SPEAKERS
October 21st - Tuesday
Inauguration/Welcome/Announcements
View Speakers
Keynote One: Dr. Feranmi Okanlami
View Speaker
Session One: Disability Employment and the Labor Market/Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
View Speakers
Keynote Two: Dr. Micheal Stein
View Speaker
Keynote Three: Dr. Susanne Bruyere
View Speaker
Session Two: Enhancing Recruitment and Retention for Idividuals with Disabilities
View Speakers
National Employment Team and Support Available
View Speakers
Research and Collaboration Opportunities and the Role of Academia
View Speakers
Inauguration/Welcome/Announcements
Sigrid Adams
Bureau Director, Michigan Rehabilitation Services
Sigrid Adams has over 30 years of management experience and leading teams with a proven track record of achieving organizational results and successful talent management. She is a consummate professional who expertly cultivates and nurtures relationships with departments, staff and key decision makers. An experienced public speaker and presenter, she has designed and delivered over 100 presentations and training sessions on a host of topics.
Sanjay Gupta
Dean Emeritus and Eli & Edythe L. Broad Endowed Professor, Eli Broad College of Business
Sanjay Gupta is Dean Emeritus and the Eli & Edythe L. Broad Endowed Professor of Accounting and Information Systems at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Green & White Council, a signature initiative of MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, aimed at lifting up MSU’s role in workforce and economic development. Gupta proudly served as the 11th Eli and Edythe L. Broad Dean of the college from July 2015 to August 2022. As one of MSU’s largest colleges, with a $50 million budget and over 200 faculty and staff, Gupta served over 7,000 Broad Spartan students and oversaw an endowment of over $200 million. During his tenure as dean, Gupta led the Broad College to redefine itself through two comprehensive strategic plans, aligning with the university’s core values and guiding the college’s work to become a top-of-mind business school. Through these efforts, he devised and coined the college’s three R’s messaging, that continue to resonate strongly with stakeholders and permeate all college efforts. Under his leadership, the college achieved profound successes, as evidenced by the unwavering support and engagement from alumni and donors who invested in the college’s vision; post-graduation career placement rates for Broad Spartans poised to excel as transformational leaders in the emerging economy; and record-breaking performance across national rankings for undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as research rankings. Gupta also played a pivotal role in MSU’s Empower Extraordinary capital campaign, helping to raise $196 million over six years for the Broad College. These investments not only funded endowments for 16 named faculty positions and added significant resources for student support, but also ensured the completion of the $62 million Edward J. Minskoff Pavilion, which garnered the single largest gift in MSU’s history at that time. Prior to becoming dean, Gupta was the Russell E. Palmer Endowed Professor of Accounting, chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, and associate dean for MBA and professional master’s programs. Prior to MSU, he held leadership positions in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, including the first Henry & Horne Professorship in Accountancy, and Dean’s Council of 100 Distinguished Scholars. He is an award-winning teacher and scholar whose research on corporate and individual tax policy issues has been published in leading tax and accounting journals and cited in media, court cases, and public policy forums.
Jo Sperry
Chief Executive and Inclusion Officer, Peckham Inc.
Jo Sperry is the Chief Executive and Inclusion Officer at Peckham, leading the award-winning organization’s mission, culture and overall business operations. Sperry has been with Peckham for more than two decades serving in a variety of leadership roles within the company, including Project and Grants Manager, Corporate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Under Sperry’s leadership, Peckham has achieved significant growth and achievement across its line of businesses and federal contracts. Her demonstrated expertise includes successful implementation and creation of strategic partnerships to enable advanced job opportunities and upward mobility for individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. During her tenure, Sperry has championed innovative strategies that have grown Peckham’s footprint in other regions, created a new standard for universally designed facilities for those with barriers and helped to expand and enrich human service programs and higher-wage jobs for its clients. Sperry serves as a board member for Incompass Michigan, the Lansing Area Economic Partnership (LEAP), House of Ruth, the Gateway Corridor Improvement Authority and the Re-Write It project. Sperry holds a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University.
