Research on Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities.
Sue Cook OBLN Coordinator Goodwill Columbus Columbus, OH	Sue Cook has helped coordinate Ohio’s Business Leadership Network for the last 3 years. She has worked for Goodwill Columbus for 17 years and is presently the Manager for both their training and employment services. She also helps to coordinate their Business Advisory Committees and has worked with the community doing that for over 10 years. She has her Bachelor of Science from Franklin University in Business Administration.
Larry Dale President Pinnacle Employment Metaire, LA	In 1989, Larry left his real estate business and began the first supported employment program for persons with mental illness in Louisiana. He has organized collaboration groups consisting of people who work in the general population employment systems, private sector businesses and disability related agencies. Larry is the LBLN founder and State Liaison, Chairman of the Jefferson Parish (County) Workforce Investment Board, organizer of the New Orleans Regional Employment Partnership (an ICI collaboration), and member of the Statewide Independent Living and State Rehabilitation Councils.
Tracie DeFreitas Saab, MS Human Factors Consultant Job Accommodation Network Morgantown, WV	A consultant with JAN since 1995, Tracie received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. She is a member of the JAN sensory team specializing in providing accommodation information for individuals with sensory, immunology and endocrinology related limitations. Tracie is also an instructor for Virginia Commonwealth University's RRTC on Workplace Supports Webcourse on ADA and Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace, and frequently guest lectures for the Rehabilitation Counseling Graduate Program, Speech Pathology and Audiology Program, and School of Social Work at West Virginia University.
Alex G. Demczak Vice President, Project Manager Citizen's Bank Pittsburgh, PA	Alex has been with Citizens Bank, for 8 years. He has over 27 years experience in banking and collection agency management. Alex has completed a term of service on the Advisory Board of Children and Youth Services of Washington County, PA and currently serves on the Business Advisory Panel for Pittsburgh Vision Services. He will be celebrating his twelfth year of serving on the Executive Committee for the Mosaix User Group and his new book “Optimizing Outbound Calling” co-authored by Dr. Jon Anton of Purdue University was released November 2002.
Claudia Ernharth State Director Kentucky Business Leadership Network University of Kentucky Lexington, KY	In her twenty-year professional career, Claudia has successfully developed numerous projects and organizations which focused on promoting and improving employment outcomes for citizens with disabilities. Claudia is a strong advocate for business leadership in reducing the jobless rate for job seekers with disabilities. In this regard, she developed and has led the Kentucky Business Leadership Network since May, 2001, and is happy to share her experiences in creating a statewide business leadership network.
Kevin Foster Senior Human Resources Manager Motorola Inc. Phoenix, AZ	Kevin has managed compliance and diversity programs at Motorola for 11 years. While in these roles, he has developed an extensive background in diversity, EEO compliance, employee relations, training, research, database management and the development of measurement tools and systems. Kevin currently sits on the Board of Directors for the American Foundation for the Blind - National Employment Center, participates in the USBLN steering committee, and leads the Arizona BLN. Kevin was a member of the United States Disabled Ski Team and competed internationally for two years in all alpine skiing disciplines.
Michael J. Frost Director Sioux Falls BLN Sioux Falls, SD	Michael is a leader in the field of business development and employment of people with disabilities. As director for the Sioux Falls Business Leadership Network (SF-BLN), he has led the development of one of the fasted growing and most active business partnerships initiatives in the United States. He has over 12 years experience in Sales and Marketing, Customer Relations Development and Public Relations. Mr. Frost’s previous position was Marketing Supervisor for a Telecommunications Company in South Dakota.
Mandy J. Gamble Human Factors Consultant Job Accommodation Network Morgantown, WV	As a consultant with JAN since 1998, Mandy provides information and referral services to employers, people with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals regarding work-site accommodation ideas for people with disabilities and technical assistance regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mandy specializes in accommodations ideas for individuals with vision impairments, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and deaf and hard of hearing. Mandy has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling/ Vocational Evaluation, and an MBA. She is also an instructor for Virginia Commonwealth University's RRTC on Workplace Supports Webcourse on ADA and Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace.
Jon Gundersgaard Technical Recruiter Seagate Technologies Scott's Valley, CA	Jon has worked in human resources management and staffing for 23 years. He worked at a defense contractor for 8 years as a recruiter and HR generalist. Jon also managed the HR function for start up divisions of two major corporations - one a US company and one a major Japanese corporation. For 7 years, Jon was self employed as a contract recruiter - working with both large and small companies. Jon was diagnosed in 1983 with chronic progressive Multiple Sclerosis and have been employed for all 20 years since then. He currently works with the help of a wheel chair.
