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DTSTART:20260812T193000Z
DTEND:20260812T210000Z
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SUMMARY:ERG Council: Neurodiversity\, Accessibility\, and LGBTQ+ Employee Communities
DESCRIPTION:LGBTQ+ employees often experience workplace challenges that include discrimination\, identity concealment\, isolation\, sensory and communication barriers\, and limited access to advancement opportunities. These are often shared experiences with employees with disabilities. When LGBTQ+ identity\, disability\, and neurodivergence intersect\, traditional engagement efforts may miss the compounded impact on belonging\, psychological safety\, mental health\, and retention.\n\nThrough live polling\, brief presentations\, case-based reflection\, and small-group discussion\, participants will examine common barriers\, identify ways ERG programs and communications can become more accessible\, and develop practical strategies that can be implemented immediately. Topics will include inclusive language\, psychologically safer participation options\, accessible event design\, cross-ERG collaboration\, executive sponsor engagement\, and ways to support employees who may never disclose their identities at work.\n\n\n\n \n\n\nSpeaker Bios \n\n\n\nTiffany Jones (she/her) serves as the Community Employment Coordinator for Portage County Developmental Disabilities\, where she leads the Portage County Employment Collaborative\, a multi-partner initiative focused on building inclusive hiring pipelines and strengthening relationships between employers and job seekers with disabilities. She brings more than twenty-five years of experience\, primarily in the developmental disabilities field\, along with several years in human resources and employment-focused roles that deepen her understanding of workplace systems\, talent development\, and organizational culture. \n\n\n\nTiffany is the Vice President of the Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Readiness Chairperson for Portage County SHRM. In these roles\, she collaborates with businesses across Northeast Ohio to expand workforce participation\, support inclusive hiring practices\, and help organizations build environments where employees with diverse identities and communication styles can thrive. \n\n\n\nCurrently pursuing her Master of Public Administration at Kent State University\, Tiffany's research examines the intersection of LGBTQ identity and autism in workplace settings. Her work combines literature review\, employer survey data\, and applied systems knowledge to identify gaps in organizational awareness and guide ERG leaders\, HR professionals\, and employers in advancing practical\, intersectional inclusion strategies. Tiffany also lives at the intersection of neurodivergence and LGBTQ identity\, which informs her commitment to helping organizations design workplaces that recognize a wide range of human experiences. Her presentations are grounded in research\, data\, and evidence-based best practices.\n\n\n\nDr. Amber C. Gibbs (she/her) As Superintendent and CEO of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Cuyahoga DD)\, Dr. Amber C. Gibbs and her team support more than 15\,000 Cuyahoga County residents with developmental disabilities and their families each year to live\, learn\, work\, and play in the community.\n\n\n\nGibbs worked in mental health before moving into direct care\, supporting people with DD at an agency provider before joining Cuyahoga DD in 2008. She served in a variety of supervisory and leadership roles before becoming Superintendent and CEO in 2023.\n\n\n\nGibbs serves on the board of directors of Community Fund Ohio\, a nonprofit organization that serves as a Trust Advisor for people with disabilities throughout the state. A native Cleveland resident\, she is an active volunteer in the community and has served on various nonprofit boards and as a certified foster parent. Gibbs is active in the Beaumont Parents' Club and is a member of the Wittenberg University Alumni Board.\n\n\n\nGibbs holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wittenberg University\, a master's \n\ndegree in social science and psychology from the University of Chicago\, and a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of Dayton. She lives in Cleveland with her husband and three daughters.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:LGBTQ+ \;employees often experience workplace challenges that include discrimination\, identity concealment\, isolation\, sensory and communication barriers\, and limited access to advancement opportunities. These are often shared experiences with employees with disabilities. When LGBTQ+ identity\, disability\, and neurodivergence intersect\, traditional engagement \;efforts may miss the compounded impact on belonging\, psychological safety\, mental health\, and retention.
\n\nThrough live polling\, brief presentations\, case-based reflection\, and small-group discussion\, participants will examine common barriers\, identify ways ERG programs and communications can become more accessible\, and develop practical strategies that can be implemented immediately. Topics will include inclusive language\, psychologically safer participation options\, accessible event design\, cross-ERG collaboration\, executive sponsor engagement\, and ways to support employees who may never disclose their identities at work.
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Tiffany Jones (she/her) serves as the Community Employment Coordinator for Portage County Developmental Disabilities\, where she leads the Portage County Employment Collaborative\, a multi-partner initiative focused on building inclusive hiring pipelines and strengthening relationships between employers and job seekers with disabilities. She brings more than twenty-five years of experience\, primarily in the developmental disabilities field\, along with several years in human resources and employment-focused roles that deepen her understanding of workplace systems\, talent development\, and organizational culture. \;
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Tiffany is the Vice President of the Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Readiness Chairperson for Portage County SHRM. In these roles\, she collaborates with businesses across Northeast Ohio to expand workforce participation\, support inclusive hiring practices\, and help organizations build environments where employees with diverse identities and communication styles can thrive. \;
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Currently pursuing her Master of Public Administration at Kent State University\, Tiffany&rsquo\;s research examines the intersection of LGBTQ identity and autism in workplace settings. Her work combines literature review\, employer survey data\, and applied systems knowledge to identify gaps in organizational awareness and guide ERG leaders\, HR professionals\, and employers in advancing practical\, intersectional inclusion strategies. Tiffany also lives at the intersection of neurodivergence and LGBTQ identity\, which informs her commitment to helping organizations design workplaces that recognize a wide range of human experiences. Her presentations are grounded in research\, data\, and evidence-based best practices.
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\nDr. Amber C. Gibbs \;(she/her) \;As Superintendent and CEO of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities \;(Cuyahoga DD)\, Dr. Amber C. Gibbs and her team support more than 15\,000 Cuyahoga \;County residents with developmental disabilities and their families each year to live\, learn\, \;work\, and play in the community.
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\nGibbs worked in mental health before moving into direct care\, supporting people with DD at \;an agency provider before joining Cuyahoga DD in 2008. She served in a variety of \;supervisory and leadership roles before becoming Superintendent and CEO in 2023.
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\nGibbs serves on the board of directors of Community Fund Ohio\, a nonprofit organization \;that serves as a Trust Advisor for people with disabilities throughout the state. A native \;Cleveland resident\, she is an active volunteer in the community and has served on various \;nonprofit boards and as a certified foster parent. Gibbs is active in the Beaumont Parents&rsquo\; \;Club and is a member of the Wittenberg University Alumni Board.
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\nGibbs holds a bachelor&rsquo\;s degree in psychology from Wittenberg University\, a master&rsquo\;s \;
\ndegree in social science and psychology from the University of Chicago\, and a doctorate in \;organizational leadership from the University of Dayton. She lives in Cleveland with her \;husband and three daughters.
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