Dr. David Souder
Dean & Strategy Professor at MSU, Eli Broad College of Business
-
Jerlando F. L. Jackson
Dean and MSU Research Foundation Professor of Education
Jerlando F. L. Jackson is the ninth dean of the Michigan State University College of Education, MSU Research Foundation Professor of Education, and Director and Chief Research Scientist of the Organizational Disparities Laboratory. For thirty consecutive years, MSU has been ranked a top public College of Education with academic programs in education, health, and well-being. MSU College of Education has 10 programs ranked in the top-15, with three ranked #1, six in the top-5, and eight in the top-10. As dean, Jackson is committed to continuing the MSU College of Education’s rich legacy of leadership, scholarship and service, with a keen focus on interdisciplinary and cross-college collaborations with a defined state, national, and global footprint through key partnerships. He is also committed to harnessing the transformative power of education and fostering an innovative, enriching, and supportive organizational culture and environment in which faculty, staff, and students can optimize their professional growth. Prior to joining Michigan State University in 2022, Dean Jackson held both the Rupple-Bascom Professor of Education and Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also served as chair of the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis department and the director and chief research scientist of Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB). Dean Jackson’s research on hiring practices, career mobility, workforce diversity, and workplace discrimination evolved into his work on organizational disparities with a particular focus on STEM. Dean Jackson has a portfolio of research focused on interventions designed to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in the scientific workforce. Fueled by more than 125 publications, Dean Jackson and his research team produced 75 percent of the research exclusively on African American/Black individuals in computing between 2008 and 2020. His research has been crucial to providing intellectual and programmatic direction for nine NSF-funded interventions across computing, engineering, and geosciences. As a result, Dean Jackson is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2021) and a member of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society. He is regularly ranked a top 200 education scholar through the annual Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings.
Keynote One
Feranmi Okanlami
Head of Disability Services
Dr. Feranmi Okanlami is a speaker, advocate, and physician leader dedicated to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion and inspired by the belief that disability does not mean inability. At the University of Michigan, he serves as Director of Student Accessibility & Accommodation Services, which includes Services for Students with Disabilities, Testing Accommodation Centers, and the Adaptive Sports & Fitness Program, which he created and leads. At Michigan Medicine, he is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Urology. Dr. Okanlami also holds a faculty position as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. As a former 2x Captain and Academic All-American Athlete at Stanford, he had the distinct honor of representing my institution as a student and an athlete. After his own path was altered due to a spinal cord injury, he discovered that student-athletes with disabilities aren’t given the same opportunities as those without. he is now dedicated to providing that opportunity for student-athletes around the country with disabilities, with an eventual goal of having the NCAA recognize adaptive sports programs as official NCAA entities. His passions can be summarized by the following statements: "I have the desire to improve the access to and delivery of healthcare and medical education around the world, using innovation and technology, while simultaneously promoting diversity, health equity, and inclusion in this space." "“Disabusing Disability” — I am dedicated to demonstrating that being "disabled" does not mean that one is "UNable" by providing examples, opportunities, and resources for individuals with disabilities to lead healthy, active, and fulfilling lives." "I want to provide equitable access to ALL students, not just student-athletes, with disability-related barriers, by providing the appropriate accommodations required to achieve that access." "I want to create equal access to physical and emotional health and wellness for individuals with physical disabilities, using adaptive sports and fitness and inclusive recreation." "I aim to create a completely inclusive and accessible health system for ALL — including both patients and providers with disabilities, while addressing the healthcare disparities that exist in minority populations."
Session One - Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Disability Inclusion
Elizabeth K. Goede
Founder & President Creator, Ratliff Consulting
Elizabeth K. Goede is an AI expert, speaker, and implementation specialist who puts AI into action. After establishing her career as a successful branding professional, she expanded into AI in 2012 by co-founding an AI-based wine startup. As creator of SPARK AI Lab™ and founder of Ratliff Consulting, she develops practical AI strategies that enhance human capabilities while solving real business problems. Elizabeth hosts an annual AI conference and creates accessible AI solutions for highly regulated industries. Through her SPARK StartHer™ podcast and SPARK Club, she empowers entrepreneurs and advocates for women's confidence and voice in artificial intelligence.