Mike Harris General Manager - Ontario Regional Distribution Center Anderson News Company Ontario, CA	Mike knows from experience that people with disabilities can be great employees. In the three years, that the Ontario Regional Distribution Center has been in operation, Mike has successfully hired and trained 181 full time warehouse associates including dozens of individuals with disabilities. With its focus on a quality work environment and motivated associates, Anderson News Company Ontario won the 2002 award as the Top Company to work for in the Inland Empire.
Teresa A. Holmes Business Development Specialist Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services Dothan, AB
Earl Johnson Accessibility Architect Sun Microsystems Santa Clara, CA
Lynn Trew Kirkbride BLN Training Director Synergy HRD Assoc. Inc., WY	Lynn has a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and has worked in the field of rehabilitation since 1982. She currently works part-time for Synergy as their BLN Training Director. She is the founding director of the Cheyenne BLN and is a past chairman of the Cheyenne Mayor’s Council for disabilities. She coordinated a state-wide Supported Employment conference in Wyoming for five years and is one of the founders of Wyoming Association for People in Supported Employment (WYAPSE). Lynn has great expertise in the area of training and corporate development for the BLN.
Philip La Barbera Sr. Staff Interpreter Oracle Corporation Redwood Shores, CA	A member of the Oracle Diversity team for two years, Philip interprets for Oracle employees, manages interpreters, and supports Diversity initiatives. He holds a CSC from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and an MA in English. Philip is a past president of the Northern California chapter of the RID with more than 23 years of experience in the Deaf Community.
Clare Lee Corporate Recruiter Union Bank of California Oakland, CA	Clare is a Corporate Recruiter for Union Bank of California. For several years, she has been partnering with various community-based organizations to employ people with disabilities. She is actively involved in the San Francisco Bay Area events that reach out to job seekers and the community. Clare is also an active member of BLN, San Francisco Chapter.
Stacy M. Liddick Project Director AHEDD/PA Business Leadership Network (PABLN) Pittsburgh, PA	Stacy has worked for AHEDD, a non-profit organization that focuses on employment and development of persons with disabilities, for ten years. She has used her previous experience as a counselor for delinquent youth and as a job developer within private rehabilitation to assist her in her many responsibilities. Grantwriting, oversight of agency's on-line data system and related reporting, staff training & recruitment, and coordination of the PA BLN are her primary duties.
Roger McCullough Vice President in HR University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL	Roger is a longtime advocate of the recruitment, hiring and promotion of people with disabilities within the University of Alabama system. In 1998, he represented Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) at the National Employment Conference in Washington, D.C., as keynote speaker, addressing the UAB relationship with Vocational Rehabilitation Service, a division of ADRS. He currently leads the pilot initiative for the establishment of the BLN in Alabama, a project of ADRS.
Tammie McNaughton Director, Corporate Staffing and Workforce Initiatives Highmark Pittsburgh, PA	Tammie is responsible for corporate-wide staffing, diversity, inclusion and Affirmative Action at Highmark. She works with professional and community organizations to support upward mobility for women and minorities and the employment of individuals with disabilities. Tammie is a board member for Life'sWork of Western Pennsylvania, the Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the Pittsburgh Disability Employment Project for Freedom, and The Pennsylvania BLN.
Daniel Michael Director Hire Ability Cafe Phoenix San Francisco, CA	Daniel Michael is the Director of Vocational Services for the RAMS Hire-Ability program- an Asian-focused vocational program which serves over 200 consumers. He has had over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. His recent venture is Café Phoenix, a food service training program that is open to the public which has had front-page articles in the LA Times and San Francisco Chronicle. In addition, he is a strong advocate of the development of partnerships with business. He has established agreements with regional and local business to provide many job training and job placement opportunities throughout the Bay Area.
Oswald Mondejar Human Resources Manager Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA	Oswald “Oz” Mondejar is a Human Resources Professional and Management Consultant specializing in the development and execution of Recruitment, Orientation, and Retention Programs, Diversity Management, Disability Awareness and Reasonable Accommodation. Oswald is currently in Executive Recruitment at The Massachusetts General Hospital/Partners Health Care System. He serves on several boards and commissions, including The Latino Professional Network, Partners for Youth with Disabilities, The AIDS Action Committee, WGBH/PBS Network and is the Co-Chairperson of the Governor’s Commission for Employment of People with Disabilities.
