Amanda Kirby, PhD*

CEO, Do-IT Solutions

Honorary Professor at Cardiff University

I am an odd ball and don't fit into a neat box. I have lived experience of neurodiversity personally and extensively in all parts of my family. I am a medical doctor who has run a transdisciplinary centre for more than 20 years supporting parents, their children, and adults. I have published more than 100 research papers in the field of work and 9 books and am a professor in developmental disorders. My latest book was published in 2021 is called, Neurodiversity at Work: Drive Innovation, Performance and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce. I have developed web-based screening tools which have been used by 10s of 1000s of people that aim to support people who are neurodivergent used in education, employment and in the justice sector. I am chair of the ADHD Foundation in the UK and advise other voluntary sector organisations. I am passionate about making a difference and write a weekly newsletter on LinkedIn and was one of the 2020 LinkedIn Voices.

Juwayriyah Nayyar

PhD Student

University College Dublin

Juwayriyah Nayyar is a PhD student from the University College Dublin School of Psychology. She is researching the lived experience of receiving an autism diagnosis in adulthood under the supervision of Dr. Cliodhna O'Connor. She has a particular interest in viewing autism and its diagnosis through an intersectional lens. Juwayriyah has a BA in Psychology and a MSc in Psychological Science from the University College Dublin.

Charlotte Valeur*

Chair

Institute of Neurodiversity

Charlotte Valeur is an experienced FTSE Chair, Non-Executive Director and corporate governance expert with extensive investment banking background. She is a visiting professor at University of Strathclyde in governance and leadership.   Charlotte has been a Non-Executive Director of 8 public companies, including three appointments as Chair. In addition she has board experience with a range of unlisted companies including international engineering firm Laing O‚ÄôRourke, BT Pension Fund, Chair of Institute of Directors U.K. and founder and Chair of Board Apprentice.  A lifelong human rights advocate, Charlotte is driven to play her part in creating an inclusive society; being diagnosed as autistic at 52, she began advocating around Neurodiversity equality and inclusion, working at the intersection of Government, Industry and the Third Sector.  She has launched the global Institute of Neurodiversity in 2021 to give neurodivergent individuals a voice and agency in the world.

Javier Peris

CEO, NeurodiverSí

I am neurodivergent and I have ADHD with an adult diagnosis. Entrepreneur in Graphic Design, Marketing and Multimedia. Founder of the Redtdah Association. 

Byran Dai

CEO, Daivergent

Byran is the co-founder and CEO of Daivergent, a technology platform that evaluates and prepares job-seekers in the neurodivergent community for 21st century employment. The company provides neurodivergent talent with job training that consists of evidence-based assessments, career exploration, and modern skills development which can be completed on the Daivergent platform. Daivergent also connects employers to job-seekers through its AI-powered matchmaking service, and has enabled thousands of individuals to attain self-sufficiency.  Prior to Daivergent, Byran led data science teams within healthcare technology, most recently at Quartet Health (a NYC-based behavioral technology company). He was motivated to found the company by his brother, Brandon, an autistic self-advocate and advisor to Daivergent. Byran received his BA from Harvard University, and his MS in Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Jamil Karriem

CEO, Hiki

Jamil Karriem is the founder and CEO of Hiki. Hiki, meaning "able" in Hawaiian, is the first ever friendship and dating mobile app made for the Neurodivergent community, by the neurodivergent community. Jamil is passionate about leveraging technology to enable underserved communities to lead more fulfilling lives. Jamilhas a BA in Sociology and Public Policy from Pomona College and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Denise Garcia

Floreo

Denise Garcia is health care attorney and former startup executive who is also the mother of four, including young adult twins on the autism spectrum. Denise is the General Counsel and Strategic Partnership lead for Floreo, a venture-backed start-up developing virtual reality learning for people with autism spectrum disorder and related neurodiverse needs. In addition to legal support, she drives Floreo’s clinical and programmatic reimbursement strategies.

Prior to joining Floreo, Denise served as CEO of a pharmaceutical compliance software startup, as a Director of Inova Health System’s Community Affairs and as General Counsel of Driscoll Children’s Health System in South Texas. 

She holds a B.A. summa cum laude from Long Island University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard University.  

