Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Ellen Duffield, President and CEO of Highmark Wholecare, to the show. Highmark Wholecare is a managed care organization caring for the whole person - physically, mentally, and socially. It is committed to connecting its members with the right resources to meet their whole health needs. Among the topics Ms. Duffield will cover with listeners include: her story of how she became the President and CEO of Highmark Wholecare, who is eligible to become a member of Highmark Wholecare, and the personal reason she supports the commitment that Highmark Wholecare places on hiring people with disabilities in its workforce.

Joyce welcomes Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships, and Bonnie Rubin, Senior Program Specialist with the Bender Leadership Academy, to the show. This non-profit organization empowers students with disabilities to address bullying, pursue education, and achieve their career goals. During the show, the guests will share how to support this worthwhile organization and highlight the missions of the Ready to Lead and Junior Student Leaders program. Joining them will be Alex Walmsley, a graduate of Bender Leadership Academy, and high school senior, CJ Reicks currently engaged in its Virtual Student Leaders program. They will share their experiences at the Bender Leadership Academy.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. - www.benderconsult.com.
• Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities. https://benderleadership.org/.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.
• Recipient of the 2024 Visionary Award from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, DC.
• Lives with epilepsy and hard of hearing.
• Advocates for competitive employment for people with disabilities.
• Serves as vice-chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and former chair of the board.
• Represented the State Department in programming with Panama, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, and Tunisia.
• Serves as chair of Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA.
• Received the 2003 New Freedom Initiative Award from the Bush Administration.
• Recognized with the 1999 President's Award from President Clinton.
• Board member of Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and World Institute on Disability (WID).

Joyce welcomes industrial designer and entrepreneur, Alexander Geht, to the show. He will explain why he has dedicated his career to pioneering adaptive seating solutions for children with disabilities. He is dedicated to developing innovative, accessible, and transformative solutions through digital manufacturing.

Joyce welcomes Debra Germany the Executive Director of Divine Intervention Ministries (DMI). DMI provides currently and formerly incarcerated adults and at-risk youth with coordinated resources that will connect them to supportive services and job training opportunities focusing on restoring and realizing their maximum potential spiritually, physically, and economically. Ms. Germany will share the programs and services available to support this mission and vision of the organization.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center. Recipient of the 2024 Visionary Award from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, DC. Lives with epilepsy and hard of hearing. Advocates for competitive employment for people with disabilities. Serves as vice-chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and former chair of the board. Represented the State Department in programming with Panama, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, and Tunisia. Serves as chair of Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA. Received the 2003 New Freedom Initiative Award from the Bush Administration. Recognized with the 1999 President's Award from President Clinton. Board member of Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and World Institute on Disability (WID).

Tomorrow on Disability Matters, Joyce welcomes Barãta A. Bey, President, African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania to the show. He will share its mission and explain the ways that the organization helps African American businesses prosper in the region.

Barãta A Bey is a seasoned Community Development Officer with over 12 years of experience in DEI, community engagement, and finance within the banking industry. Skilled in developing innovative lending strategies and small business programs, Barãta has led impactful initiatives such as a Small Business Ecosystem in Washington County, PA, and a Workforce Development Ecosystem in Beaver County, PA. Notably, they played a key role in FirstMerit Bank's response to the Flint water crisis, securing a $150K commitment for affected residents. With expertise in financial literacy, home lending, and access to capital programs, Barãta actively advances CRA and DEI strategies. They hold an MBA in Finance from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Lean Six Sigma Certification.

Joyce A. Bender is the Founder and CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. as well as Board Chair and Founder of The Bender Leadership Academy. Joyce is an international leader in the area of disability employment. She speaks across the United States and internationally representing the State Department on informational exchanges related to disability employment best practices. She has represented the State Department in programming with Panama, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan and Tunisia. Joyce is the current Vice Chair and Past Chair of the Board of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), is on the Board of Trustees for the Bazelon Center, and a current member of Disability Rights Pennsylvania and the Epilepsy Association of Western/Central Pennsylvania.

Joyce welcomes Evan Frazier, President and CEO of The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI), back to the show. The Advanced Leadership Institute is an organization aimed at cultivating Black executive leadership to strengthen companies, institutions, and communities. TALI is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion across all its work. Mr. Frazier will share his and the organizations latest accomplishments.