Karen Moore Manager - Accommodation Programs Northwest Airlines Inc. Eagan MN	Karen manages Employment Accommodation and Family Medical Leave programs for the world's fourth largest airline. In addition, she is an experienced vocational rehabilitation counselor and disability case manager. Karen was instrumental in establishing the Minnesota Business Leadership Network, of which Northwest Airlines is the lead employer. Over the past 9 years she has helped organize and contribute to numerous disability-related employment initiatives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Deborah Moser Director of Marketing and Communications Elite Show Services, Inc. San Diego, CA	Deborah has been with Elite Show Service Inc. since their inception in 1994. She has a passion for the employment of people with disabilities. Early on in her position, she recognized a definite need in the community and hiring this untapped labor pool was a win-win situation for her company. Often going out of her way for many of the employees of Elite Show, she proactively recruits people with disabilities.
Alan D. Muir Executive Director Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Knoxville, TN	Alan joined the University of Tennessee after 16 years as a commercial lending officer. Along with the Career Services Director, he established a program on campus to focus career planning on college students with disabilities. As a positive outgrowth of this plan, COSD grew into a national consortium of 300 member entities representing universities, employers and US Government agencies. He has presented topics of disability and employment at conferences, universities and employers nationwide.
Amy Mullican US Department Of Labor AB
Debee Norling Alternate Media Specialist DeAnza College	Debbie was born blind - so she has had her disability throughout her working life.. She worked for two decades in the software industry - as a technical support specialist, a software engineer and a technical writer. She currently work at a community college where she prepare textbooks for students with print impairments.
Mary Jo O'Neill Regional Attorney Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Phoenix, AZ	Mary Jo is the Regional Attorney in the Phoenix District Office for the Equal employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She has worked as an attorney for the Commission since 1976 after graduating from the University of Arizona. Mary Jo graduated from the University College of Law in 1979. She is currently litigating employment discrimination cases in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona federal courts for the EEOC. She speaks extensively on employment discrimination topics, including sexual harassment, the ADA, and the EEOC.
Patty O'Sullivan Global Disabilities Program Manager Agilent Technologies Palo Alto, CA	Patty designed and implements Agilent Technologies’ Accessibility and Accommodation Program (A3P). A3P is a global total solution program for all Agilent Technologies employees. Agilent Technologies is committed to continue to utilize innovations without boundaries to raise the level of awareness of accessibility issues within our company allowing employees with disabilities by participating today, tomorrow, and the future. Patty is excited to share her success at the 2003 SUMMIT.
Michael Pearson disABILITY Program Developer City of Los Angeles Community Development Department Los Angeles, CA	Michael has received many "best practices" awards for his ground-breaking projects in the areas of workplace design, and staff training and development. As a banking industry executive, he helped launch the world’s first global ATM network, as well as the first ATM in the U.S. to provide access for persons with vision impairments. As a corporate training consultant, he pioneered highly successful "corporate university" training programs that enhanced the job skills and performance of over 20,000 employees in the financial services, aerospace, retail and energy industries.
Kellie Perez Training Manager Marriott Worldwide Reservations Santa Ana, CA	Kellie has been with Marriott for over 12 years and has spent the last 5 years promoting Marriott's Pathways to Independence program to community partners who are seeking employment opportunities for their clients. She currently coordinates the Marriott Reservation Center’s partnership with the US Veteran's Initiative, the Department of Rehabilitation and the Braille Institute. Kellie speaks at seminars representing Marriott's employment program. She promotes employment of people with disabilities on a professional level, as well as personal, as she is the parent of a child with a disability.
Karen R. Quammen Facilities Service Team Medtronic, Inc. Minneapolis, MN	Karen is employed in the Business Shared Services Division of Medtronic, Inc. She represents Medtronic on the Minnesota BLN and is the founder of the Medtronic’s Parents of Children with Special Needs Resource Group. She is a member of the Minneapolis Chapter of Canine Companions for Independence, and a member of a Community Interagency Transition Committee (CTIC). Her mission is to educate and support Medtronic in recruiting, hiring and retaining people with disabilities.
Alfred Rowlett Chief Operations Officer Turning Point Sacramento, CA	Alfred joined this agency in 1981 as a rehabilitation counselor. His professional associations include: Elk Grove Unified School District: Finance, Blue Ribbon and Fiscal Committees, Member National Association of Social Workers, Member International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services: Certified Psychosocial Rehabilitation Practitioner. Alfred (Al) has participated in numerous committees, trainings, and programs in an effort to assist organizations in the Sacramento area to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
Bill Shannon	Bill, alias "CrutchMaster" is an acclaimed dancer, choreographer (including Cirque du Soleil) and performance artist recognized in both the hip hop dance scene as well as the disabled artist scene. Bill is widely recognized in the underground performance art scene, the NYC hip-hop and club dance scene as well as the disabled artist community. Bill is also a featured entertainer at the Summit.
