Bender/Coelho Disability Leadership Initiative

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, I am going to have a very special dynamic host that will be interviewing me today. And before that happens, I just want to thank all of you, uh, for a million notes and texts and everything that has gone on with the loss of Mary Brocker. But I'm back and ready to go. And as I said, we have a very well-known national disability rights leader, superstar, one of the people I love so much, Laura Randa. Welcome as the host of the show.

Joyce, I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting your amazing, impactful show today. Thank you so much for having me. I also want to thank Highmark for being the lead sponsor for so many years. We have a jam-packed schedule today, so I want to just get us started. I think one of the things we'll do is we'll kick it over back to Joyce, and we're going to talk about this very, very special agenda we have today that is going to kick off and launch a very special initiative in honor of Mary. Joyce?

Yes, thank you very much. Well, uh, as I mentioned, I lost my best friend and the president and a well-known mental health advocate to all of you here and internationally that really was— broke my heart, uh, Mary Brocker. But to honor Mary and all the work she has done prior to this, not only with me but with Tony, I want to put this initiative in her honor because this initiative, the Benderkuelo Initiative, is Historic, historic, and so much of Tony's work over the years has led to this, and I love him so much. Uh, we've known each other for a very long time, like 1996. He's like my brother. What an honor to be with someone as Tony. I always say he's my mentor, I'm his tormentor. So, Laura, I'll turn it back over to you.

Wow. You know, it is actually my honor to be in the presence of both of you, such amazing legacies, and that have made such an impact historically. And you referenced Tony's history and the amazing amount of success that we've had in this big movement. So, before we take a view of what is entailed in the future, Toni, can you kind of walk us through what has been done with the history of the American Disability Act, the movement, the big bipartisan engagement that you've led for many of these years?

Hey, Laura, may I just interrupt you one minute to say that the Bender-Cuello Initiative is to get people with disabilities on corporate boards. As they are not. So sorry for interrupting, but I just wanted to make that clear. Go ahead, Laura.

Great. I, I think Joyce, you completely outlined exactly what we are going to spend so much of our time talking about with the Bender Coelho Initiative going forward, that we know that impactful, the way that we do that is inclusive, and we want to focus on boards. But what got us here? Tony, can you kind of give us a little, you know, a quick version of all the work that you've done in 31 years, please?

Thank you, Laura. I appreciate that. I'll try. And thank you, Joyce Bender, for your kind, kind comments. I think that basically I'm the tormentor, but that's okay. The ADA was something that where Democrats and Republicans came together. You had people on the Republican side like Bob Dole, who had a disability, and then you had Ted Kennedy with a family history of disability. You had Tom Harkin with a brother with a disability. And then you had Orrin Hatch, a Republican with tremendous support as a leading— leader in the Mormon Church, and the Mormon Church, big advocates for those of of us with disabilities. So, on the Senate side, you had this great bipartisan movement that helped make it happen. On the House side, when I introduced it, I had ended up with 58 different co-sponsors, Democrats and Republicans, people who didn't pay attention to party, individuals who— members of Congress who came up to me and said, "Tony, I don't like the way my mother, my father, my sister, my brother, my next-door neighbor are treated because of their disability, and I want to go on your bill." And so, the Congress ended up, and then we came back in the next Congress, and then we got over 200 people as co-sponsors. And that tells you that not always is everything as partisan as it is today. There was tremendous successes in the past with, you know, something like with Tip O'Neill and President Reagan. They argued all day long on different issues, attacked each other.. And then at night they'd get together for a drink and work out compromises. The same thing that I did several times with Bob Dole, Republican leader in the Senate, and me as one of the chairs of an agriculture committee. We would get together and we'd work out a compromise. So, the ADA was an example of how the Congress can work together and we created a piece of legislation that impacts over 60 million people, but also has become a symbol for worldwide, in that over 50 countries have adopted a form of the ADA. So, people today say we can never do anything, partisan, my God, it's the worst it's ever been. I will tell you, back when I was in the Congress and so forth, it was partisan as heck.. We argued and so forth. The only difference is that after arguing, we got together and worked out compromises. There is some of that that's going on right now, and I hope it continues and develops. But the ADA was a good example of us continuously working together. There was, you know, disagreements and so forth, but it all worked. And as a result of that, we've got a law that— is tremendous help to the disability community. And since then, Laura, I won't go over 30 years, but there's been a lot that has happened in regards to the ADA Amendments Act and then several things that we've done with the administrations, Clinton and Obama and Papa Bush and George W. and of course Biden now. And so there's a way to work things out and it's been exciting.

