2023 NACE's Disability Signature Series: Advancing Access and Equity

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services, university relations and recruiting, and business affiliate professionals
Competency: Working with diverse populations
Fee: FREE (member); $149 (nonmember);

Summary
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This is an ideal time to honor people with disabilities, their contributions to the economy, and our commitment to equity for all people with all ability levels. Our 2023 theme, Advancing Access and Equity, was chosen by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy to celebrate NDEAM 2023.

NACE’s Disability Signature Series: Advancing Access and Equity will unpack concepts and tools to help talent acquisition, partner organizations, and other attendees better understand the diversity within the disability community as it relates to equity in employment.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Learn how leaders and those that recruit individuals with disabilities approach this work;
- Learn from students with disabilities about the challenges and hurdles they face in navigating the job search—and how those can be overcome;
- Expand your network to include others invested in equity in employment; and
- Acquire tools to implement and support your inclusion efforts.
Presenters

Stephanie Pallante, Early Careers Recruitment Leader, The Cigna Group
As a seasoned talent acquisition leader, Stephanie Pallante has a successful history of leading teams in the development and implementation of talent acquisition strategies for experienced hires, new graduates, and diversity initiatives across multiple industries. While she has broad experience, Pallante’s “heart” is in the early careers space, where she finds great satisfaction in helping collegiate students explore career paths as interns, kick start their professional careers post-graduation, and continue to grow and advance. Pallante currently leads University Relations & Early Careers Recruiting for Cigna, with responsibility for developing the early career talent strategies necessary to support Cigna's nine undergraduate Leadership Development Programs. She also oversees the company’s collegiate hiring initiatives for all enterprise internship opportunities. Before joining Cigna in 2018, Pallante served as the Early Career Recruitment and Programs Leader for Aramark, where she was instrumental in establishing an enterprise-wide recruitment strategy that identified collegiate talent for Aramark’s management training program. Pallante has also held recruitment leadership roles at PPD, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Unisys. As an active member of NACE for more than 25 years, Pallante’s volunteer service has included Vice President & Director – Employer, along with numerous strategic committees and task forces, such as Strategic Positioning of Career Services, Career Readiness Competencies, Conference Committee, Communities of Practice, and Honors & Awards to name a few. Stephanie holds a B.S. in Communications from Kutztown University. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-pallante-6620871/

Larry Markle, Director, The Gregory S. Fehribach Center, Eskenazi Health
Larry Markle is the director of the Gregory S. Fehribach Center at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis, IN. This program provides college students with physical disabilities paid internships in fields related to their major and professional development training to improve their employment outcomes. Prior to that, he was the director of disability services at Ball State University for 13 years. During his tenure, Ball State was recognized nationally as a leader in physical accessibility for students with disabilities. A 2019 recipient of the Association on Higher Education and Disability’s Meritorious Contribution Award, Markle has co-authored multiple articles on disability and higher education that have been published in peer reviewed journals and presented at dozens of regional and national conferences.

David Parker, Research Coordinator, Eskenazi Health
David R. Parker, Ph.D., is the program manager for Research, Educational Outreach and Communication at the Gregory S. Fehribach Center in Indianapolis. He coordinates new research by members of the Center’s national research advisory board on factors that influence the successful employment outcomes of college graduates with physical disabilities. He also coordinates programming with postsecondary professionals and high school educators on “best practices” career preparation for students with disabilities. A member of editorial review boards for three research journals, Parker publishes widely on self-determination, resilience, and mental health in college students and has trained higher educational professionals on disability issues in Italy, Austria, Japan, and Kuwait.

Tehanee Ratwatte, Career Consultant, Indiana University-Kelly School of Business Communication - Professional & Computer Skills
Tehanee Ratwatte is career consultant for the Gregory S. Fehribach Center. She is an experienced career coach whose current role includes talent management and development for undergraduate students and career pivoters in their career journey. Her previous roles at Indiana University include leading diversity efforts within career development, cross-functional project management, and delivery of curated, scaled content in multiple modalities. She is a former international student who holds an M.B.A. and a M.A.E. in student affairs in higher education from Western Kentucky University. She is looking forward to connecting with career professionals working in the accessibility and inclusion space and supporting growth in the area.

Carlos Taylor, Program Manager, Gregory S. Fehribach Center, Eskenazi Health
Carlos Taylor is the program manager of the Gregory S. Fehribach Center at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis. At the Fehribach Center, he works to provide meaningful paid internship opportunities for college students with physical disabilities. Prior to joining the Fehribach Center, he was the adaptive computer technology specialist at Ball State University, where he provided assistive technology solutions to students, staff, and faculty. Taylor has also presented to numerous groups on topics pertaining to individuals with disabilities and provided assistive technology (AT) training to corporate and professional sports organizations.

Rachel Gerber, Associate Director for University Relations, Indiana University - Bloomington - Career Development Center
Rachel Gerber, associate director for university relations with the Career Development Center at Indiana University, works with campus partners to provide coaching and career support for specific student populations. As a board certified career coach and podcast host to Major Choices about designing the life you want, Gerber is passionate about helping individuals realize their own potential and purpose, designing their lives accordingly. Connect with her on LinkedIn!

Melinda Messineo PhD, Professor of Sociology, Ball State University
Melinda Messineo, Ph.D., is a professor of sociology at Ball State University and is a nationally recognized workshop facilitator and diversity champion. She is the recipient of numerous teaching awards at the local regional and national levels including the Distinguished Contributions in Teaching from the American Sociological Association. She is passionate about removing barriers to inclusion and empowering others.

Kacheyta McClellan, Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, NACE
Kacheyta McClellan earned a B.S. in management and an M.B.A. in human resources from the University of Southern Indiana. Diversity and inclusion as well as career development comprise 15 plus years of his experience in higher education and associations. As a strategy architect, he has developed successful conferences, retention initiatives, assessment tools, and diversity metrics that have earned him honors such as being named one of the Evansville Business Journal’s 20 under 40 Emerging Leaders; he is also the recipient of Leadership Evansville’s Individual Leadership Award. He has also succeeded in developing partnerships with employers that have turned in to a variety of opportunities for students, including internships, job shadowing, job placement, and more. McClellan has served on dozens of boards and committees that are community-focused with special attention reserved for people of color. In his current role as director of diversity, inclusion, and belonging for the National Association of Colleges and Employers, McClellan focuses efforts to advance the association and profession through a DEI lens. In addition to evaluating internal practices and analyzing all aspects of the association, he works with professionals throughout the nation to identify, investigate, and promote actions that move individuals and employers to be more inclusive.