Comcast's Diverse Workforce Includes People with Disabilities

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.

Hi everyone in the United States and around the world. I hope you are having A great day. And, you know, around the world, wow, we have so many listeners. But I have to say, the country with the most listeners, no surprise because of their size, is China, but followed by the UK and followed by Spain and followed by Iceland. So And, you know, it's a total of 17 countries with listeners. But I just want to say this. You know what? You are all rock stars. You know that? Because you're spreading the news to other people with disabilities. We all know, listeners to my show, that I'm a woman living with epilepsy and I'm hard of hearing from an accident that I had in 1985 when I didn't know I had epilepsy. Until, you know, I had that fall at the movie theater. But I want to tell you, you are rock stars because you are spreading the news to other people with disabilities in your country that they're important, they matter, they have value like anyone else. So I just want to tell you, you're my heroes. Thank you, and keep spreading the news about this show and just, you know, keep on keeping on. Which brings me to Richard Roberts from the State Department in Japan. Oh, I love him so much. He's with the State Department. He's— I met him when I went with the State Department to South Korea. And then when he went to Okinawa, I went to Okinawa a couple of years later. And He is just a true, really dedicated person for people with disabilities. And he and other guests from Japan were already on my radio show. And guess what? Next month they're going to be on again. Love you, Richard. Can't wait. And Gang Young in South Korea, another person with the State Department and the embassy that I spent time with, another great person. Can't wait to have you on. Also, and Veniamin from Kazakhstan, another person that I was with when I went with the State Department to Kazakhstan. And then, you know, if you haven't heard it, we did a program for Tunisia. Cheryl Harris, awesome, from the State Department. And if you just go a month ago, you can listen to that show.

And—

excuse me— Ambassador Norland, he arranged a show for Libya. Can you believe that? So we have so many great people around the world, but then right here in the United States, we've got Yoshiko Dart.

Yoshiko!

Hope you heard that. I'm going back to Japan. I mean, via Zoom. I'm going to Japan. So, you know, we got to get all of our disability rights people spreading the news about that radio show. And certainly now I have to thank Highmark, who has been our lead sponsor for 5 years now. And, you know, the show's been on 18 years. We've had different people sponsoring, but Highmark lead sponsor across the board. Thank you. I love David Holmberg, Deb Rice, Karen Hanlon, all of you, such great friends of mine. Well, this brings me to the rock star of today. Who is today's rock star? Well, she is someone I hear about all the time, whether I'm talking to Audrey Russo, Marcia Mart, Almost everyone in Pittsburgh tells me about this really, like, incredibly successful woman at Comcast, and who is the senior vice president and just is becoming known everywhere for her incredible leadership. And that includes for all people. Including people with disabilities. I'm so excited, such an honor to have her with us. Toni Murphy, Senior Vice President from Comcast, welcome to the show.

Joyce, thank you so much, and it's so great to be with you. It was so nice to listen to all those countries that you just raffled off there and those great people. So thank you for having me on the show.

Of course. And you know what? Well, speaking of around the world, you know, and the United States, we like our listeners to know about the person, you know, that I'm having on and a little bit about them. So could you go over a little bit about your background and then how you decided to move into corporate America and ultimately what led you to Comcast, because everyone has a story. So let's hear your story.

