Description

An Economy Not Made For Us: The Need for Disability-Inclusive Employment in Michigan

Presenters:
Dr. Colleen Allen is the President and CEO of the Autism Alliance of Michigan. She was appointed by Governor Snyder as the inaugural Chair of the MI Autism Council, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services in 2012, and in 2017, to the state Developmental Disability Council. She was also appointed to the Mayor Duggan?s Detroit Workforce Board in 2015 and is a member of Leadership Detroit (XXXVIII).  She sits on several professional and non-profit boards, including; the Michigan Association of Rehabilitation Organizations, the Michigan School of Psychology, the Roeper School, and the advisory board of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts. Dr. Allen is the founder and was Director of Henry Ford Health System?s (HFHS) Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities until 2012. In her role as President and CEO of the Autism Alliance, Dr. Allen has spent the past eight years engaged in advocacy, programming, and trainings for families and service providers to improve access to critical services and supports and employment opportunities for adults with autism and related disabilities. Dr. Allen received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, her M.S. in Speech/Language Pathology from Boston University, and her Ph.D. from Wayne State University.

Mr. Logan Hunter is employed as a Design Engineer at Skilled Manufacturing Inc. in Traverse City.  His everyday tasks involve assisting Skilled Manufacturing in the design and implementation of new assembly equipment used to construct components for the automobile industry. Mr. Hunter participated in the Upbound at Work program over two years ago, which allowed him to find successful employment in his current field. In response to this assistance, he has volunteered his time with Upbound at Work by participating in charity events and interviews. He hopes that, through his efforts, more people who are on the spectrum, and with other disabilities, will be helped and have an increased chance of successful job placement. Mr. Hunter received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in Spring 2018, and became associated with the Upbound at Work program in the Fall/Winter of that same year.

Noel R. Baril is a Human Resources Consultant supporting AAoM?s employment processes focused on achievement of the organization?s ?Moonshot? hiring objectives. Highly experienced in all domains of Human Resources practice, Noel brings more than 35 years of experience in health care, industry/manufacturing and community leadership, having held executive-level roles at Henry Ford Health System, Chrysler Corporation/DaimlerChrysler/Fiat Chrysler and several not-for-profit organizations.  His prior community leadership roles include president of the Board of Directors of Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center in Ferndale, Michigan, gubernatorial appointee to the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and member of the Living Cities Governance Council in affiliation with Midtown Detroit Incorporated.  Noel holds a Bachelor?s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, a Master?s degree in Industrial Relations from Wayne State University, Detroit, and is a graduate of the Executive Management Development Program from the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.  Noel holds a Certified Executive Coach designation from the Center for Executive Coaching (centerforexeuctivecoaching.com) and anticipates an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) designation from the International Coach Federation (ICF)(Coachfederation.org) in early 2021.

Mikhail Filipovitch is the Employment Program Coordinator with the Autism Alliance of Michigan (Upbound at Work), connecting individuals with disabilities to employment and creating inclusive hiring pilots with like-minded employers. Mikhail also serves as the Employment Navigator for job seekers, identifying barriers to employment and connecting them with public/private services that address their individual needs.  Prior to joining the Autism Alliance of Michigan in 2018, Mikhail held research and practitioner roles with International Paper, Michigan State University, and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.  His expertise in human resources management, diversity/inclusion, and labor relations is supplemented with a passion to create a more inclusive economy for traditionally marginalized individuals. Mikhail earned his master?s degree in human resources and labor relations and his bachelor?s degree in history from Michigan State University, where he subsequently completed certification programs in workers? compensation, industrial safety, and collective bargaining. His coauthored research on new forms of worker assembly has been published in the Journal of Industrial Relations. 

Panelists:

Mike Groleau, RJG
Rob Hanel, Tentcraft
Jerry Warren, SMI
Patrick Crego, SMI