Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Lori Ashby, Senior Vice President of Product Management and Experience Enablement at Highmark Health to the show. Ms. Ashby will share her role within Highmark and how she strives to hire people with disabilities within 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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce will honor the late actor, disability rights advocate, and philanthropist RJ Mitte with a special reairing of his February 1, 2022, appearance on Disability Matters. He discusses his Hollywood career, challenging stereotypes through his experience with cerebral palsy, and his roles in Breaking Bad and Triumph, a film about a high school wrestler confronting bullying and stigma. 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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Jonathan Young, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Akero, a company dedicated to developing transformational treatments for people living with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and other serious metabolic diseases for which significant unmet medical needs remain. Mr. Young will discuss his leadership role in the pharmaceutical industry and his advocacy for policies that empower patients and people with disabilities to pursue and achieve their life goals. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/beckyoglescholarshipfund 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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Scott Meiser, Vice President of Supply Chain, and Greg McGuinness, Director of Distribution and Logistics, at Allegheny Health Network (AHN). They will discuss their roles and AHN's commitment to hiring people with disabilities across 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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Jason Fonner, Vice President of Forge Solutions, a company that provides digital, print, and fulfillment customer communications solutions. He will discuss his current role and share why he has such a strong commitment to hiring people with disabilities as part of the workforce. 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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology at Bender Consulting Services.   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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Cardell Velez, Chief Operating Officer for Health Network Provider Organization, Allegheny Health Network (AHN). Among the topics discussed will be the growth and expansion of AHN since he joined the organization in December 2025, and his commitment to hire people with disabilities.   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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Kelsey Harris, CEO and Founder of NeuroAxis Rehabilitation Services in Canonsburg, PA, which provides home- and clinic-based rehabilitation for complex neurological conditions. Also, Dr. Eugene Lipov, Pain Medicine Expert Witness, Medical-Legal Consultant, SGB and Autonomic Nervous System Expert, Digital Toxicity Researcher, and author, will join the show. They will discuss their healthcare expertise and its impact on people's lives, including people with complex neurologic conditions and Post Traumatic Stress Injuries (PTSI).   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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Albrecht Powell, Managing Director, Accenture, for its Pittsburgh office and Diversity Advocate to the show. Mr. Powell will share his experience developing leaders within organizations. He will talk about how one of the most rewarding parts of his career has been helping leaders grow and achieve not only for the organization they serve but for themselves as well, including people with disabilities.   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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Randy Dearth, an executive with over 35 years of experience in the chemicals industry to the show. Mr. Dearth will discuss his extensive career with various corporations and his non-profit support for organizations that support the community. Particularly, his work as a member of the board of the Bender Leadership Academy, which is committed to expanding opportunities for employment of people with disabilities from youth through adulthood. 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. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.