Fred Simpkins Simpkins Consultants	Fred is an inclusion and diversity specialist with 30 years of community involvement, staffing outreach, employee development and inclusion auditing for Hewlett Packard. Fred specializes in offering “out of the box thinking” for a business that wants to create and maintain a workforce that looks like America. Fred has a proven recruitment and development track record of “find them, grow them, keep them” of hard to find, diverse quality employees.
Lana Smart Director National Business & Disability Council (NBDC) Albertson, NY	Lana re-joined the NBDC as its Director in October 2001, having served as the Council’s Manager from 1980 to 1996. She has been responsible for the management of this national organization of private and public sector employers committed to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals with disabilities. She regularly interfaces with human resources, recruitment, equal employment opportunity, training, and diversity professionals representing hundreds of employers locally and nationally to assess and meet their needs with regard to the full range of employment and disability issues.
Debbie Smith Director Evanston and Bridger Valley BLNs WY	After 15 years in the marketing business, which included work with an international aviation magazine and several more years in the newspaper business, Debbie joined the Wyoming Business Leadership Network as the Director for the Evanston and Bridger Valley Business Leadership Networks. She has been successful in developing and maintaining a relationship with the local media in promoting the employment of people with disabilities.
Jack Smith ESBLN Coordinator Eastern Shore Business Leadership Network MD	Following 30 years work with community rehabilitation programs, Jack helped organize the ESBLN which became the first BLN to be directly sponsored by a Chamber of Commerce. Now five years old, the ESBLN is active in nine counties of the Maryland Eastern Shore and has steering committees in three Chambers (Cecil County, Talbot County and Wicomico County). The ESBLN theme for 2003/2004 is to connect public schools with the business community to achieve employment for students with disabilities.
Sjaloom Stringer General Manager Marriott Regional Worldwide Reservations Center Santa Ana, CA	Sjaloom has been in the hospitality industry for over 15 years and has spent 10 of those years managing call centers. She became General Manager of Marriott’s Santa Ana Reservations Center in 2000 and oversees a team of nearly 300 associates. Under her leadership, the number of Visually-Impaired associates has expanded from 12 to 27. Her goal is to have 50 associates with disabilities working at the center by the end of 2005.
Wendy Tazelaar VP and Risk & Compliance Manager, Wellsfargo.com Wells Fargo San Francisco, CA	Wendy has been a Wells Fargo team member since 1989. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in accounting from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Prior to transferring to the Wells Fargo Internet Group in 2000, she was the Internal Audit Manager for California and Nevada. Under Wendy's compliance direction, Wellsfargo.com became the first financial institution to receive Non-Visual Certification from the National Federation of the Blind.
Roger Van Lieshout President Synergy HRD Associates, Inc. Fort Collins, CO	Roger is a leader in the movement towards increasing business participation in the employment of people with disabilities. He serves as Development Director for the Western Business Leadership Networks (WBLN) and President of Synergy HRD Associates Inc., a Colorado-based company that provides human resources training and project management services throughout the United States and Canada. Since its early days, Roger has been an key player in the nationwide development of Business Leadership Networks.
Sheridan Walker Principal HirePotential Denver, CO	Sheridan is a founder and director of this leading national consulting and staffing firm which delivers end-to-end services to corporations, helping them accommodate, recruit and retain the untapped workforce. An expert in the disability field and a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist with 19 years of broad-based experience, Sheridan previously served as the Co-Chair of the Colorado BLN and participated on the former Presidents Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities.
Gregory Wild Employment Services Specialist Vocational Rehabilitation Services San Carlos, CA	Gregory has struggled with mental illness throughout most of his life. He spent several years in private industry before forming his own accounting firm. An extreme bout of depression rendered him unable to work for several years - causing him to lose his practice, his home, and to file for bankruptcy. Now, enjoying his fourth year of complete recovery, Gregory is president of Stamp Out Stigma, a non-profit organization committed to eliminating stigma against people who suffer from mental illness.
Lynn Wiles Operations Manager Oregon BLN OR	Lynn has 14 years of disability employment & vocational rehabilitation experience. She is a certified VR counselor and a job placement specialist, and has developed numerous successful business relationships with community employers. In addition to individual job placements, she has developed worker "enclaves" under company contracts - two of which, with Nike and Coca-Cola, are still thriving after 13 years. Lynn is the co-facilitator of the Portland Metro Area Job Developers Network which she founded five years ago.