Scott Gibson

Chief Strategy Officer

Melwood

Scott Gibson is Melwood's Chief Strategy Officer.  He joined Melwood in 2013, bringing more than a decade of public policy expertise, strategic planning leadership, and enterprise-wide human resources management to his role with the organization. Gibson shapes Melwood's long-term strategic objectives helping the organization respond to market changes and drive service innovation.  By forging partnerships with industry leaders and community stakeholders, he has launched innovative new programs such as abilIT, which prepares people with disabilities to launch careers in IT. Gibson‚Äôs leadership extends beyond Melwood.  Governor Larry Hogan appointed Gibson to serve on the Community Health Resources Commission, a grant-making public body established to expand access to health care services in underserved communities in Maryland.  Previous appointments have included the Boards of Directors of pension funds, employee benefits trusts, and regional non-profits. Gibson is a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program, as well as the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government, where he earned a Master's in Public Administration.  Gibson earned his Bachelors of Arts from Mount St. Mary's University, where he later served as an adjunct professor for 11 years.

Eric Cusick

SPW Technology Lead

DPR Construction

Eric Cusick lives in San Diego and has been with DPR Construction for over 25 years and is currently a Self-Performed Work Technology Lead.  He is the father of three kids, all of which have benefited from early intervention services with his oldest receiving an autism diagnosis before 3.  Working with DPR's Human Resources, Innovation and D&I teams; Eric is co-sponsored of DPR's partnership with the Stanford Neurodiversity Project to pilot the hiring neurodiverse individuals.    Eric is also on the Board of Directors of the Autism Tree Project Foundation. He enjoys spending time with his family, surfing, swimming and traveling.

Wayne McRae

Director, Autism2Work, CAI

Wayne is the Director of CAI's Autism2Work (A2W) neurodiversity employment program. He oversees all A2W operations, including placement, onboarding, and ongoing support for the client and the project team.   Wayne has been critical to the growth of A2W, helping expand the program's reach across the country. Wayne's goal is always to put the right candidate in the right role in the right environment. He works closely with each client to make sure they understand how to build trust and interact with A2W team members. He has successfully placed teams in Operations Support functions, Quality Assurance, Security Access Management and Cyber Security functions.  Before his current role at CAI, Wayne served for more than four years in IT Leadership positions. His tenure with Autism2Work has afforded him the opportunity to refine his gifts of people management and his ability to leverage the unique talents of people on the autism spectrum for meaningful careers.   Prior to that, he spent 15 years as a Quality Assurance expert, leading software testing teams in the healthcare, financial services and information industries. Wayne is a graduate of St. Stanislaus College and attended New Jersey City University and the Chubb Institute; earning a Diploma in Computer Programming.

Chelsea Asaro

Rangam

Chelsea Asaro is a Solutions Manager for Rangam, a minority, woman & disability-owned global workforce solutions company. Chelsea directly supports Rangam’s SourceAbled program which helps businesses source, hire, and retain talent with disabilities, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence. Chelsea is a thought-leader and mission-driven ally for workplace inclusion. She brings over 6 years of subject matter expertise in corporate neurodiversity hiring. Chelsea is notable for helping several Fortune 500 companies implement successful Autism at Work initiatives. Her journey started as the Corporate Training and Industry Outreach Specialist for the National Foundation for Autism Research (NFAR) and now impacts SourceAbled customers nationwide. Prior to her work within the disability community, Chelsea was a freelance writer specializing in technical writing, online content creation, and corporate communications. Chelsea received her B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from the University of California, San Diego.  

Helen Rottier*

PhD Candidate

University of Illinois at Chicago

Helen Rottier is a multiply disabled, multiply neurodivergent PhD candidate in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on academic access, ableism, and the experiences of autistic, mad, and disabled students and scholars in and out of academia. She is especially fascinated by autistic epistemology, or knowledge production, and how it can be applied to uncover new thoughts and ideas. She is the student coordinator of the Coalition for Autistic and Neurodivergent Students, which uses a novel mentoring model to support autistic and neurodivergent students across campuses in the Chicago area. She also mentors autistic, neurodivergent, and disabled high school and college students to promote successful transitions to and through college. Helen has an MS in Disability and Human Development from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a BS in Psychology and Gender and Women's Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. You can follow Helen on Twitter @helenrottier.

Leslie Harrison

Parent

Leslie is an Executive Communications Manager at Cisco Systems. As a fierce advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion for differently abled and BIPOC communities, she manages communications for the Cisco Disability Action Network, one of the company's employee resource groups. Leslie is the parent of daughter who was diagnosed with ASD as a teen and benefits from the support of the Transition2Success Project. She also participates in Advocating for Supports to Improve Service Transitions [ASSIST] through the University of Illinois.