Well, it's funny you say that everyone has a story. I actually say that our story is our superpower. So I'll share my superpower with you. So I'm, you know, I'm originally from Dallas, Texas. You know, my parents, my parents never married and my mom and my stepfather have been together for as long as I have been alive. And so most of my family is, you know, along the Bible Belt, the southern part of the US. But I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. My stepfather got a job working on what we call the Big Dig Project. For those around the world who are unfamiliar, Boston at one point had highways that were running right through the city, and they moved everything underground to create more green spaces. And so We moved up there thinking it would be a couple of years and it ended up being 15 because that's how long the project took. So I graduated in a suburb of Boston and then went to Princeton undergrad in New Jersey. And my career, you know, when I was at Princeton, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with myself. At first, you know, I had studied abroad in Paris and did my dissertation. I actually did my dissertation on the 35-hour workweek for my international listeners here. And I thought I was going to go work for the IMF or some sort of international financial organization, but decided to go to Wall Street. And so ended up doing a couple of internships and then landed a full-time position at the time at UBS Warburg, where I focused on media and telecommunications. And so, you know, companies like Comcast, Clear Channel Outdoor, Time Warner, you know, Publicis. I mean, there's so many different companies that we worked with, and I was specializing in leveraged buyouts and IPOs and different M&A transactions. And so did that for a few years, loved it, but, you know, it didn't love me. It was a tough lifestyle, and, you know, wanted to try something different. So I went to the buy side and went out to LA and worked for a company called the Gores Group. Sort of a midsize financial private equity firm and really focused on the operations. Once we bought the companies, they looked for someone to help them integrate them and to drive, you know, operational efficiency and growth. And so it took me— that, that role took me to lots of great places. Worked in Europe a little bit on some transactions for that company. But, you know, I was right around that time they were looking to open up or sort of expand their London office and they were asking if I wanted to go and join them there. And of course, the most— the CEO of my life, my mother, said, "No, you know, you're at that point now where you need to be settling down and having children. I'm not going across the pond to see my grandkids, so I think you need to stay here stateside." And I just knew I didn't want to stay in that lifestyle. It was a little bit of a hard— it's hard working 100-hour weeks. And so at the time, I was talking to my old bosses at UBS, and Comcast had been a client. I worked on several transactions for Comcast, and they said to me, hey, why don't you come to Philadelphia and work at our headquarters? And so I came to Comcast under, under the tutelage of our CFO, Mike Angelakis, at the time. I worked on several different acquisitions and strategy opportunities we had at the company, including the likes of NBC. And, and, you know, and since being at Comcast, I've had an opportunity to work in, you know, 4 different markets Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and now Pittsburgh, and have held a variety of roles at the company, everything from M&A, finance, engineering, sales and marketing, Comcast Business. I mean, you name it, I've pretty much done it. And so really grateful to be at this juncture leading the Keystone region of Comcast, which incorporates the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland. So, you know, my other part of my story, which I can't leave out, is that along the way, I found a great husband. My mother was happy about that. And he's been on the journey with me on many of these stopovers we've had. And we have 3 children together. And the running joke, Joyce, was for my mom, every time I told her I was pregnant— or I was moving, she said, "Are you pregnant?" Because I literally had a baby in every city. So we moved to Pittsburgh. You know, she said, "Oh my God, are you having another child?" I said, "Nope, that's it." So Pittsburgh has been home for me for 5 years and we're really loving it.

Oh, well, 2 things I have to say. Wait, superpower. Which thing is your superpower?

I say my story is my superpower, but also another superpower is resilience. Is a superpower, and faith. Faith is probably my ultimate, ultimate superpower. You have to have faith to do all the things that you've talked about. I think about the courageousness around telling your story of disability and learning of all these conditions. Faith is a great way to power from one point to another. So, that'd be my superpower, I'd say.

Well, your story is your superpower, and I know everyone listening— Now you know why I said she's so awesome. I know what you're saying, wow, she's really smart. She is really accomplished. I told you whenever I had her on that she was very accomplished. And you know, I too am a person of faith. And someone that I've always— I've been— got to know, and I've been so blessed to be friends with his daughter, Sherelle, is Reverend Dr. William Barber. And when I think about him heading up that Poor People's Campaign, and you know, how much he has done changing lives, helping, making a difference, I always say, "Boy, you'd have to have faith to put up with all the obstacles," you know, in his life, and still, and he just doesn't stop. And so I agree with you. 100% about that. And yes, you have traveled a lot. Sadly, you didn't have a baby in Pittsburgh because then you would have had baby in the best city in America. But okay, we won't be upset with you about that. Well, Tony at Comcast, why don't you tell our listeners what you do? Obviously you've done so much, but right now, right now, what do you do? Because next stop, of course, is CEO, but for right now, what are you doing?

Yeah, well, no, I appreciate that, and love— first of all, anybody evoking the great Reverend Dr. Barber in a conversation is a friend of mine, because he is doing incredible work, and we honor him for his contributions to the work that we have in front of us around social justice. You know, look, I, in my day job, you know, I am responsible for many employees across those 4 states that I mentioned. And I'm responsible for many customers and driving growth and support of those customers in that 4-state region. When you think about all the products that our company has, you know, we've been innovating since the beginning of time. Surprising and delighting customers with, you know, you think about broadband, wireless, video, streaming, even with the Comcast Business segment. So my job every day is to make sure that the teammates that I work with, that I'm enabling them to do their best work and to give customers what they need and connecting them to the moments that matter in their lives. And so hopefully if I do my job well, I'm getting out of their way, I'm giving them a sense of, you know, where the company's focus is and giving them the tools necessary to succeed, not only on behalf of themselves, but on behalf of our customers.

