Partnerships
Recent Professional Partnerships
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Comprehensive Speech Therapy Services, Jackson, Michigan
- DeKalb County Regional Office of Education, DeKalb, IL
- Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo, MI
- Medbridge: Healthcare Education & Patient Care (click here to visit)
- Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Oakland Schools, Waterford, MI
- Payroc
- PayTech Women
- Statewide Autism Resources & Training (START) (click here to visit)
- University of Minnesota
Partnership Spotlight on Oakland Schools
In 2022, I began a partnership with Oakland Schools, which serves 28 districts and over 175,000 students. Jennifer Ryan, their Speech-Language Pathologist Consultant, reached out after seeing my ASHA Schools Connect presentation. What began as a single continuing education presentation has grown into a 3-year partnership, including annual presentations, lunch-hour staff sessions, and a recent Neurodiversity Educational Series with Autistic presenters and 100+ attendees. Staff feedback highlighted the relevance of integrating autistic voices, writing neurodiversity-affirming IEP goals, drafting strength-based reports, and making meaningful classroom changes. It’s been exciting to be part of their journey.
Feedback from Oakland Schools
“The content you prepare is always right on, but as I said today, the way you guide learners to understand new ideas is so kind and so genuine. You are a gift to us.”
Jennifer Ryan, Oakland Schools,
March, 2024
“I am thankful for a different perspective related to students with autism and appreciate the supports/accommodations that were suggested for use with student’s IEPs.”
Attendee at Oakland Schools Neurodiversity Speaker Series,
November, 2024
“I liked the idea of putting the accommodations in the goals to allow more ways for the student to access the curriculum or show success in the goal.”
Attendee at Oakland Schools Neurodiversity Speaker Series,
November, 2024
Partnership Spotlight on Payroc & PayTech Women
Payroc is a global payment processing company with around 1,000 employees. In 2022, their Executive Vice President of Operations, Stephanie Zirkle, invited me to speak virtually as part of their Lunch & Learn series. Through this virtual setting, I had the chance to connect with employees from across the world and discuss neurodiversity in the workplace. It was encouraging to see how open the conversation became, with participants sharing their own experiences and supporting each other. One attendee remarked on this in the feedback, “It felt like a community.”
I joined Payroc’s Lunch and Learn series again in 2024 to talk about handling tough workplace conversations through a neurodiversity lens and was invited to speak on the same topic at the PayTech Women 2024 Leadership Summit in Atlanta. PayTech Women is a nonprofit that supports and empowers women in the payments industry.
Feedback from Payroc
“She makes tough topics approachable.”
Anonymous employee from Payroc
“This webinar brought to light that the people we work with every day have their own complex lives we may not consider…”
Anonymous employee from Payroc
“I loved every part of this, but especially the part where everyone was sharing their experiences! I listened to the recording again over the weekend and found the discussion about anxiety especially helpful.”