Absolutely amazing, Tony. I think as a mother of somebody that faces a disability, a sister with my brother having a warfare disability, And being a member of the AAPD board, I know the amazing impact of all the work that you led for many of these years. And I am thrilled that you and Joyce are ready and taking the challenge of the next phase of this. And as Joyce highlighted, the Bender Kuelow new initiative is going to focus on how do we change the workplace? How do we become more inclusion? We know that it is more successful with companies. There's more revenue generation. There's more happiness and satisfaction, and companies are more successful when we're inclusive. And how do we do that? I know that it comes from the top, and we have to have that vision, that strategic direction that our companies need to be inclusive. So I am so thrilled that this is the work that you're going to tackle. And you guys— both of you, this is the perfect opportunity for all the years that you've been working on. This is the perfect opportunity where all your experience is wrapped up in a bow and it's ready for this next challenge. So couldn't be more exciting. I know that we've got several people that are going to be calling in. I don't know. Joyce Bender. Do we have people that are already called in yet, or should we continue the conversation?

I think someone will be calling in in a minute. I just wanted to add one comment. I just wanted to say that Tony has always told me that the day we have board members, I mean, people with disabilities as board members, is when it would really change employment, because that, that person speaks up, as you'll be hearing later, that Tony does. And Tony, do you agree with that?

Yeah, I do, Joyce. I've been on several corporate boards over the years, and what I brought to the table all the time was acknowledgement that people with disabilities can do most of the jobs that these companies are handling or dealing with. And I also point out all the time that a lot of the clients of these public companies are people with disabilities. And so the companies need to do outreach, need to be accessible, and so forth. But a person with disability brings to the table that discussion. It's no different than getting people of color and getting women on corporate boards. And I can tell you my personal experience, once women have gotten on the boards that I've been on, they change the dialogue of the meetings and bring a different perspective to the decision-making. After all, women are purchasers of the commodities. Women are involved in the products that these companies make or are involved in. And so they bring a perspective to the table. Now, same thing with those of us in the disability community. We bring a different perspective to the company through the board. We can be very helpful and beneficial. So my personal experience is that that is the case.

Well, we have a caller on the line. Right now that I am so sure can add so much to this, and that I am so honored to have her calling in. Doro Bush Cook, are you on the line?

Yes. Hi, hi Joyce, hi Tony.

Hi Doro, great to have you.

Oh, I always love to hear you, Doro, always.

Well, it's good to talk to you all, and I, I absolutely I absolutely love what you're talking about today because I think it's so important to get people with disabilities on corporate boards because of the impact they would have in employment. And I just, I think it's awesome.

And I would have to say, how would your father feel about that, Doro?

Well, I think he would love to see how You know, the ADA is expanding and growing and making an impact, and I think he would be very, very proud of this initiative and proud of what you do at Bender Consulting. And of course, he loved Tony, and so I think he would think it was very cool.

Yes, I was thinking about this. I was thinking about this, and Tony, go first, Tony. What comments would you like to make about Papa Bush?

Well, I was just thinking, Doro, that your dad has made the statements that one of his great accomplishments as President of the United States was signing the ADA and his involvement. We wouldn't have an ADA if it weren't for, as I lovingly call him Papa Bush. Um, and so, you know, we are always so grateful to him and his support. And he understood disability, of course, and he would be extremely supportive every time we had a problem. And we had a problem with the ADA Amendments Act, and, and your dad made a call to your brother's White House and said how important it was to him to get the ADA Amendments Act through. But he was constantly always there helping. So, as you know, I've loved him for so long, and he was so helpful to us.

Yeah, and I just want to mention one other thing. Oh, go ahead, Laura. Go ahead, Doro.

No, no, no, I just was going to say, I mean, I wish he were alive to experience this. So, and thank you for that, Tony.

