Tuesday, July 11th

Speakers:

  • David Casey – Chief Inclusion and Social Impact Officer at Tapestry
  • Rosaleen Burke – SVP Quality/Regulatory at Boston Scientific
  • Apoorva Gandhi – Senior Vice President, Multicultural Affairs, Social Impact and Business Councils at Marriott
  • Paul Gennaro – Senior Vice President, Brand and Corporate Communications, and Chief Communications Officer at Voya Financial
  • Jill Houghton – President and Chief Executive Officer at Disability:IN
  • Chad Jerdee – Board Chair at Disability:IN
  • Ted Kennedy, Jr. – Partner, Epstein Becker Green; Co-Chair, Disability Equality Index
  • Jill Kramer – Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Accenture
  • Will Lewis – Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Experian
  • Andrew McCartney – Senior Vice President, Human Resources, The Academy and Disability Diversity and Inclusion Executive at Bank of America
  • John Pluhowski – Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer at TD Bank

The ability to influence and motivate is vital to sustaining and advancing any supplier diversity initiative. Supplier diversity professionals have the unique opportunity to unleash the power of influential leadership by inspiring every colleague to be a committed and engaged champion for supplier diversity and inclusion. This session on how influential leadership can be a catalyst for delivering outstanding results is a must regardless of where your company is on its global supplier diversity journey.

Hosted by: Robert Half and Protiviti

Learning Objectives:

  1. Discover the art of influential leadership and its importance in driving positive business results.
  2. Learn the essential steps for strengthening your ability to influence others.
  3. Understand how to unlock colleague relationships to mobilize your greatest champions and influencers.

Moderator: 

Brenda Arnold – Supplier Inclusion Program Manager at Robert Half

Panelists: 

  • Terence Baptiste – Supply Chain Advisor, Supplier Diversity at Chevron
  • Heather Herndon Wright – Director, Supply Chain Diversity & Sustainability at Vistra Corp
  • Darlene Fuller – Senior Director Supplier Diversity at Sodexo USA
  • Simone Ray – Director of Supplier Diversity at Hilton

Join Disability:IN Corporate Partners operating in EMEA for an in depth look at current disability inclusion trends. The conversation will include information on multi-national companies’ approaches to disability inclusion, equity and accessibility, and broader disability attitudes in EMEA. This session will highlight the integral role multi-national companies play in promoting disability inclusion in EMEA. 

Moderator: 

Jo-Ann Pohl – Senior Advisor at Kearney

Panelists: 

  • Frank Justus – Global Co-Lead ENABLE at Bayer
  • David Sneddon – Accessibility & Disability Lead at Google EMEA
  • Manisha Mehrotra – Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Europe, Middle East & Africa at Bloomberg LP
  • Alex Lane – Global Disability Inclusion & Neurodiversity Lead at Accenture

Speakers:

  • Tali Bray – Executive Vice President, Technology Diversity, Community, and Sustainability at Wells Fargo
  • Gerard Dehrmann – Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and State and Local Government Relations at Walmart
  • Nedra Dickson – Managing Director, Global Supplier Inclusion and Sustainability Lead at Accenture
  • Alleace Gibbs – Vice President, Communications at Northrop Grumman Corporation
  • Angela Harrell – Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity and Corporate Impact Officer at Voya Financial
  • Jill Houghton – President and Chief Executive Officer at Disability:IN
  • Reid Jewett-Smith – Director of Research and Policy at Disability:IN
  • Michael Lopez – Senior Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, and Culture at HSBC
  • Justin Nelson – Co-Founder & President at National LGBT Chamber of Commerce
  • John Pluhowski – Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer at TD Bank
  • Otis Rolley – Head of Social Impact at Wells Fargo
  • David Sneddon – Vice President at Google
  • Zaylore Stout – Founder and Attorney at Zaylore Stout & Associates LLC

Breakout Session Track: N/A

This panel discussion will highlight multi-national companies’ best practices to ensure employees around the world have access to the accommodations/adjustments they need to be successful in their workplaces. The panel will also discuss how-to develop accommodations policies and practices, the benefits of a centralized accommodations budget, and provide an overview of the recently released Disability:IN Reasonable Accommodations Guidebook.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn accommodations/adjustments corporate best practices.
  2. Learn how to develop accommodations/adjustments policies/practices.
  3. Recognize the value of centralized accommodations budget.