Fred Goff
CEO Jobcase, Inc
-
Alison Levy
Director, Office of Technical and Information Services
Alison Sutton Levy serves as Director of the Office of Technical and Information Services at the U.S. Access Board, where she leads technical policy development and nationwide accessibility initiatives under multiple federal statutes. For more than 30 years, Alison has directed national-level programs focused on accessibility, disability inclusion, and equitable workforce practices across multiple federal U.S. agencies and organizations. Previously, Alison managed the U.S. Department of Transportation's Disability Resource Center, overseeing reasonable accommodation services and technology accessibility. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she rebuilt the Disability Employment Program and served in various leadership roles, including Acting Director, while advancing accessibility goals and compliance with disability-related legislation. A recognized expert and interagency collaborator, Alison has also co-founded and led an interagency Federal Disability Workforce Consortium to drive systemic change across the federal government.
Paul Ryznar
CEO, Lightguide
Paul Ryznar is the Founder & CEO of LightGuide, Inc, an Engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur, and has over 30 years in manufacturing. Ryznar is the Former VP of Operations at Detroit Diesel, Bosch, Energy Conversion Devices, and Spearheaded LightGuide’s invention in 2005, pioneering the use of projected augmented reality (AR) for industrial applications. Lightguide is a proven, practical and patented AR technology.
Keynote Two
Dr. Micheal Stein
Associate Dean for Research, Eli Broad College of Business
Professor Michael Ashley Stein is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, and a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School since 2005. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on disability law and policy, Dr. Stein participated in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; works with disabled peoples’ organizations and non-governmental organizations around the world; actively consults with governments on their disability laws and policies; advises an array of UN bodies and national human rights institutions; and has brought landmark disability rights litigation globally. Professor Stein has received numerous awards in recognition of his transformative work, including the National Order of Merit (Ecuador); USICD Dole/Harkin Award; Morton E. Ruderman Prize; Henry Viscardi Achievement Award; ABA Paul G. Hearne Award; and Harvard University Excellence in Accessibility and Inclusion Faculty Award. His authoritative and path-breaking scholarship of 288 academic publications and 11 books have been published worldwide by leading journals and academic presses and supported by fellowships and awards from the American Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research, among others. Dr. Stein teaches at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and holds an Extraordinary Professorship at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Rights. He earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School (becoming the first known person with a disability to be a member of the Harvard Law Review), and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University (W.M. Tapp Studentship). Professor Stein was appointed by President Obama to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.
Keynote Three
Dr. Susanne Bruyere
Professor, Disability Studies | School of Industrial Labor Relations
Susanne M. Bruyère, Ph.D., CRC, is Professor of Disability Studies and Academic Director of the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, Cornell University ILR School, Ithaca, NY. This Institute is a research, training, and technical assistance center focusing on disability inclusion in employment, education, and community. Bruyère serves as Institute administrative/strategic lead, and as the PI/Co-PI of research, dissemination, and technical assistance efforts focused on employment disability policy and effective disability workplace practices. She is the PI/Project Director of the National Policy, Research, and Technical Assistance Center on Employment of People with Disabilities funded by the U.S. DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy. She is the author/co-author of five books and over 180 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on workplace disability inclusion. Bruyère holds a doctoral degree in Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association.
Session Two - Enhancing Recruitment and Retention for Individuals with Disabilities
Nicholas Allen
Recruiting Team Lead at CAI
Nicholas Allen is a seasoned Recruiting Team Lead at CAI, where he oversees all recruiting within CAI's Neurodiverse Solutions business. In his current role, he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to enhancing recruitment and retention strategies for diverse talent, including individuals with disabilities. With a robust background in recruitment and human resources, Nicholas has been instrumental in driving initiatives that promote inclusivity and equity in the workplace. Nicholas holds a passion for empowering underrepresented groups and is dedicated to sharing insights and best practices with business leaders, academics, and community partners. His contributions continue to inspire positive change and drive forward-thinking approaches in the recruitment landscape.
Brian Calley
President and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan
Brian Calley is President and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan, where he puts his passion for Michigan’s entrepreneurs to work. He also serves as a director of two community banks, and as a Trustee of Oakland University. Additionally, he sits on various non-profit boards, including Special Olympics Michigan, Disability Rights Michigan, and the Autism Alliance of Michigan. Calley had the honor of serving as Michigan’s 63rd Lieutenant Governor from 2011-2018. Prior to that, Calley served two terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, two terms as an Ionia County commissioner and worked for over a decade in community banking. He holds a BA from Michigan State University, an MBA from Grand Valley State University and an MPA from Harvard University. Calley is an avid runner, having completed more than 20 full marathons, and a capable piano player. He and his wife Julie live in Portland and have 3 children: Collin, Reagan and Karagan.
