Evan Frazier: Mission of TALI

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. Welcome to our show. Disability Matters with Joyce Bender. I am Joyce Bender, and I've just got to tell you, I appreciate so much the loyalty to this show. Believe me, I wouldn't have been here 20 years if, if I did not have all of you. And that goes for all of my listeners around the world in 17 different countries, uh, you know, from China to Australia. Once again, all in Brazil, because Brazil is listening right now. You know that? That's where my friend Richard Roberts from the State Department is. Hello, Richard and Carla. I can't wait to get there this year to go with you, spread the news about quality of life for people living with disabilities. You know, there, there is wonderful things that the State Department is doing. But since like 2013, 10 years, I have been working with the State Department and I have been to Panama, South Korea twice, Japan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, but virtually with Tunisia, Nigeria, and Libya. This is what the State Department is doing, which I feel is just unbelievable, unbelievably great, because they're helping. Without them, I wouldn't be going to these countries spreading the news. Richard, you know I love you. Gangyang Cho in South Korea, Veniamin in Kazakhstan, Cheryl Harris right here in Washington, D.C. at the State Department. You are all helping me. So please, whatever country you're in, get it out on your social media for any English listening audience. I mean it, you're doing so much, you're doing so much. Yoshiko Dart, special shout out to you. Yoshiko, every show, you know, I love you. And to our sponsor, HiMark. