Speakers and panelists:

Setting the Stage: Fiscal and Economic Context and Importance of Interagency Coordination

  • Allan Bergman

    Allan Bergman is the President & CEO of HIGH IMPACT, a national consulting and training firm he established in 2010. Prior to beginning HIGH IMPACT, Allan served as the President & CEO of Anixter Center in Chicago, a community agency supporting more than 5,000 individuals living with disabilities and employing over 400 staff. His earlier positions in Washington, DC included President & CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America, and leadership roles with United Cerebral Palsy Associations.

    Subject Matter Expert, Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program

Vision Quest: Policy Development through Coordination from Multiple State Agencies

  • David Mitchell

    David Mitchell is the Administrator of Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and serves as the Core State Lead for Iowa's Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program. Prior to serving as Administrator, he served with the agency as an Assistant Bureau Chief, Administrative Consultant, and Supervisor. David has worked in rehabilitation services in Central Iowa for more than thirty years in both the public and private sectors serving as a community services administrator, rehabilitation consultant, branch manager and vocational rehabilitation counselor.

    Administrator, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services

  • Tania Morawiec

    Tania Morawiec is the Illinois Department of Human Services' Statewide Employment First Manager. Tania has experience working with Customized Employment and Individualized Placement and Supports. Her workforce development experience spans 15 years and includes employer outreach and education, assessment, placement and coaching for individuals with mental health diagnoses, TBI, developmental disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder and histories of justice system involvement. She manages the Illinois Employment First State Leadership Mentorship Program.

    Employment First Manager, Illinois Department of Human Services

Tennessee: A Case Study of Interagency Coordination

  • Doug Crandell

    Doug Crandell has managed, staffed and directed community mental health and disability programs at the provider level for 25 years, providing customized and evidence-based practices to people with disabilities and mental illness and their employers. Doug works as a Senior Consultant with Griffin-Hammis Associates, and serves as an SME for EFSLMP. In addition, he is on the faculty of the Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia. An author, Doug has published seven books, all of which focus on disability and mental illness.

    Subject Matter Expert, Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program

  • Jeremy Norden-Paul

    Jeremy Norden-Paul is the State Director of Employment and Day Services for the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. In this role, he leads initiatives to increase employment opportunities for Tennesseans with disabilities, including serving as co-chair of the Employment First Task Force and Core State Lead for EFSLMP. Jeremy has previously been a special education teacher, job coach, job developer, and program director. He lives in Nashville with his wife and daughter.

    State Director of Employment and Day Services, Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

  • Sharyn Hancock

    Sharyn Hancock is a Certified Workforce Development Professional, Certified Employment Support Specialist, and Certified Work Incentive Practitioner with over 22 years experience in the specialty of Workforce Development, and over eight years experience in managing two successful Ticket to Work programs. As the Disability Resource Coordinator managing the Ticket to Work Program for a nine county American Job Center System in middle TN, Sharyn consistently meets all company expectations for servicing turnaround time in both face-to-face and written interactions. She also serves as an SME for EFSLMP.

    Disability Resource Coordinator, Workforce Essentials (AJC in Tennessee)

After this presentation, attendees should better understand:

  1. Tennessee's path to interagency coordination: the successes and the challenges
  2. The Vision Quest Guide: What it is, and how and why it can be useful