Michael Duggan, EdD

Counselor for students with disabilities, Professor

College of DuPage

Dr. Michael Duggan‚ CPC, CRC, is a Professor and a Counselor for Students with Disabilities at College of DuPage (COD), where he is well known for his expertise and his passion for empowering students with disabilities.  In his time at COD he has helped establish a wide variety of programs for students, and his work has been featured by the Chicago Tribune, Daily Hearld, patch.com, and WGN Television. He has also been awarded COD's Outstanding Divisional Faculty of the Year, Outstanding Academic Advisor of the Year (twice), and Outstanding Club Advisor of the Year for his work on Autismerica--a social/support organization for young adults and families on the autism spectrum throughout Chicagoland. His first published book is titled First Class Support for College Students on the Autism Spectrum:  Practical Advice for College Counselors and Educators, and his website is michaelwduggan.com

Nancy Forsythe

Senior Faculty Specialist/Disability Inclusion

University of Maryland, College Park

Nancy Forsythe, MA., EdS., is a subject matter expert in disability inclusion at work.  She currently works as a Senior Faculty Specialist in Disability Inclusion at the University of Maryland University Career Center.  The majority of this work focuses on neurodivergent students.  At the University Career Center, Nancy supports neurodivergent students in the career preparation, job search, and on-boarding processes and works closely with employers to improve their capacity to hire and retain neurodivergent students. Nancy‚Äôs background is in social science research and vocational rehabilitation.

Ricardo Flores

Assistant Director for Students with Disabilities, Career Center

University of California, Berkeley

Ricardo Flores holds a Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling from Texas Tech University.  He has developed a suite of Career Services for Students with Disabilities at Cal since 2018 including a monthly specialized unit for students identifying as being Neurodiverse. Prior to their work at Cal, Ricardo consulted corporations, nonprofits, and small businesses in expanding and introducing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in to their company practice. Ricardo also has ten-years plus managing and coordinating mentoring programs for at-risk youth with disabilities in Texas.

Emiliano Ayala

Professor

CSU San Marcos

Dr. Emiliano C. Ayala serves as Professor of Education for the School of Education at California State University at San Marco. His primary instructional responsibilities include teaching courses in the Education Specialist (special education) credential program and undergraduate courses preparing prospective future educators.   Prior to his faculty appointment, Dr. Ayala served as Dean for the College of Education, Health and Human Services (CEHHS) at California State University San Marcos. In addition, he has served in various faculty and administrative roles at Sonoma State University and Humboldt State University.   Dr. Ayala studies, writes, and speaks about the impact of cultural diversity in K-12 education, policy and legal issues in special education, administrative policy and practice in higher education, and Universal Design for Learning in higher education. Dr. Ayala's professional accomplishments focus on supporting post-secondary students with disabilities. He served as Principle Investigator for EnACT and EnACT~PTD (U.S. Department of Education) and Project Co-Director for Access by Design (National Science Foundation). These federal grants were designed to support professional development activities for faculty and administrators at institutions of higher education with the goal of providing a quality education for postsecondary students with disabilities.

Claire Hughes, PhD

Professor of Elementary and Special Education

College of Coastal Georgia

Dr. Claire E. Hughes is Professor of Elementary and Special Education at the College of Coastal Georgia. Previously, she was Faculty Director of the Special Needs and Inclusion program at Canterbury Christ Church University in England, and a Fulbright Scholar to Greece.  She has served on boards in the National Association for Gifted Children, The Association for the Gifted (CEC-TAG) and Teacher Education Divisions (CEC-TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children.  She is author of numerous books and chapters, and her research areas include: twice-exceptional children- particularly gifted children with autism; positivistic views of exceptionality; and international education.  She is passionate about working with teachers on developing abilities and talents in all children through higher-order thinking, creativity, and mental health interventions.  She lives on St. Simons Island, Georgia with two family members (husband and mother) two twice-exceptional children, two cats, and two dogs.

Juniette Kanga

Parent, Doctoral Student, Consultant

Juniette Kanga is a business professional with over 15 years in marketing, customer engagement programs and market access and customer advocacy.   She recently resigned to focus on raising her children who include neurodiverse individuals and focus on her passion to propel the inclusion of neurodiverse individuals in society.  Juniette did her undergraduate in Art and Design in Kenya.  Some of her design projects included how to increase community engagement in marginalized groups, using art, product design and music education to improve lives of physically and/or cognitively disabled people in Kenya.  She later completed her Masters in Design Management, with a minor in international community development at the University of New South Wales in Australia prior to relocating to the USA and diving into the customer engagement and marketing arena.  She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Cognitive Diversity at Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity and Education.   She is interested in researching ethnically neurodiverse experiences, particularly immigrants families and creating pathways for support.  She currently leads the implementation of some  faith-based education programs to support 3rd culture families in life-stage transitions.  She is interested in using that background to create social connections for neurodivergent families.  She is also interested in gifted and talented and autims education in Africa where there is currently a huge gap.  Ultimately, she focuses her energy on building programs that support enrichment and strength-based parenting and social connections to realize the potential future of neurodiverse and 2e children from all cultures and backgrounds.