Moderator:

Anna Beninger – Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Liberty Mutual

Panelists:

  • Sarah Cline – Global Workplace Inclusion and Diversity Lead at Accenture
  • Andrew Houghton – President at Disability Inclusion Solutions
  • Alex Shiver – Senior Strategic Advisor and Bridges Program Leader at H-E-B
  • Megan Smith – Global Accessibility and Accommodations Lead at Amazon

Breakout Session Track: N/A

Join Disability:IN Corporate Partners operating in the Asia Pacific Region (APAC) for an in depth look at current disability inclusion trends. The conversation will include information on multi-national companies’ approaches to disability inclusion, equity and accessibility, and broader attitudes about disability in APAC countries. This session will highlight the integral role multi-national companies play in promoting disability inclusion in APAC.

Moderator:

Sam Giese – Business Analysis Manager at Fiserv

Panelists:

  • Alisha Fernando – Head of Diversity and Inclusion, APAC at Bloomberg
  • Saliya Katungu-Moran – Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Leader – People with Disabilities Hiring at Amazon Web Services
  • Madhu Bala Sharma – Senior Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist Communities Leader at Amazon

Accessible from the Start: Inclusive Innovations in Customer Centered Products

DOBE Pitch Tank Competition

Speakers:

  • Laurie Allen – Senior Accessibility Technology Evangelist at Microsoft
  • Paula Alston – Vice President, Facilities at Merck
  • Monica Goel – Executive Director, Accessibility at CVS
  • Regina Heyward – Senior Vice President, Client Communities & Sustainability at LPL Financial
  • Mark Jones – Manager, Accessibility and Services for Guests with Disabilities at Walt Disney Company
  • Gurpreet Kaur – Vice President, Accessibility and Inclusive Design at MasterCard
  • Jenny Lay-Flurrie – Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft
  • Christina Mallon – Director of Inclusive Design at Microsoft
  • Jessica Rafuse – Director at Microsoft
  • Ryan Steinberger – Senior Vice President, Digital Client Partners and Product Management at Pfizer
  • Navin Thadani – Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Evinced
  • Katie Young – Senior Vice President, Store Operations at Starbucks
  • Don Watson – Senior Vice President, Global Real Estate and Facilities Management at Oracle
  • Tom Wlodkowski – Vice President, Accessibility at Comcast

Wednesday, July 12th

NextGen Innovation Lab

Hosted by: Nike

Speakers:

  • Claudia Gordon – Senior Accessibility Strategist at T-Mobile
  • Alethia Jackson – Senior Vice President, ESG, and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Walgreens
  • Heather Lavallee – Chief Executive Officer at Voya Financial
  • Megan Lawrence – Global Director of Accessibility at Nike
  • Will Lewis – Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Experian
  • Michael Lopez – Senior Vice President, Inclusion, Diversity, and Culture at HSBC
  • John McGonagle – Co-Chair, Able and Allies BRG at Lockheed Martin
  • Brendan Nelson – Senior Vice President at The Boeing Company; President of Boeing Global
  • Geralyn Ritter – Executive Vice President, External Affairs, and ESG at Organon
  • Joshua Stewart – Senior Vice President, Head of Talent Acquisition and Outreach at PNC
  • Zaylore Stout – Attorney, Author, and Historian at Zaylore Stout & Associates, LLC
  • Jonita Wilson – Chief Diversity Officer at Discover