Yeah, you are such a dynamic company, such a dynamic corporation.

Yeah.

It's sometimes hard for me to get my head around imagining being in— How many employees do you have? Hundreds of thousands, I'm going to guess. 300,000. Yeah, yeah. I mean, that is tough to get your head around, all of those people. But, you know, once again, thanks to technology, uh, you know, it's— we are able to talk to everyone and connect everyone. But you've got a lot of people you're connecting to, I'll tell you that. Um, Well, Tony, as you mentioned, Comcast owns NBC, a very large corporation. What is the size? And give me— give our listeners some examples of the different lines of business.

Sure. Yeah, I love this. And like I said, I've been proud to work for this, this company. Been with the company now 12 years. You know, we think of ourselves as a global media and technology company that really is about the business of connecting people to what matters in their lives. And we do that through our broadband wireless and video services, and then all the other services we provide. And Comcast, as you mentioned, hundreds of thousands of employees. We've got 56 million customers across Europe and the United States. You know, but our business is very, very dynamic. If you know, obviously we all know the big Xfinity brand, that's our bread and butter, that's the mothership of all brands. But you know, there's other brands that are just as fabulous and amazing. NBC obviously being the other. So all the— I know everybody loves watching Saturday Night Live and all the content there, and that sits underneath that fantastic umbrella. But You know, Comcast has Comcast Business, which is us powering fiber optic networks for corporations large and small, from your mom-and-pop pizza shop all the way up to your, you know, many, many location businesses. We have Sky. You know, I think everyone knows we bought that business based out in Europe, which is a similar sort of entity to NBCUniversal. We've got Peacock, which is the fantastic, you know, service we've got from a streaming perspective initiative that's bringing the best of the Comcast content and the NBCUniversal content to our subscribers. You know, you know NBC Sports and all the different sports networks, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention we've also got the Universal Parks and Resorts, both in the U.S. and in Asia. So, you know, it's a very dynamic company. It's growing and innovating, and I'm really proud of the trend. You know, when I came to Comcast 12 years ago, You know, many of these relationships came thereafter, and so I'm just super proud of the company I work for and how we're leading in this space.

Yeah, that's what makes a great employee. But you know what, I can't hold up listeners, and I know we have a caller on the line right now. Marcia, are you on the line?

Yes, I am on the line. Good afternoon, Joyce Bender, and good afternoon, Toni Good afternoon. I just wanted to say congratulations for coming on to the show, and I'll give you a little secret on one of my superpowers. One of my superpowers is to champion others that are doing good for others. And so you never knew that, so now I will embarrass you and tell you that I've been telling everybody about you and the wonderful things that you're doing at Comcast. Oh, thank you. And I want to personally congratulate, congratulate you on your recent promotion. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. It means so much to me.

Well, Marcia, Marcia Martin, you are so humble. You yourself are a very successful executive at Gateway, and I want to tell you about Marcia. She has— well, first of all, you won't believe this, Marcia. I found a photograph of us that I'm going to send to you from Carlow College. Woman of spirit. Oh no, you look beautiful as usual. But I— when was that, Marcia? That was— when was that?

Was that like in the '90s?

OK, well, since I met Marcia and I opened this company in 1995, so it wouldn't be that long after. Marcia was determined to get a person with a disability hired at Gateway year after year after year. You know what? She never gave up. That's, that's why to me she is a champion. And now we did get people with disabilities working at Gateway. And that is— talk about resilience. Remember you were talking about that? Tony, and ironically, that's our theme for the year at Bender. Every year we have a theme and then we send out— I send out quotes every month. But Marcia embodies resilience and serves on the board of the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA with me, where I am the chair. And I'll tell you what, Tony, You want— she is telling you the truth. Here's this woman, successful in this executive role, and she is one of those people. So now the listeners know I'm telling the truth. She is one of those people that told me, do you know of Toni Murphy?

Oh, that's awesome. Marcia is amazing.

She is.

Well, thank you. I wasn't— this show is about Toni, it's not about Marcia, but thank you for mentioning Gateway Health as We're obviously fully supportive of all the work you do in the disability community, and we're much more active in the state right now.