Uh, you know what, I just want to mention one thing I'd say, Joyce, is that one time when, when Doro's daughter was getting married, uh, he was at Guinea Bunkboard and I happened to be there, and he was rolling out of the house into the tent where the wedding was taking place. And so as he came in, a lot of people were around him and, and I walked up to him, he saw me, and he reached out and, and we hugged each other. And he said, "Just think, I signed it and now I use it." Um, and for those of you who don't know, Papa Bush was in a wheelchair at that point. And that was— I, I just, I loved his comment though, uh, about sign it, now use it. That's true with so many people. That don't have a disability that they may end up with a disability like your dad did.

Yeah, right.

So true.

I was just going to say before you go, Dora, one of the thrills of my lifetime is when I told Dora, is there any way I could meet your father? And she rearranged for me to meet him at Northrop Grumman. And Doro and Tony both know I'm an emotional person, but soon as I went up to shake his hand, right then all I could think of was the millions and millions of people with disabilities who, because of him, have access, you know, in housing, transportation, captioning, can't ask if they have a disability on an interview. I mean, I could go on and on, so many things. Of course, you know, I started crying as soon as I met him, and I knew that would probably happen, but I will never forget you did that for me, Doro.

Oh, well, I'm so happy that you could have a chance to meet him, and, um, we really miss him, and, um, I'm just so proud of all the accomplishments in his life, of which the ADA was one of his very top accomplishments, and he said it all the time. Yeah, and how ironic that he had his last, I don't know how many years, in a wheelchair, but was proud of it. You know, he wasn't afraid to go out and be in public and, you know, just encourage others to live their lives and, you know, be proud of who they are. And so, anyway, I just think it's terrific what you all are doing and how cool to do this work with corporate boards and what a difference that's going to make.

Yes, it is. Well, you don't know how much I appreciate you calling in. Just so everyone knows, she has carried on her father's legacy. She's on my advisory board, but she fights the fight for people with disabilities all the time. So I just want everyone to know that.

And I was just gonna jump in on this, Dora. Thank you so much for joining our show today. But I do think it's very important that, you know, all our parents give us a lot of, you know, legacy and like you become who we are, right? But I am so excited and I'm sure your father is looking down and saying, wow, you know, I made an impact. But if my legacy continues on through my daughter and all the work that she's doing, wow, what an amazing thing that I can do. If I can do it, that's great. But if I can teach it and share it with my family, Wow, what an impressive, impressive legacy. So congratulations to all the work that you're doing, and I'm just so thrilled that the collaboration that we're highlighting today is really gonna talk about taking this to the next level that is a building block from all your father's work.

Well, congratulations to you for all your good work, and thank you for doing it, and thank you to Joyce Bender Joyce Bender and Tony Robbins as well, who are, you know, just constantly out there fighting the good fight too. So thanks a lot, and I'm so happy to be on your show.

Thanks for calling in. Love you, Dora.

Talk to you soon. Love you guys too.

Bye-bye. Wow, amazing. I think bipartisan continues. Right? I think, I think that the more, I think that we've had opportunities to take a pause during COVID We've really had an opportunity to say what really matters. What really matters is that we are inclusive, that we create workplaces that really allow us to be successful as organizations. And we have happy, you know, employees and that we're able to keep high talent and to really give them what they need every day at the workplace. So excited, Joyce and Tony, that you're doing this. I think before our next guest joins, maybe both of you can share, Joyce or Tony, how, what is your vision of how this will roll out? What will step phase 1 look like that will, you know, right now this is about education and awareness that we're announcing today. Our wonderful, wonderful initiative. But what will be the next part of this Phase 1 work?

Tony, I'll turn that over to you.

Okay, thank you, Joyce. Obviously, the thing is to get our— the first company that's willing to recruit, get Joyce and the team to help recruit, to get a person with a disability on their board. So, it'll take some education of a company that will take advantage of this, and we can give them somebody who would be a very qualified board member who happens to have a disability. I don't want people to think that you're putting somebody on the board only because they have a disability. I'm not— I don't think that is fair. For our community or for the individual. But it obviously is looking for a person who has the right talents to be on a corporate board of whatever company that comes forth. And then we get them that person with those talents, and that person happens to have a disability. That's what happened— has happened in my case.. And that's what should happen for any diversity that a corporate board goes after, be it person of color, women, and of course those of us with disabilities. So that's how it has to start, is getting a company to come on board, and we'll be pursuing that with the help of Chris Griffin, who's part of the Bender team. Joyce Bender trying to get that first company on board. And I think that once that starts, it's just going to take an effort to convince these companies to come forth. And once people realize just how impactful that individual will be, then you're going to have more and more companies include us. And the other thing is, is that corporate America now has gone through the effort of making sure that women are on their corporate boards, people of color, and now hopefully they'll understand that to be truly diversified, you should have also a person with a disability with the right qualities for your company.

