Autism in the Workplace Panel Discussion

About this event

Agenda

7:00 pm EST – Greetings and establishing the Community Rules

7:05 pm EST – Brett Mulder, PsyD, introducing the current scientific understanding of Autism

7:10 pm EST – Kelly Everly-Hall sharing her professional story of building her career as an Autistic person

7:30 pm EST – Carrie Blackman giving a neurotypical view on working with Autistic colleagues

7:40 pm EST – Q&A

8:00 pm EST – End

Panelist Bios

Brett Mulder, PsyD, Director of Teen and Adult Programs at MGH Aspire, oversees year-round programming for teenagers and adults with high cognitive autism and related profiles. He provides consultation to school systems and supports Fortune 500 companies and other employers of adults with autism with trainings such as Great Minds Don’t Think Alike and Creating a Neurodiverse Workplace Culture. As an Instructor at Harvard Medical School, his research is on the outcomes of Aspire teen and adult programs that aim to improve the transition of autistic adults into college and competitive work settings. Dr. Mulder holds appointments as Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and as Assistant in Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital. At the Lurie Center of MGH, he sees children, teenagers and adults for individual psychotherapy. Dr. Mulder received his undergraduate degree in psychology and philosophy from Hope College, his Master of Arts degree in philosophy from Tufts University, and his doctorate in clinical psychology from William James College.

Kelly Everly-Hall has a strong background in developing online training, graphic design, photography, and multimedia development as a government contractor and then government civilian working for the Department of Defense. Through her 20+ years of working in this environment, she was awarded several government awards for excellence and innovation. Kelly now works as a Senior Quality Analyst and Web Accessibility Consultant at Ultranauts. She is helping to shape the future of the Ultranauts internal web accessibility training program. She moderates the monthly internal accessibility team meetings and has served as a team technical lead. Kelly has proven that despite having several diagnosed disabilities, she can thrive and drive excellence in the workplace.

Carrie Blackman is the Talent Acquisition Manager at Ultranauts Inc., and she has been with the company 4.5 years. Carrie is a strong advocate for neurodiversity and the company’s mission to demonstrate neurodiversity is a competitive advantage in business. Her background includes more than ten years as a college career advisor and educator. Carrie holds a Master’s of Education in Higher Education Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in English. She lives in Kansas City, MO, with her husband, Josh, and two sons–Sam (14 years old who is autistic and non-speaking) and David (11 years old). She also has a black lab named Gordon who often snores during meetings or interrupts at cat sightings. In her role as Talent Acquisition Manager, Carrie is an integral partner in managing recruitment activities and building candidate and referral partner relationships and leading the recruitment team.