Carrie Mitran*

Clinician, Researcher and Behavior Analyst

NeurodiverseTalk

Dr. Carrie Mitran is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Certified Autism Specialist, Behavior Analyst, and published author with a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. Carrie holds a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from NC State and a bachelor’s degree in Business with a focus on International Studies from William Peace University. Her research interests lie in the areas of curriculum development for neurodiverse learners, counselor training, neurodiverse couples counseling, neuropsychology, and family systems. Dr. Mitran has over 16 years of research experience in the field of neurodiversity. Her love for serving neurodivergent individuals and couples began from her work in the tech industry and stems from her life with dyslexia and experiences being in a neurodivergent relationship. She is passionate about helping individuals find their voice, understanding systems, patterns, and discovering cultural barriers.

Christine Ahn 

Hello! I’m a senior at West High School in Torrance, California. I got interested in neurodiversity because I have met people and I am friends with people who are neurodiverse and I wanted to understand them better. I’m also interested in how the brain works and how people process certain things. In my free time, I like to play games and listen to music. I am so excited to be a part of this program!

Rayyan Ali

Hello! My name is Rayyan Ali, and I am a senior attending Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, California. My interest in neurodiversity first developed because my classmates were being judged because they had ADHD or dyslexia, which upset me. I wanted to make a change. Encounters like these in the class came to show me that some people have trouble accepting neurodiverse people in our communities. I saw firsthand how neurodiverse individuals were being considered different rather than individuals with unique strengths. It is our job to spread awareness about neurodiversity. By working alongside everyone on the Stanford Neurodiversity Project, I have been able to take what I’ve learned from this program and implement the idea of neurodiversity in my community by implementing strength-based learning accommodations and activities in classrooms at my school. With the opportunity to work with professors from Stanford, Cornell, and Virginia Commonwealth University, we are collaborating and implementing neurodiversity staff/faculty training at Evergreen Valley High School. In the future, we hope to expand our group's accommodations and activities to other schools, including elementary and middle schools, where we can help inform young individuals about how everyone's brain is wired differently!

Katie Chung

Katie is a high school senior attending South High School in Torrance, California. She is a writer, runner, musician, and neurodiversity advocate. In collaboration with other passionate teens, she created a children's book, Arlo and Papa, that works to educate children on self advocacy and allyship. Being bilingual, she hopes to become a speech pathologist one day in order to help other English learners. She hopes to major in cognitive science.

Audrey Edwards 

Audrey Edwards is a Tech student and IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma candidate at Troy High School in Fullerton, California, class of 2023. Audrey participated in SNP-REACH (Stanford Neurodiversity Project - Research, Education, and Advocacy Camp for High Schoolers) during the summer of 2021. She is a part of Neurodiversity Writers, a team that published a children’s e-book: Arlo And Papa: A Tale of Embracing Neurodiversity (available on Amazon). Since then, they have presented their progress at NNEA (Network for K-12 Neurodiversity Education and Advocacy) and have plans to expand their reach in the future. Audrey also started a club at her school that aims to spread awareness for neurodiversity within her district. She is excited to participate in the seminar and learn how to advocate for neurodiversity inclusion in her community.

Meghana Gunturi 

Meghana Gunturi is a sophomore at Troy High School in Orange County, California. She is the co-founder of a Neurodiversity advocacy project which raises awareness through social media and podcasts. She is also a co-founder of her high school Neurodiversity club. Her interest in neurodiversity stemmed from a Neuroanatomy summer course at UCI she had done the previous year, in which she learned that our over-reliance on standardized medical approaches for neurodiverse individuals harmfully affects the development of neurodiversity. She was a participant in the Stanford Neurodiversity Project this summer. Her goal is to influence governmental and educational policies to raise awareness of neurodivergent needs in public places.

Tianna Huang

Tianna is a high school senior who participated in the 2021 SNP Reach Summer Camp Cohort. She is in group D which is in charge of creating a children’s book that will help educate people about the stigmas that the neurodiverse community face. She contributed by conceptualizing the illustrations, creating a website for the book, and also communicating with local elementary schools that would be interested in adding the book into their curriculum. She has a neurodiverse brother and hopes that through her efforts, people like her brother will be able to live without judgement from neurotypical adults and youth.