So all those listeners, there's the challenge. Many of you work at lots of companies. Many of you have the opportunity to say, hey, let's raise our hand. We need a board member. Joyce, you have been involved in so many executive searches with Bender Consulting. Why don't you share a little bit before we go to our next guest, if you could, how you'll approach once that company raises their hand and we move into phase 2. How do you plan on working with that company to do just what Tony said? We're gonna find that rockstar board member that brings value, immediate value, action, strategic governance, all the amazing things that you can bring to the organization. Can you share a little bit more insights around that?

Yes, and I just wanna say that I so agree with what Tony said. You know, that has always been As he knows, the way I've operated, no pity. You know, when you place people with a disability, you know, the company is coming to you saying, "This is what I need." They aren't saying, "Oh, just send someone." Same thing with the board. I would meet with the chair of the board and the head of governance. I would find out about the culture of the company, what has worked, what hasn't worked in the past, you know, where they feel they have a deficit or what they specifically are needing right now. I would have them outline that. I have, fortunately, a database of people from former CEOs to people that work for venture capitalists with disabilities. And I want to add to that, Laura, intersectionality. It doesn't matter if you're female or person of color. Disability does not discriminate. So, you can bring aboard a woman, a person of color, in addition, they have a disability. So, I just want to point that out. But I think what is absolutely critical is to meet with the chair or the head of governance and be certain that the person you bring in is going to help them with a return on investment. And I think we have a superstar on the line that I admire so much that, that can add a lot to what you're asking about. He is the chair of SCI, a great company. He is a great leader in this company. Tom Ryan, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much for that kind introduction, and I'm excited to be on the show and to share some thoughts and ideas around people with disabilities and the contributions they can make to corporate America.

Well, that coming from you and your very successful corporation is powerful. It's one thing if we talk about it, but when it's the chair and CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation it even means more. So take it away, Tom. What would you say? And again, this is Tom Ryan, one of the best CEOs in America, very ethical, just a great leader, but also a great businessman. So maybe you could share, um, or Laura, I could turn it over to you because I know you have some questions for Tom.

So Tom, welcome to the show. I am absolutely thrilled I've had the opportunity to talk to Tony and hear some of the amazing things that you're leading the organization in. But I think what I would like to hear, what the audience would love to hear is, you know, what are your strategic imperatives? How do you think about board organization and organization what has been impactful as you've actually built your board and especially focused on disability inclusion? It would be wonderful to share any insights with the audience.

Thank you, Laura, and appreciate you having me on the show. And yeah, it's really exciting. And when you think about SCI, we're really focused on helping people at one of the hardest moments of their life, right? I mean, most of the time you're dealing with the expectation of death, the aftermath of death. And so we have very, very sensitive consumers, and we want to serve as many of them as we can and in the most, uh, you know, effective way that we possibly can and help them through the healing. And there's so much, you know, emotion and tradition when you think about death. You know, it's a very diversified subject when you think about religious backgrounds, when you think about ethnicities. And the different traditions that drive what we do. So I think more importantly than maybe even other companies, we're very, very focused on understanding the differences of opinion, the perspectives, diversities of opinion, and inclusion. And so with this in mind, we had a, I think, a very powerful board. We've had a lot of success. And beginning around 2015 and '16, And really, you know, at the urging of my good friend Tony Coelho, who I've, you know, had the privilege of working side by side with over the last 20 years, we really began a push in searching for more diverse opinions and having a more, you know, inclusive environment at SCI. And so over the last, you know, I'd say 5 years, we have diversified our board with 30% gender diversity with 3 new women coming on the board. We're also at 30% when you think about percentages of people of color. And also, you know, again, because of having Tony on the board, we've had for a long time a perspective of somebody that comes from, you know, the disability community, and that's Tony himself. And what Tony's really pointed us to over time, and why I think it really ties into corporate behavior, Tony early on pushed us towards accessibility through technology for the community of people with disabilities. And so with that, not only did it, I think, do the right thing to give accessibility, but it actually opened up markets for our company because we began to think differently about who are our customers and what are those specific needs that we can supply and more competitively participate in the markets that we participate in. Additionally, it opened us up to employment opportunities for employing people with disabilities and understanding those wants and needs. And I really think there's no better perspective when you think about the push today around inclusion and diversity. I think having someone with disabilities, they've been dealing with these issues for such a long time. And so it isn't just the people with disabilities community. I think they really have an ear and a perspective that says, here's what we're not listening to. And again, when you get back to building cultures, and such an important thing in companies today, uh, it's, it's just such an important part of building a great culture, building a great company, serving our community. So I can't think of a better perspective to add to boards today, and it's one that's just not talked about enough. There's a lot of gender diversity talk. There's a lot of people of color, but I think people with disabilities bring a very unique perspective and a very inclusive perspective.