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) has become widely considered the leading benchmark for objectively measuring disability inclusive policies and practices inside corporate America since its 2015 inception. The DEI has expanded from 80 participating companies in its first year to 485 representing 30 industries in 2023. In 2021, a two-year Global DEI pilot was launched which garnered total participation from 98 companies spanning 66 countries across the multi-year pilot. As the DEI is readied for its 10th anniversary in 2024, there is much to celebrate and learn from the DEI’s first decade and tremendous excitement building for the next 10 years of the benchmark. This session will examine compelling insights and findings from the DEI and Global DEI, including examples of how companies have leveraged the DEI to drive progress on disability inclusion, as well as a look ahead at the future of the DEI and Global DEI.
Learning Objectives
  1. Learn how leading companies are leveraging the DEI and Global DEI to develop and evolve their disability inclusion strategy.
  2. Explore best practices for building equitable programs for employees, customers and suppliers with disabilities.
  3. Gain insight into the future of the DEI and Global DEI in advance of the 10th anniversary of the DEI in 2024.

Moderator:

  • Ronald Pettit – Director, Disability Inclusion and ADA Compliance at Royal Caribbean

Panelists:

  • Oriel Arusy – DEI Strategy & Operations at Verizon
  • Nicole Bergstrom – Senior Director, Accessibility at Hilton
  • David Dent – Executive Director and Lead of Disability Strategy Group at Parexel
  • Laurie Henneborn – Managing Director at Accenture

Join Disability:IN Corporate Partners operating in Latin America (LATAM) for an in depth look at current disability inclusion trends. The conversation will include information on multi-national companies’ approaches to disability inclusion, equity and accessibility, and broader attitudes about disability in LATAM countries. This session will highlight the integral role multi-national companies play in promoting disability inclusion in LATAM.

Moderator:

Ezequiel Massa – Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Latin America and Caribbean at SAP

Panelists:

  • Paulina Beltrán – Senior UX Designer, Digital Accessibility Program Lead at Thermo Fisher Scientific
  • Bob Lopez – Culture and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director Mexico and Central America at Walmart
  • Silvana Aguilar – Regional Facility Manager at JLL
  • Camila Barboza – Senior Audit Specialist and the Latin America Enabled@SAP Lead at SAP

Breakout Session Track: Workplace

It’s been said that some leaders are born while others are made. Whether leadership comes naturally or requires persistent practice, leaders at all levels often lack the competencies and confidence necessary for leading people with disabilities and caregivers. This session will examine the key characteristics of inclusive leadership and discuss how they specifically relate to disability inclusion.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn the definition of inclusive leadership and how commitment, curiosity, courage, cognizance of bias, cultural competence and other leadership characteristics are essential for disability inclusion.
  2. Explore global strategies for effectively managing and supporting employees with disabilities working in different settings such as corporate offices, retail locations, distribution centers, laboratories, and hybrid/work from home arrangements.
  3. Discover what tools, trainings and resources exist to equip and upskill managers of people with disabilities and caregivers to lead more inclusively.

Moderator:

Scott Hoesman – Chief Executive Officer at InQuest Consulting

Panelists:

  • Jennie Lay-Flurrie – Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft
  • India Sylvester – Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Lumen
  • Chely Wright – Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Unispace
  • Rachael Grossman – Manager, Business Consulting at Ernst & Young

Breakout Session Track: ERG/BRG

Self identification enables organizations to better understand their global workforce, facilitate dialogue, and create programs that support diverse employees. Employees with disabilities, however, might be reluctant to self-identify for a variety of valid reasons. A disability-focused Employee or Business Resource Group (E/BRG) can be a key partner as it can help shape the narrative surrounding global self identification and disability disclosure. This session will examine how E/BRGs can add value by creating an inclusive and disability confident workplace by increasing transparency and encouraging all employees to share personal experiences through authentic storytelling.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Explore the definitions of and differences between self identification and self disclosure, and the appropriate role for each in global workforce representation metrics, requests for reasonable accommodations, and fostering a disability-inclusive culture.
  2. Learn how to craft an enterprise definition of disability and universal key messaging to create global consistency and establish norms so employees understand if their medical condition is considered a disability for the purpose of self-identification.
  3. Discover strategies for collaborating with other diverse ERGs to enhance global self identification efforts.
Moderator:

Jennifer Flinn, Integration Manager/ Ability ERG Chair at McKesson

Panelists:
  • Rana Saab – Director of Inclusion & Diversity at Starbucks
  • Judith Dickson – Claims Operations Manager at Liberty Mutual
  • Kathy Martinez – Vice President, Disability Inclusion at Expedia
  • Glenda Valero – Human Resources Director at Chevron

Thursday, July 13th

Breakout Session Track: Workplace

We’re told when flying that we should put our own oxygen mask on first before assisting others. When it comes to workplace wellness, it can be difficult to maintain your own wellbeing let alone be a support system for others with all of the turbulence and uncertainty going on in the world today. The emotional side of business rarely gets discussed even though it can have a significant impact on employee engagement, morale and productivity which has direct implications for the bottom line. This session will focus on global strategies for workplace wellness as well as methods for creating psychological safety.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn how to distinguish the difference between mental health disabilities and general mental wellness for all employees, and discover strategies to promote both overall workplace wellbeing and individualized accommodations and supports.
  2. Gain an understanding of basic mental health first aid, including how to spot warning signs and appropriately engage to provide support.
  3. Discuss the meaning of psychological safety and the role it plays in workplace wellness and belonging for employees.

Moderator:

Kevin Traw – Vice President at UnitedHealth Group

Panelists:

  • Dr. Tam Brownlee – Chief Health Officer at Accenture
  • Shari Conaway – Manager People Director at Southwest Airlines
  • Jon McLeod – Co-Founder, ESPN T.R.U.S.T. Mental Health BERG at ESPN
  • Shannon Snowden – Global Head of ERGs and Wellness at Experian

To genuinely offer equal opportunities for neurodivergent talent, organizations must cultivate an inclusion culture that acknowledges and values the distinct perspectives, skills, and talents of neurodivergent employees in meaningful ways. Creating a neuroinclusive culture takes time, intentional effort, deliberate action, and self-assessment. It starts with understanding that our workplaces are designed to cater to the needs and preferences of dominant identities, which can present both explicit and implicit barriers for neurodivergent employees who may work and behave differently than normative expectations.

In this session, you will hear from both neurodivergent and neurotypical program leads from Neurodiversity@Work Roundtable Employers as they discuss practical strategies companies can implement today to make a difference and progress toward a more neuroinclusive culture.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Gain a deeper understanding of Neuroinclusion and learn how to support the growth and development of your neurodivergent workforce.
  2. Explore specific examples to build neuroinclusion competency among employees and managers, recruiting teams, through organizational change, accommodations teams, and more and create a neuroinclusive workplace that benefits all employees!
  3. Discover ways your company can collaborate with the neurodiversity community to foster systemic neuroinclusivity across all business functions, policies, and processes.

Moderator:

Anthony Pacilio – Vice President, Neurodiverse Solutions at CAI

Panelists:

  • Stephen DeStefani – Senior Vice President, Neurodiversity Program Executive at Wells Fargo
  • James Mahoney – Chief Operating Officer at Rangam Consultants
  • Natalia Lyckowski – Global Neurodiversity Advancement Leader at IBM
  • Landon Huber – Advisory Managing Director at Deloitte

Speakers:

  • Danielle Biddick – Program Manager, Diversity Talent Acquisition at Dell Technologies
  • Lisa Hornak – EAP Advisor at Chevron
  • Sarah Loucks – Autism at Work Global Lead at SAP
  • Manisha Mehrotra – Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Europe, Middle East & Africa at Bloomberg LP
  • Hale Pulsifer – VP Customer Inclusion at Fidelity
  • Christina Schendel – Lead of Clinical Psychology, Integrated Mental Health Services at Deloitte
  • Dr. Gus Schmedlen – Chief Revenue Officer at Texthelp
  • Hiren Shukla – Global Neurodiversity Leader at Ernst & Young
  • Bettina Thompson – Program Manager, Director for Recruiting and Neurodiversity – Global Board Amazon PWD Affinity Group at Amazon