Jill Gushow
General Counsel, Morley
Jill Gushow is a graduate of Michigan State University and the University of Colorado School of Law. While practicing in Denver and Austin, she became a legal expert in technology matters and had the opportunity to travel much of the country and world, representing some of the world’s leading tech companies prior to working for Morley Companies. Jill has been with Morley for 14 years, serving as its General Counsel and Compliance Officer, and formerly also Director of HR, where she was certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional. Jill created Morley’s ADA and accommodations request process and is proud of the work Morley does to support its associates in being their best selves at work. For its efforts in hiring and accommodating individuals with disabilities, Morley was previously awarded an Employer of the Year award from Michigan Rehabilitative Services.
Lisa Webb-Sharpe
Chief Operating Officer, Peckham Inc.
Lisa Webb Sharpe joined Peckham, Inc., in August 2020, to serve as its Chief Operating Officer. Peckham, Inc., a social enterprise and federal contractor, provides paid job training for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. With operations in three states, Peckham works with several federal and state agencies. As COO, Webb Sharpe oversees multiple lines of business. In addition to manufacturing clothing and other equipment for the military, her portfolio includes information and help desk services, supply chain, warehousing and logistics, and custodial services. Marketing and business development round out her body of work. Prior to joining Peckham, Webb Sharpe served as Executive Vice President at Lansing Community College. At Michigan’s third largest community college, Dr. Webb Sharpe oversaw strategic planning, all business operations, including financial, purchasing, facilities, information technology, human resources, public safety, emergency management, risk management, legal, student affairs, K-12 operations, marketing, communications, PR, external affairs, and fundraising functions. Prior to this role, Webb Sharpe served as Director of the Michigan Department of Management and Budget, providing cost-effective business services to state government. Under Webb Sharpe’s leadership, significant cost savings were achieved, including consequential reductions in energy utilization. Webb Sharpe also led the Human Services group as a member of the Archer Administration cabinet in Detroit, and as director of housing services for the Traverse Group, an environmental engineering firm. Webb Sharpe serves on a number of boards, including for the Sparrow Health System, Michigan Land Bank Authority, and SourceAmerica, among others. Webb Sharpe earned her Doctorate of Education from Ferris State University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University.
National Employment Team and Support Available
Kathy West Evans
Director of Business Relations, CSAVR
Kathy West-Evans is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) who is fluent in American Sign Language. She has her MA in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Audiology. Kathy started in the field of rehabilitation in 1978. She has worked at the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center in Seattle and then for the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation starting as a VRC supporting individuals who are Deaf, H of H, Deaf-Blind and Late-Deafened before moving into mid-management and becoming the Statewide Program Manager for Business Relations. At the federal level she worked with the Rehabilitation Services Administration at the Regional Office in Seattle and now leads the National Employment Team (NET) at CSAVR (Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation). The NET is a cross state team of VR business specialists working through a dual customer approach to develop strategies with business to employ and retain the talents of individuals with disabilities across the company or organization. Kathy was also part of the team that developed the Talent Acquisition Portal (TAP) in response to businesses who wanted to easily access the talent pool of candidates with disabilities and individuals who were interested in accessing career opportunities with companies across the country. Kathy is a past member and Chair of the Veterans Advisory Council on Rehabilitation and a former Commissioner on the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. In addition to impacting legislation focused on VR’s work with business, she is a frequent speaker and has co-authored articles focused on working with business to employ the talents of people with disabilities.
Research and Collaboration Opportunities and the Role of Academia
Dr. Ranjan Mukherjee
Associate Dean for Faculty and Administrative Affairs, Engineering Dean's Office, College of Engineering
Ranjan Mukherjee received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1987. He received his MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1989 and 1991. Prior to joining Michigan State University, he was an Assistant Professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, from 1991 to 1996. Ranjan Mukherjee's research interests are in the broad area of mechatronics and robotics and he has published more than 200 papers. He is a Fellow of the ASME. He is currently the Editor of the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control.