Tom, I couldn't agree with you more. You know, I've been in pharma and biotech for for over 25 years, and, you know, I think that inclusion, the more inclusive we are, the more, the more that we're seeing such a, you know, a more successful model. You address so many things, benefits, employment, strategy, our go-to-market plans, inclusion and diversity, how people feel, the culture. You've come so far, you've been a leader in this area. Congratulations. What would you suggest for a company just thinking about this now? What advice would you give them if they're just starting out thinking about this?

Well, think again.

I think it's seeking out opinions and people, you know, take Joyce as an example. What a great resource when you think about Bender and what they can supply as it relates to people and perspectives and people who have been through this. So it's a great place, I would think, to start and begin to do your research and understand, can I bring some kind of leadership into the company that allows us to open up those avenues of opportunity? Because again, I think while it's the right thing to do and it's what you should do, you know, part of your corporate mission again is to enhance the value of your company. And I think you can do both.. And so I think it's finding that resource, that person. This is the avenue that we took that led us down that path, began thinking about how do we reach out to these communities, how do we do it in a digital perspective today. There's so many more tools than there were just 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and it's only going to get better. So I think the important thing is starting now and finding a resource that can give you access or perspective around plugging in these opportunities into your organization, whether it be through hiring or whether it be through, you know, board participation.

So I couldn't agree with you more. We've got the two amazing resources that have, you know, Joyce Bender with her deep, deep executive recruiting, deep, deep database, deep, knowledge in the marketplace and how to position people and find the right match for both company and a potential board candidate. And Tony, what can we say? We wish that probably everybody wishes that they could have a Tony on the board, but we do know a lot about the impact, the learning, and we can all share those insights for all the companies companies going forward ready to take on the challenge, ready to put somebody on the board member with disability and have that voice that helps guide, be the light, you know, the guiding principle as we go into the future. We sure know that COVID is going to be at a different point when we all get back into the office. And so what a fantastic opportunity to be at the inflection point and leading that through. Congratulations, Tom, to all the work that you've done in leading the organization and leading the way for other people to really guide us as we move to this new challenge and new direction under the Bender, you know, under what Joyce and Tony are actually leading. Thank you again for joining us.

Let me just say something about Tom. I've been on the board for over 20 years. With Tom and I'm now the lead director. But I've been over all these years on about 15 different corporate boards. And so I've been exposed to a lot of different managements and so forth. But I can honestly say without reservation that Tom Ryan is the best CEO that I've been involved with. Tom has not only the financial skills, the business skills, the personal relations skills. He leads a huge organization, and the respect for him and all the people in the organization is as high as it possibly could be. And the respect that we and the board have for Tom equals it. So I think one of the great things as we go out and and look for other boards that would be interested in putting on somebody with a disability. If only we could find a Tom Ryan, we would have no problem at all. So I say that with no reservations, and I'd say it behind Tom's back, in front of him, and so forth, that he's a great leader and someone that I didn't have to push in regards to disability issues. All I had to do was to raise the fact of what we're not doing and what we're missing. And Tom was always very receptive, has been over the years, to reach out to include our community. So, thank you, Tom.

Tony, thank you. Laura, Joyce, thank you guys so much. This is so important. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. And Tony, I'll give you $20 next time I see you for that.