Joshua Kao

Zeynep Karatas 

Zeynep Karatas is a senior at Northwood High School. After taking part in the 2021 SNP Reach cohort, she is now developing the Integrated Strength-Based Learning project with her fellow group members, a comprehensive teaching model that focuses on utilizing neurodiverse individuals’ potential to the fullest through a more inclusive classroom along with physical and learning accommodations. Along with her educational work and ongoing projects, she is the Managing Editor for her school yearbook and the Co-founder of IHO.

Katelyn Liu 

Katelyn Liu is currently a junior at Whitney High School, ranked top in California. She finds her time spent with children to be the most valuable, hence her found passion in writing childrens' books with her amazing team, Neurodiversity Writers! Primarily an illustrator, she works hand in hand with the writers to develop heartwarming stories that are aimed to destigmatize neurodiversity from a young age. Most of all, she is incredibly excited to be able to share her team's work with like-minded individuals at the 2021 Summit!

Benjamin Loong

I primarily work on the @Stand4Neurodiversity Instagram account to highlight Neurodiverse individuals within our communities. Our goal is to advocate for Neurodiversity and form friendly and educated communities through our informative posts by maintaining an online presence. We also bolster similar accounts and organizations that support Neurodiversity, through collaborations and promotions. I specifically focus on the stories and highlights to engage with our supporters and assist on our posts and podcasts on In Another’s View.

Chloé Lukac 

Sophia Marogi

Hi everyone! My name is Sophia and I’m a sophomore at Enochs high school. My interest in neurodiversity stems from my interactions with neurodiverse people who have all been pretty cool! This summer, I got to work with other students at SNP REACH and create a curriculum that caters to the needs of neurodiverse students. I’m really excited about it, and I hope you are all too!

Isha Moorjani

Isha Moorjani is a junior at The Harker School in San Jose, California. She is a member of the Network for Neurodiversity Education and Advocacy (NNEA) core committee, and she also attended SNP-REACH this past summer, where she worked with her group members to create a childrens’ book about embracing neurodiversity. She has also been a member of the Neurodiversity Committee at her school for a year, and she participated in many events and powerful discussions surrounding neurodiversity. Isha believes in the importance of spreading more awareness of neurodiversity and making our communities and education systems more inclusive for neurodiverse individuals. Awareness of neurodiversity in schools is critically important, so students can flourish in inclusive environments and learn in ways that work for them. She hopes to make change in schools through workshops for teachers and students, as well as through providing resources on neurodiversity.

Rahul Mulpuri 

Arushi Munjal 

Dhruv Patel 

Hassan Samiullah

Hassan credits his identity and upbringing as being the origins of his passion for sharing unconventional ideas. Skills he developed from learning the Quran translate to his ability to see patterns in scientific concepts, which help in studying topics spanning from racial bias in pediatric care to stem cell interactions in glioblastoma tumors. His ability to analyze information and share it in unique ways translates to his activities in his school's Muslim Student Association, which focuses on helping fellow students see the benefits of collective pursuits. Hassan also demonstrates altruistic values through his work with the special education buddy club. Friendships he’s made with special needs students made him empathize with their need for their unique strengths to be embraced rather than their “disabilities”. As part of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project’s REACH program, Hassan and his team members focused on challenging traditional definitions of inclusion by working to implement universally designed accommodations and collaborative activities into multiple schools, hoping to make tangible progress towards strengths-based learning environments. In the future, Hassan wants to continue using his scientific and leadership skills to help promote social progress. In his free time, Hassan gets energy from watching NBA games with his family.

Saesha Sharda 

Hi! I'm a current sophomore, and I can't wait to speak about our projects at the summit!

Rishi Upadhyay

Rishi Upadhyay is a sophomore at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento, California. He is the founder of Bridged Learning, a free virtual neurodiverse tutoring website that has tutors effectively communicate and help neurodiverse students academically succeed by utilizing the strengths based model. Rishi is the founder and President of the Mira Loma High School Neurodiversity Club, which aims to spread awareness about neurodiversity and teach about Autism, Dyslexia, ADHD. He actively works in his school district to integrate strengths based learning curriculum into classes and programs to further help neurodiverse students be accommodated for, and serves as a member on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council for San Juan Unified School District. Rishi is a proficient pianist who has played for over ten years. He often performs musical compositions for individuals in local retirement, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Rishi writes pieces and has served as an editor for the school newspaper, Mira Loma Today.

Adrian Vahamaki

Alicia Zhi