Yes, you are. Well, Highmark, Highmark sets the high mark for other companies to follow, and you are one of them. Thank you, Marcia. I love you, and thank you so much for calling in.

Thank you.

Uh-oh, you're suddenly really popular. We have another caller. Peggy, are you on the line right now? Peggy?

I'm here, Joyce. Thanks for having me on.

Certainly.

Hello.

Hi, Tony, this is Peggy Bean from the Epilepsy Association. I just wanted to say thank you to you. You know, I was listening to you talk about your background and it just occurred to me that You know, when you moved to Pittsburgh, you so immersed yourself in the community, including the Epilepsy Association and our Mardi Gras Gala, and I was just so taken by that and just wanted to call in and say thank you so much for becoming such a deeply active part of our community so quickly. And, you know, I sort of just take you as a Pittsburgher now. I don't even think about the fact that you had a life before Pittsburgh. So thank you so much for just all that you do for the community and especially for everything that you do for the Epilepsy Association and people living with epilepsy and for making all of the work that you do with us so much fun. I just really wanted to call in and say thank you for all of that.

Oh, thank you, Peggy, and it's my pleasure. And I consider myself a proud Pittsburgher, so thank you for all that. And I'm grateful.

Well, we're blessed to have you here, so thank you so much. And listening to you and Joyce Bender and Marcia is like just so exciting, listening to all these powerful corporate leaders, female leaders in Pittsburgh. Energizing. So thank you, ladies.

Hold on. Peggy is the CEO of the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA, and we are so lucky to have her in Pittsburgh. So Peggy, thank you for calling.

Oh my gosh, amazing.

Thanks, Joyce.

Thank you.

You guys have a great show.

All right, thank you.

Thanks. And you know, yeah, Tony, we don't want to hear about Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, okay? They're in your past. That— we don't want to hear about it, right? Yeah, they're in your past. You are Pittsburgh. That's it. We're claiming you. We are claiming you. Well, hey everyone, it's the half hour, and on the half hour We always have our news break, Advocacy Matters, to keep everyone in the world, and especially the United States people with disabilities, and there are over 50 million of us, knowing what is going on in the world, in the US news, with Perri Judd-Radesik, who keeps us on top of everything. Perri, are you with us?

Joyce, I am. Thanks for having me.

Of course. So, Perry, what's going on this week?

Well, Joyce, information, the flow of information around COVID vaccines and trying to reach the right amount of people vaccinated to reopen the country, changes are happening so quickly. So we really wanted to give your listeners a sense of what's happening and where they can go to get vaccinated. Vaccines, and what is accurate information about vaccinations. So COVID vaccination rates are increasing across the country, really due to the heroic efforts on the part of state and local governments, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations. And as of Monday morning, Pennsylvania's collective efforts has really resulted in about 50 50 to 57% of Pennsylvania's population getting at least one shot, at least one shot. And in Pennsylvania, we want to try to reach 70%. The governor just issued another directive today saying that if we get to 70% of the population being vaccinated, then we wouldn't need masks anymore. But he's not going to lift that until we get to 70%. Vaccination rate. So you can get up-to-date vaccination rates on all of the states. If you go to disabilityrightsPA.org, we have a link to the CDC vaccine tracking page, but you have to go to disabilityrightsPA.org, click on our advocacy matters segment for today, and you'll find out the vaccination rate in your state. Now, some people hesitate to get the vaccination because they want to wait and see how the vaccines work. Now, two of the vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, really aren't giving you the, the virus. They're giving you pieces of protein that trigger an immune response and build our immunity to the virus. So really, there shouldn't be concern concerns about Moderna and Pfizer— sorry, Pfizer. And we have more information about how these vaccines work with a link again if you go to disabilityrightspa.org, we take you to the CDC page on how these vaccines work. Johnson Johnson vaccine is categorized as a viral vector vaccine and it uses a modified version of a different virus to help our cells develop this immune response. It's not the COVID virus, but it's a different virus that helps our immune system, you know, build this important immunity to COVID-19. So advocacy matters, and so does being vaccinated. And if one of us can't get the vaccine for health reasons, then it's important to get others around us vaccinated. So if you want information about the vaccine and where you can get vaccinated, go to disabilityrightspa.org to locate that provider today.

Oh, Perry, thank you so much. You know what, I didn't expect this today, and that is great because the more we can get this message out to everyone, the more people will get vaccinated, the more people get vaccinated, the more lives will be saved. And I, for one, I I am fully vaccinated and I agree with Perry. You will not get any problem. You will only get one thing, protecting your life. Thank you, Perry. Thank you so much. And we'll look forward to talking to you again next week.

