Celebrating Neurodiverse Talent: Strategies for Retention and Support in the Workplace
-
- Apr 2, 11:00 am-12:00 pm CST
- Watch the recording
Have you faced difficulties disclosing your disability or neurodivergence at work? Do you want to learn how to create a safe environment for others to open up? This session is for you.
Celebrate Disability Pride Month with Joshin during this supportive and confidential discussion covering important topics like:
Throughout the webinar, our panelists share their insights and submitted stories while answering your questions in a welcoming, supportive environment.
Our panel includes: Grant Harris, President and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE®), GTH Consulting; Tracy Powell-Rudy, Vice President of Corporate Engagement, Integrate Advisors; and Connie Rust, VP of Client Experience, Joshin.
This webinar is hosted by Joshin’s Co-founder & CEO Melissa Danielsen. Captions and transcript are available.
President and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE®), GTH Consulting
Grant Harris is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), consultant, speaker, podcast host, corporate board member, and autistic author of a series of books on various workplace culture-related topics. Grant helps individuals and institutions move beyond “Compliance to Community’™ through his R.A.C.E.™ framework while promoting neurodiversity in the workplace, from the boardroom to the mailroom.
His passion for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) is more than professional; it’s personal. Living with a disability, he recognizes the power of inclusion and the importance of equipping others with the tools to overcome obstacles. Embracing a #WeNotMe philosophy, his journey is a testament to the unifying force of DEIA, enriching lives and creating a sense of belonging.
Vice President of Corporate Engagement, Integrate Advisors
Tracy Powell-Rudy is Vice President of Corporate Engagement for Integrate Autism Employment Advisors’, a nonprofit that helps organizations become neuroinclusive employers. She is contributing author of The Neurodivergent Candidate, Recruiting Autistic Professionals, co-author of the Journal of Intelligence article Examining the Use of Game-Based Assessments for Hiring Autistic Job Seekers and co-author of the recently published SIOP (Society for industrial and Organizational Psychology) article The Power of Partnership: Intentionally Building the Neurodiversity Science-Practice Bridge.
Prior to joining Integrate, Tracy was Vice President of a premier global executive search firm focused on CEO/Board through VP level searches. Earlier in her career Tracy worked in technology and telecommunications managing the Northeast Internal Telecom department for a fortune 100 corporation. Tracy graduated summa cum laude from Manhattanville College with a BS in Psychology and has an MS in Telecommunications and Computing Management from NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. She is the mother of an autistic young adult daughter and identifies as late-diagnosed herself.
VP of Client Experience, Joshin | She/Her
Connie serves as the VP of Client Experience at Joshin, where her extensive background in HR and benefits consulting plays a pivotal role. She acts as the primary point of contact for our ever-expanding partnerships across the various departments supported by Joshin. Connie has an MBA and an MSW, and she brings experience from both macro and clinical settings, where she has provided support to individuals with disabilities and neurodivergent conditions. Her personal experience with epilepsy has informed her perspective, and she now openly shares this aspect of her life in professional and personal conversations. Beyond work hours, Connie enjoys exploring new coffee shops and seeing new movies. She is particularly passionate about advocating for disability representation in film.
Co-founder & CEO, Joshin
Melissa Danielsen is a serial entrepreneur with a deep passion for creating positive societal impact. With her innovative approach, Melissa is focused on launching and scaling products and services that address unmet needs, particularly in the neurodivergent and disabled communities. Her journey began in corporate America, where she served in business development and marketing roles before transitioning to entrepreneurship. She founded her first company as a licensed Medicaid provider, developing person-centered programs for adults with disabilities. Her company was later acquired by a public corporation, leading to her next venture, Joshin.
Joshin is a tech-enabled support solution that offers expert-led virtual coaching, digital programs, and personalized navigation for individuals with neurodivergence and disabilities, managers, allies, and caregivers. Melissa’s commitment to this cause is deeply personal, drawing from her experiences with her late brother, Josh, who had developmental disabilities and epilepsy, and her own ADHD and dyscalculia diagnosis, which she navigates alongside her 7-year-old daughter.
In addition to her role as CEO and Co-Founder of Joshin, Melissa has served on several boards, including as the board chair of Joshin, and as a director for ARRM, Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota, and The Arc Minnesota. She brings nearly twenty years of experience in marketing and sales, with a focus on partnership development, program growth, and entrepreneurship.
Melissa’s life outside work is filled with the joy of raising two spirited and beautiful daughters. An active yogi, film buff, and podcast enthusiast, Melissa continues to address systemic problems through human-centered tech solutions, bridging the gap between access and opportunity.