Well, I think, Tom, I think we've got the rock star team right here. I think that you may have, we may have set the challenge out there, but, you know, people may come to you with some guidance because you certainly have led us forward. So thank you so much.

Thank you.

Appreciate you very much, Laura.

You all have a great day.

Thanks, Tom.

Okay. All right.

Bye. So amazing.

Yeah.

So a great example of a great leader with a great vision to be inclusive and for our Tony to be in that board and wow, what a difference you've made. You're the— you're what we want to emulate in our first company or second company or third company because we can make that impact. So I'd love to dig a little bit more into this. And we were last talking before Tom was able to join us about the how, because sometimes I think it's as much as, okay, we'll do it, let's raise our hand, but let's execute this flawlessly. Let's make an impact. Let's make— this is so important. This is the next historic phase that we're going to look back in 10, 20 years and say, Wow, look what we've been able to accomplish. So what else do we need to be thinking about? Toni, Joyce?

May I just make— I just want to make a couple comments. One, to answer that question, I remember when Ted Kennedy said to me once, if you want to see change, get one CEO that's doing the right thing to call another CEO. And I think that someone like Tom Ryan calling the CEO of another company would have a tremendous impact because of his commitment. That's number 1. Number 2, Laura Randa, I want to say you are one of those national leaders. We should all be so proud to have you involved. I know you're on the board of AAPD, but I know you as a passionate disability rights leader. And if you don't know Laura Randa, you should. Just go to LinkedIn. I mean, she is just, you know, I'll say, when I talk to her, you know, you talk to some people and say, "Oh, could you help?" "Sure." And then, you know, it's a year later. You say that to Laura, you're barely gonna hang up the phone and she's on it. So I admire you so much for your commitment at helping move this forward. I just wanted to thank you.

Well, and Laura, you should talk a little bit about your position. You should talk a little bit about your position in women in business and so forth. That's a great group, and obviously that is a group that could help us find opportunities as well.

Absolutely, Tony. We, you know, we had the great pleasure during the June BIO meeting to have a wonderful first panel discussion, which we are looking right now to have our second one because it was such an amazing response and people were interested in continuing the conversation. But Ted Kennedy Jr., Joyce Bender, Joyce Bender and I had an opportunity to really start the conversation about the AAPD, the work, the impact, the workplace disability roundtable. But now I'm so thrilled that what we want to now do is expand. You know, the biotech industry, the pharma industry, we serve many of these populations that do have disabilities. We're, we're doing drug discovery. Discovery. We're finding devices. We're targeting some of these patients. Who better could give a viewpoint than somebody that also has that, a patient themselves, a family member, a caregiver? So I am thrilled that we will continue to move this ahead in the bio industry, the biotech industry, the pharma industry, and so many other industries. But I think the key is going to be, Joyce, if people are interested, what is the best way to find out how they can get involved? How they can start leveraging your expertise, which is so amazing, and your deep network. How do they start getting more information?

Thank you so much. We have our manager and senior leader at Bender Consulting, Gerald Homme, H-O-M-M-E. His phone number is 412-482-0312, and I'll repeat that, 412-482-0312, or ghomme, H-O-M-M-E, @benderconsult and if you, and if you even get in touch with Voice America, they would get back in touch with me. But I think it's all about reaching out so that we can follow up. So, Gerald Homi, 412-482-0312. Thank you, Laura.

