When
December 2, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM PST
Where
This is an online event via Zoom.
For more information on the Zoom platform, please visit https://youtu.be/hIkCmbvAHQQ prior to the event.
Contact
Wise Support
support@gowise.org
Wise Webinar Series:
A Conversation with Microsoft: Employer Perspective of Innovation and Perspective during COVID
with Emily Harris, Dr. Ayanna Cummings, and Heather Durr.
Join us for a facilitated panel of senior level managers from CBRE, Compass, and Microsoft from the Seattle Metro area, to learn more about how their work has shifted over the past 8 months. These employers will share their ability to make quick pivots, think creatively, and continue the support and advancement of supported employment at their work (even in the face of rapid change). Each employer will bring examples and stories, ideas, and highlight that through thick in thin, a diverse work force includes people with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities.
Outline or agenda
- Highlight what supported employment looks at multiple companies.
- Highlight how in the past 6-8 months, how work has changed for panel companies
- Highlight specific changes with supported employees.
- Innovation approach.
- Conversation about what’s next.
- Advice to working people, employers, employment consultants navigating online climate.
Learning Objectives (Info, tools, and skills attendees will receive):
- Overview of panel member’s roles at their companies, and their interface with supported employees.
- Have a sense of innovate approaches Employers are taking to maintain employees during transition times related to COVID- 19.
- Advice for people who are navigating a changing work landscape, and how to persevere.
Good news, this this webinar has been pre-approved for 2 hours of APSE CESP continuing education (CE).
Do you require an accommodation, materials in alternate format or have inquiries about accessibility in this event? If so, please reach out to support@gowise.org no later than 5pm Friday prior to this webinar. Due to the short turnaround of our webinar series we are unable to accommodate same day requests. We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully.
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*Please note: Wise maintains registration and attendance records for our events and training programs. Attendees that fully participate in events and/or complete training programs will receive a certificate to document full participation as back up for billing purposes. Wise is required to monitor participation in our courses and provide reports to our funding sources so that they may utilize these records in the course of their audits of programs. These reports may include actual time spent by attendee name, event/training title, county and state. Reports are provided to ensure there is documented proof of the appropriate use of government funds for the purposes of professional development.
There are no refunds for those that do not attend the scheduled webinar. If you do miss the webinar, we will provide you with a code to access the next webinar free.
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Wise provides Washington State Educator/Teacher Clock Hours for our webinars. For more information and to request Clock Hours, please click here.
Emily Harris, Wise
Emily Harris has had the good fortune to be affiliated with people with disabilities throughout her life. She has over 12 years’ experience doing work as an Employment Consultant and a Positive Behavior Support Consultant with individuals, families, and Employment Agencies in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. She also has international consulting experience working with employment agencies across New Zealand. Emily is committed to the concept of inclusion and full participation and knows that employment is critical to equity. She holds a BS in Arts and Letters with a focus in Women Studies and English, is a Certified Employment Professional through APSE, and currently serves on the National APSE Employment Support Professional Certification Council (ESPCC). Emily is a trainer and trained in the process of Person-Centered Planning. Emily is a natural networker and believes that being connected in your community is vital to the success of connecting people with sustainable employment. Emily loves music (especially soul and oldies on vinyl), spending time with her family, and vintage shopping in small towns.
Dr. Ayanna Cummings, Director of Diversity + Inclusion at Compass Group
Dr. Ayanna Cummings is passionate about eradicating the malignant diseases of racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism and other ills which plague our social and organizational environs. She has over 20 years of experience as a diversity consultant, specialist and trainer. She has also served as an undergraduate lecturer at various institutions in the Northeastern and Southeastern United States, including a current role on the Faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology in the School of Psychology. Her scientific research seeks to examine the plight of, issues affecting and identification of solutions relevant to African-Americans and other diverse and marginalized groups. Her research findings give her unique expertise in diversity, equity + inclusion training, consulting strategies and cultural change methods.
Prior, Dr. Cummings worked with R. Thomas Consulting of Atlanta and Blackbird Leadership of New York City, as well as her own company Tapestry Consulting, LLC. She has served as Diversity Specialist with Terry University Systems. In these capacities she has served as lead and point of contact diversity specialist on a City of Atlanta proposal which would address diversity, equity and inclusion cultural strategies in a municipal organization of more than 8,000 employees. She has held contracts with a digital ad agency in Atlanta, GA, a diversification management company in Decatur, GA, and a diversity consulting company to law firms in New York City. She wrote, produced, directed and narrated her own training video and accompanying workbook,“Lifting the Veil of Hatred”.
Dr. Cummings holds a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the City University of New York Graduate Center in Manhattan as well as an MBA in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University. She also holds the SPHR Certification. Dr. Cummings is a Presidential Scholar and alumnus of Hampton University, where she was inducted into the Forty Under 40 Honor Society in 2018. She is a proud active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is currently collecting data on racial bias in the performance appraisal process and racial bias in artificial intelligence systems used within organizations through her current appointment as a Research Psychologist with the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology in Vista, California. Her research was presented at the 2020 American Psychological Association Virtual Conference in August 2020. She is the author of the book, “Power, Culture and Race” published in 2018 by Xlibris.
Dr. Ayanna Cummings is an avid reader, a skilled and talented cellist and vocalist, and a mom of two beloved Cocker Spaniels Zuri and Omari. Her favorite motto is, “The Secret to Growing Wings is Believing You Can Fly”.
Heather Durr, Project Manager, CBRE - Microsoft Account, Common Area Reset Team
Heather has worked on the CBRE Microsoft account for 7 years, and for the last 4 has managed the Common Area Reset Program. This team regularly resets and inspects furniture in meeting spaces and lounges in over 70 buildings across the Redmond Campus.
The 12 technicians on the team were hired through Microsoft’s Supported Employment Program, and Heather’s focus is to develop team member skills and provide experience that demonstrates Full Time employment readiness. In her tenure 5 part-time techs have graduated on to full-time positions. In the last year, the techs helped develop and pilot a new Power App tool for their data collection that is accessible and increased their efficiency by 30%. It will also allow a wider candidate pool for the next team opening. Heather is highly involved in the Supported Employment Program at Microsoft and recently helped launch the Abilities Employee Network Group at CBRE, a group for employees with disabilities and their allies.