Thank you, Joyce Bender.

Take care. I think it's very important for all of us to take a stand. Do you know what I mean, Tony, to encourage other people?

I do. Well, I'm also fully vaccinated as well, and I'm glad you shared your status. I think the more we can tell our stories around the comfort here, the better.

Yes, yes. Well, Toni, one of the key reasons I wanted to have you on, in addition to your success as a female executive, at one of the largest corporations in the world is that I also know for many people that although you are not, for example, Chief Human Capital Officer over diversity inclusion, it's more powerful when you are an executive, whether it's in engineering, marketing, strategic plan, whatever it is, that that person gets involved because I know that for me, the way to get people with disabilities hired is for operational people to raise their hand. And that's what you're doing because you're so involved in diversity and inclusion. I know you're one of the sponsors. So do you want to talk about that?

Yes, and this is a passion of my heart. You know, I think first of all, you should know that we at Comcast are very committed to this space. I think everybody saw last year we announced a multi-year, $100 million commitment to this work. And so we sort of think of this work in 4 sort of big categories. In the first category, it's really around our platforms and how we communicate. And you think about the power of X1 and Xfinity. Every day, people turn on their televisions or stream on their devices. And we have an opportunity to showcase new and diverse talent and voices that people don't often hear from. And so I think some folks know we launched the Black Experience Channel. We actually during the summer curated a section of our X1 platform for Black voices. We have great content on the Olympics and Paralympics. And you can even say LGBT in your voice remote and go to a whole slew of content for that wonderful diversity. Diverse population. You know, the second, you know, big, you know, sort of category that we're focused on is certainly our customers. And, you know, this year we made a commitment to what we call the RISE program, which is really around supporting, you know, BIPOC businesses, helping them with makeovers and getting their message out. And we've been doing that all across the United States and giving grants to support these businesses, especially because they were probably the most hardest hit during this pandemic. So really proud of the work we're doing in that space. And then from a community perspective, which is our third big bucket, I think everybody knows about Internet Essentials, but I'll just reiterate that over the last 10 years, we've connected over 10 million Americans, and we've committed another billion dollars over the next 10 years to continue this work. And Internet Essentials essentially gives lower-income Americans an opportunity to get broadband at $9, $9, basically $10 a month. Be able to buy a low-cost computer and get any sort of digital literacy training needs they have. And so that, you know, we've been doubling down in this space and it's making an extraordinary difference, especially in the pandemic where we've had kids, you know, kids, you know, homeschooling and parents working from home. And then, you know, some folks that we've been sort of making a commitment around lift zones. So if you, you know, if you have kids that go to community centers after school, they're able to get access to the internet there. And so that's been another area of focus is finding places, you know, where we can go and sign up and get them connected to the internet. And then the last big category is certainly important to me because it's about the people that we lead and really around making sure that we have a diverse talent pipeline, making sure that the pathways are clear for folks as to how they get from point A to point B. How do we create more Toni Murphy stories? And so we do that through, we have what we call our D, E, and I Day. We've had a couple of those this year where we are talking about, you know, sharing these perspectives around what does diversity mean, what does inclusion mean, how do we create an environment where everyone feels as though they have the ability to succeed. And within that, we've also committed to a learning series for all of our leaders around how to lead inclusively. We're not going to assume you know how.. And so I'm really proud across all those different dimensions, the commitment the company has made to making sure that every, every voice is heard and everyone has a seat at the table.

That is so wonderful. You know, when you were saying that about the wonderful offering of $9 a month, here we go again. You know, as Sherrell, when she was on my radio show, Sherrell Barber, Reverend Dr. William Barber's daughter, she was talking about how people don't realize that the reason so many people who are Black or people of color were decimated, you know, with COVID before this vaccine is due to systemic racism. And people don't realize that. They do now. You know, sad we had to find it out this way. But One thing that I used to talk to her about is, yeah, if you're in poverty, once the vaccine came about, if you're in poverty but you don't have internet access or a computer, how the heck are you going to register for that appointment, you know, to get the vaccine? And so that is so wonderful what you're doing. I just think that's wonderful for people, people who are poor, providing them that service. I think that's wonderful.

Thank you.

Saving lives.