Yeah, and you know, I think one other person, I just received a note Speaking of somebody else that's in the PAC that's been so involved in this is Ted Kennedy Jr., and he just felt horrible that he has a prior commitment and he's unable to make today's show. But he did share something that I think we should read, and I just want to, you know, as we spoke about it earlier, certainly the Kennedy family and Ted Kennedy Jr. have been very, very has been very involved in this movement for decades. And here's what he said about this initiative. There's no one more qualified, well-equipped, or experienced to lead this effort than Joyce and Tony and the team at Bender Consulting Services. Identifying corporate board seats for people with disabilities is part of our future as a movement. As we engage corporate America to employ and advance people with disabilities and workforce and ultimately in corporate boardrooms across the country. I look forward to supporting this historic effort alongside Joyce Bender and Tony Hsu, two leaders that I am so proud to call dear friends. Ted Kennedy Jr. And he did— very much apologize for not being able to be part of this, but he wanted to be a little bit a part of it by sending the letter. And I just have to say, wow, when I read that. We have so many people, Tom, Doro, Ted, Joyce Bender, Tony, all part of this important historic event. We are ready and ready to move the needle to get more better employment practices, to get more, to get stronger strategies, to go to the market better, to be more inclusive and diversified in our leadership, in our employment practice, in our hiring practices, and onboarding practices. We are ready for the companies to come and raise their hand and say, "I want to be part of this historic movement." Joyce Bender shared the number. Please feel free to reach out to anybody on this call, and we would be glad to give you more information. I am going to flip it over to Joyce Bender and Tony Puente to wrap up and close the show. Thank you so much. It has been my pleasure to host such an important historic event. It's historic for me for many, many reasons. But one, my daughter was at age 6 was diagnosed with hearing loss. My daughter is a rock star. Lauren is sitting at University of Michigan Business Ross School. I couldn't be more proud of all the things that she has accomplished. National Merit Scholar. A national-placed skater, and so much more. But the next stage is making sure that she has those same opportunities to work, to grow, to expand, for her to reach the boardroom. And for that vision, I am so in, and I am so committed to being part of this historic initiative. Toni and Joyce, thank you so much for all your leadership in this area. I'm thrilled to be part of this show, this movement, this initiative, and I turn it over to you.

Uh, Laura, I just again want to thank you. Wow, you did such a great job. You're ready for CNN. You may be replacing me as the host of this show, uh, but thank you, and thank you for your passion You know, I am partnered with one of the most powerful people in this country that has done so much to help people with disabilities. And like Tony, we both live with epilepsy, which means we both have the firepower. So I can't think of a better duo than Bender and Quillo. To really make this happen. And Laura, I have one company that is meeting with the chair of the board that is very interested in joining this team. So, look out and look for new news. Tony, I'll turn it over to you.

Thank you, Joyce. Thank you, Laura, for your leadership and the way you handled today's program. I think the issue is what Joyce just said, that she's already reached out to a company that is interested, and it's getting that first company on board, and then that'll take off from there. It's the impact that this could have for our community is tremendous, so that you'd have individuals with disabilities on boards in corporate America. And also in association boards for different disabilities and so forth, that anybody that can be in a board situation and can educate and keep focused on what that company can do to make those of us with disabilities be served and and helped in regards to whatever that company is doing. Somebody on a board has a tremendous amount of influence with management, and that's what it takes to make a difference. So this is an exciting venture. I applaud Joyce Bender for initiating this and, and leading us again on to a new area that can have a tremendous impact not only for the individual on the board, but that individual with disabilities on those boards, helping those boards be involved with our community in so many different ways. So, this is an exciting venture, and as Joyce is working already, we hope to have some news for everybody in a short period of time. So, thank you, Laura, and thank you, Joyce, very much.

I, I, I just am so excited, and I want to remind everyone that this initiative is in honor of Mary Brooker, and I know that she and President Bush are looking at us saying, make it happen, get it going, cheering us on, uh, and as Tony said, We'll be back. And Laura, if you don't mind, I have to end the show with a quote, and that is, "When you get a chance to take the podium, speak up," by Tony Coelho. And Tony knows I have always listened to him. So, Laura, you want to close the show?

Well, I think Amazing. We have got two amazing leaders that have made an impact for so many, so many years. They are ready to keep working on this, keep pushing forward, keep taking it on, and we're going to keep forward progress on this. I think one more time, let's close. Joyce Bender, with how do they get involved? How do they get the information? Make sure our audience has that information. And again, as Joyce Bender said, we will be back. Watch for media announcements. Watch for us as we update, share advocacy, share stories, share information that we, as all of us together, can, can forward this movement together. Joyce, one more time with the information on how, how to reach you, how to reach Tony, or how to reach this important initiative if people want to reach out?

Gerald Homme, H-O-M-M-E, 412-482-0312, an executive and leader at Bender Consulting. Ghomme, H-O-M-M-E, at benderconsult.com.

So you heard it. We are so excited. For those of you that are in companies, know people on the board or on boards, reach out. This could be an important part to grow your company as a growth strategy and also make a very important, very important movement happen. Thanks so much for everybody for joining us today and look forward to some more updates as we unfold. I told everything.

Thank you.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters, right here on the Voice America variety channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.