Responsible for all aspects of human resources across Highmark Health, including compensation, organization effectiveness, benefits, talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, and talent management.Possesses extensive experience developing and implementing large-scale workforce and organizational change strategies connecting the knowledge, experience, resources, and ideas needed to simultaneously drive revenue and improve employee engagement.Prior to joining Highmark Health in 2015, worked for Covenant Health, serving as Executive Vice-President of Human Resources. Career experience has also included SAP, Providence Health and Services, and Campbell's Soup.Currently serving on the Board of Vibrant Pittsburgh, an organization dedicated to attracting and retaining diverse talent to the city of Pittsburgh.Completed the Harvard Executive Program, holds a Master's Degree in Human Resource Management from the New School for Social Research, and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Ithica College.

Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.Recipient of the 2024 Visionary Award from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, DC.Lives with epilepsy and hard of hearing. Advocates for competitive employment for people with disabilities. Serves as vice-chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and former chair of the board. Represented the State Department in programming with Panama, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, and Tunisia.Serves as chair of Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA. Received the 2003 New Freedom Initiative Award from the Bush Administration. Recognized with the 1999 President's Award from President Clinton. Board member of Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and World Institute on Disability (WID).

Joyce welcomes Karen Hanlon, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Highmark Health. Ms. Hanlon will share her background and her role in the organization. She will also share her insights on how AI will influence healthcare and what impact the shortage in healthcare labor may have in the future.

Karen Hanlon Bio:

• A key leader, strategist and visionary for Highmark Health, helping to guide the organization's mission to create remarkable health experiences that frees people to be their best. Responsible for overseeing the strategy and long-term operations of Highmark Health and Highmark Inc., as the organization focuses on bringing transformational care to its customers and disrupting traditional health care models, products, and services. Also oversees the operations of Allegheny Health Network, Highmark Wholecare, the Highmark Health-Penn State Health partnership and enGen.

• Began career in public accounting at KPMG Peat Marwick prior to joining Highmark Inc. in 1997, where she held several positions within the finance division before becoming the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Highmark Health in 2014, and the Chief Operating Officer of Highmark Health in 2018. As Chief Financial Officer, played a significant role in strengthening the overall financial performance of the enterprise, resulting in Highmark Health's achievement of consecutive record net revenues in 2017 and 2018.

• Guided the financial turnaround of Allegheny Health Network, this health delivery system has expanded to include 14 hospitals in Western Pennsylvania, as well as 6 multi-specialty medical malls.

• In recognition of achievements, was named to Modern Healthcare's 2024 Women Leaders in Healthcare list, the 2023 Power 100 list of the region's most influential business leaders, a 2023 Pittsburgh Business Times (PBT) C-Suite award winner and 2018 PBT CFO of the Year. Was also recognized as a 2019 recipient of The Grove City College Alumni Association Jack Kennedy Memorial.

• Strong advocate of supplier diversity and women in the workforce, serving as an executive sponsor for these important initiatives at Highmark Health. Believes in implementing best practices, innovation and community partnerships that encourage businesses to provide consistent opportunities for minority-owned and operated businesses in the supply chain.

• Current professional affiliations include Board of Directors, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Board of Directors, Federated Hermes, Inc. Distribution Committee Member, and The McCune Foundation, among others.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights:

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. - www.benderconsult.com.

• Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.

• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

• Recipient of the 2024 Visionary Award from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, DC.

• Lives with epilepsy and hard of hearing.

• Advocates for competitive employment for people with disabilities.

• Serves as vice-chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and former chair of the board.

• Represented the State Department in programming with Panama, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, and Tunisia.

• Serves as chair of Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA.

• Received the 2003 New Freedom Initiative Award from the Bush Administration.

• Recognized with the 1999 President's Award from President Clinton.

• Board member of Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and World Institute on Disability (WID).

Upcoming guest:

January 28, 2025

Joyce welcomes Larry Kleinman, Executive Vice-President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Highmark Health, to the show. Mr. Kleinman will share the organization's commitment to continue partnering with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. to hire people with disabilities as a valuable part of their diverse workforce.