So that is right. And Joyce, I will just say this. You know, I was a child who came from working-class parents. And, you know, I remember being on public assistance, WIC, you know, all the different programs we talk about. You know, I know, you know, full stop what that is like.. And so these programs are near and dear to my heart. When we, you know, it's not some person over there. When I see these programs, I think directly of my family and my history. And so, you know, that's why it's got my full attention.

From poverty to Princeton. There you go. Amen. Wow, what a great story that is. So, okay, here's another thing we talked about on the show that that I, I want to hear your opinion. As you know, there is a very substantial movement since the civil unrest and murder of George Floyd and so many others over the past many years, but especially after George Floyd was murdered. There has been this with civil protest of civil unrest, this movement across corporate America for African Americans and people of color, you know, being employed and being part of the fabric of the company. Do you believe that will continue to be successful? And what do you think it will take for that to continue to be successful versus just a, hey, look what we're doing?

Yeah. So, look, I would say, you know, this year has been a tumultuous year. I think everyone has had a moment of reckoning, you know, of really sort of seeing the challenges of racial injustice from a variety of lenses. You know, you look across every spectrum. You know, we just talked about digital equity. We just You know, you think about housing, you think about employment, you think about healthcare. There's so many areas where we have a fire, we have a real problem. And so for me, it's been— I've been grateful to see people sort of waking up to a reality that's been 400 years in the making. And, you know, look, I think on the positive side, as I sort of look at— I've been watching this too, Joyce Bender, what you said there. I do think when I see things like, you know, Roz Brewer being appointed as the CEO of Walgreens and Lysanda Duckett as the CEO of TIAA-CREF, two new African American female CEOs in the Fortune 500, you know, certainly my appointment to this role was historic in Comcast measures as the first African American woman to hold this post. And so, you know, certainly I look at those, you know, those near and dear to my heart. Clearly companies are doing the right things. They're making the right commitments. We just talked about the commitment that we've made, but make no mistake about it, a Roz and a Thasunda and a Toni Murphy, you know, doesn't write, doesn't fix everything that we see that's a challenge. I think this is, there's a clear reminder here that this is a journey. This is not a moment in time. It's not going to be a one-time fix at all. And I think as a society, we have a lot of work to do. You know, I think the test will be, you know, is when— how will we get to equal representation at every level of every company? I think that's the North Star. And so we have to make sure that we're looking at, you know, no matter where you are in society, I think we've got— to do to make sure that we are creating an environment where every person, no matter their disability, no matter their race or color or gender, whatever the case may be, that they have an equal shot at the apple. And so, to me, yes, I think progress is there. Have we gone far enough? The answer is unequivocally no. But I am proud that at least we are at least in the game. And I am hopeful that everybody will, you know, take their endurance test, right? They are going to make sure they keep their endurance up because this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Oh, amen to that. That is why the Joyce Bender saying about this is, "It is not once and done." This is not a once and done. It should not be once, and it is far from done. So, you know, we have to realize it is not like a fix-it, you put a Band-Aid on. I mean, this is, as Toni said, 400 years. That's a long time of deep racism, murder, all of it put together. We got a lot of work to do. And, you know, we need many, many more Tony Murphys, and we need Tony Murphy to keep moving up. That's the other thing I talk about is, you know, when these companies are saying they're hiring people, Not everyone hired needs to be in HR, diversity and inclusion. Not everyone. Why am I saying that? How about— that's why it's so awesome, the role you're in. That is why I want to see people as COOs, CFOs, you know, of course CEOs, but I mean chief technology officer. Do you know what I mean? I want to see across the board, and I want to see a plan to see people continuing to move up, hired with the long-term strategic plan, which is what I tell everyone about hiring people with disabilities. You will never change the workface of America for people with disabilities until you hire someone. Don't talk about it, hire someone. That is where the rubber meets the road. And Tony, we're talking about all this, but look at you. You, you know, it's not as you said that you grew up and you had all this money and all this privilege and, you know, it was so easy. It was not. So what do you believe are the things that helped you become so successful as you have been against many odds?

Yeah, I love this question. I'll tell a quick story. You know, as I mentioned, I grew up, you know, relatively poor. We never knew we were poor, by the way, because the way my parents cared for us, I wouldn't know the difference. They did— they didn't— they shielded us from whatever society claimed that meant. And so the story I love to tell about, you know, what's made me successful is when I was a kid, my mother would go to the Goodwill and And she would buy all the polo shirts, red, blue, white, for my brother. And he would wear khakis and a polo shirt to school. And when she would go to the Goodwill store, she'd buy all the shirts, you know, each of them $1.50, $2, all these sort of secondhand shirts. And she would come home and she would scrub them like crazy. And I remember a few years ago, I was thinking, I was recalling back to my childhood. And I asked my mother one day, 'Why did you do that?' And she said, 'You know, you know, Antoinette— that is my real name, Antoinette, that is my Social Security name.' She said, 'Antoinette, you know, you know, people, you know, folks do not think people like us, you know, should have anything. You know, they, they believe, you know, the world does not, does not say much about people that look like us. We are just supposed to fade into the wallpaper. But I have always believed that we are not just here to show up, we are here to show out.' And that mantra of showing up versus showing out has become a rally cry for my life, that I'm not going to just be in the room, I'm going to own the room. That I'm not just going to do a job, I'm going to set a bar so high that no one else can reach it. And so the point that she was making is that it doesn't matter where you come from. It's about whether you step into the light that has been cast upon you and you create even more light for yourself. Joyce Bender: And so, to me, everywhere I have gone, I have been the underdog in a lot of ways. Underdog financially as a child, underdog in that I did not have the, you know, quote, I did not have the functional expertise that others had. And I never let that stop me. So I think my message to everyone is that look for moments in your life where you cannot just show up, but you are going to show out. You are going to be, you are going to be the very, very best version of yourself, no matter what the odds are against you.

So awesome. Now, I love these sayings. Remember, poverty to Princeton. And I see we've got another, another caller on the line. Audrey, are you on the line? Ms. Audrey, future king of the heart.

I am on the line.

Audrey Russo, king of the Technology Council. And future Superstar King of the Mardi Gras. Everyone, already you could start making donations and make sure you are there because I'm gonna say it, this year, you know, it really hit hard, the pandemic, not-for-profits and the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA is small. And talk about helping people that are diverse. People of color with epilepsy are so poor, so many. But we had children that could not get medication. And had we not had the generosity of people like Audrey, we would be in a mess. So let me tell you about Audrey. She's the king next year, but she has been helping me go to companies and say, We would like you to donate money to the Mardi Gras this year that we didn't have, because Audrey would never have a virtual Zoom Mardi Gras. And as I told Audrey, I think people are afraid to say no to Joyce Bender and Audrey, but that's what she's doing, Tony. That's what she's doing.

Well, hey, I'm happy to hear Tony's voice. And listen to her tell her stories because I'm always in awe of who she is as a person, as a leader, as a colleague, as a friend, and what she brings to the table. When she talks, you really need to pause and listen.

Oh, and ditto, ditto, ditto. I tell you, Joyce, the only reason why I love Pitts Pittsburgh, this lady right here, I'll never forget, she's one of the first people I met in this city and, uh, and, uh, has been— has helped me navigate and get acclimated. And, um, my friendship with Audrey will certainly stand the test of time. But so much of what I love about Pittsburgh is because of, uh, because of her.

I am not surprised at all listening to her tell her story.

I hope your listeners Joyce Bender will really understand.

Not—

I don't know if you followed her journey even academically and beyond. I know that early on she's had, you know, always had a tremendous life and a tight family. But if you listen to her journey early on, I mean, there's really no reason anyone can have, can have the excuse, the lack of wisdom to say that they can't achieve anything. I just listen to Toni and I just watch her, and I watch how she embraces other people, people who work for her, her customers, her colleagues. There's no reason why we can't be even greater. We can't. It's no BS.

It is no BS. Well, how about you, Toni? You are on the phone with the king. Isn't that something? I—

trust me, I mean, she's the king, the queen, she's every— she's all of the above. I mean, you know, Audrey is a stalwart in this community. And so grateful that she's being recognized for what she rightfully deserves for her contributions. And I know this will be the best Mardi Gras gala ever because of her, because of her at the helm here. So, thank you, Audrey, for joining us today. You know, I love hearing your voice.

I know, I love hearing your voice. I'm not going to stay on for any longer. All I'm going to say is, Joyce, Joyce Bender, you have done amazing work. You will continue to do amazing work. Toni is a rising star. I love that you are able to peel back and listen to her story. And I love the fact that the world can hear it because you have got to watch out for people like Toni. Because in a few years, she is going to soar like a rocket. And what she brings to a community like Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, like many who have suffered not just through COVID, but through the long, long periods of hardship that have just become so glaring. We have to begin to celebrate people like Toni who have decided and chosen to live in a community like Pittsburgh when she could live anywhere.

Yes. Thank God we're not letting her go either. Yeah, well, King Russo, thank you for calling in. We'll be hearing a lot from you between now till the Mardi Gras.

All right, thanks everyone.

Bye-bye.

Thank you. You know, what Audrey was saying is, um, so true about, you know, where people start and what they go through. As long as they don't face gate screeners. Do you know what I mean? We can't have gate screeners, or it's very hard to do, you know, many of these things that you and many others have accomplished. And we're talking about people that are poor. When, when we were talking about that, this is unbelievable, but Dr. Barber, in his one book, had that 250,000 people die from poverty every year in the United States. This was before the pandemic, pre-pandemic. So when you say we have a lot of work to do, we have a lot of work to do. You know why I'm saying that? Because we need people like you. We need people like you because you, you're going to keep going, you're going to keep moving up, and you're going to be changing lives. There is no doubt about that, no doubt. So before we end, because I know we're getting close to the end, but do you want to share with us who your role model is?

Oh, well, I kind of teased it out a little bit, but my mother is certainly a great role model. I'll just give her a shout out. She's, uh, she'll be celebrating her 70th birthday on this, on the 9th, and so I will wish her a happy Mother's Day and a happy birthday. It is all— they always commingled her birthday and Mother's Day, which means I got to do double the gifts all the time. But she— my mother, you know, my story is good, her story is even greater. You know, she grew up in a small town in rural Louisiana, still, you know, de facto segregated even to this day. Grew up in a very small home, you know, with you know, 10 brothers and sisters under one roof. Her parents were cotton pickers, worked for a dollar or two a day, and that is how they all survived. And she is just— she is one of those people who just says, "Get to it." You know, she just makes no— there is no room for excuses in her mind. She said, you know, we have— you know, she always says, "Our people have come a mighty long way. You must remember that." It's easy to think that you're going through hardship. You know, she always reminds me, you haven't seen the, you haven't seen the bulk of it. So keep powering forward. You owe it to those who came before. And so to me, her words are constantly reverberating in my head, and it gives me solace in knowing that everything I do today, I stand on the shoulders of so many who've come before me.

Wow, that is so awesome. Well, happy birthday also. I have to join you. Happy birthday, because wow, you truly have a great daughter, which means she has a great mother. So what message would you like to leave with our listeners today, Tony?

Yeah, you know, well, first, Joyce, I just want to say again, I'm so honored to be asked to be a part of this. You know, I think every, every speaker, every guest that's come on has said the same thing about you. Joyce Bender, that you are a magnificent leader in our community. I thank you for being so courageous in telling your own stories around your disability journey because we need to— part of inclusion is breeding more and more understanding. And so really grateful to be part of this today. You know, for me, the message I give to the listeners are a couple of things. You know, for me, this year has taught me a lot about the importance of being in the moment and meeting the moment. From what we experienced with this pandemic to racial and social justice. And by the way, I've talked a lot about what's been happening in the Black community, but the Asian community has been under extraordinary assault, and I think it's important to bring that up here. I know that folks in the accessibility community have been under duress as well. And so, I acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do, and that work does include accessibility too. So for me, you know, the commitment to inclusion, I just want to reiterate, it is a lifelong commitment. Every person who proclaims that they are, whether it be anti-racist, or they are, you know, encouraged by the work we are doing, or they want to fight the good fight, whatever it is, I think it is important that everybody pick a lane. There are so many lanes where people are being disenfranchised, or feeling, you know, like they do not have a seat at the table. And so if everybody picks a lane and just commits to the lifelong journey, I think we'll make the progress we need to make. And certainly, I'm proud to work for a company that's doing its part, leveraging its platforms to make room for others. So I appreciate you having me on and glad to come on again at some other point. And I wish you continued success and can't wait to see what you guys do with the Mardi Gras Gala this year.

Well, you can count on it that we'll have you again. Miss Pittsburgh, notice I said that. Um, and we end every show with a quote, and today it is: Progress is a nice word, but change is its motivator, and change has its enemies, said Robert Kennedy. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters at voiceamerica.com. Don't miss us next week with Karen Hanlon, number 2 running Highmark. Talk to you then.

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.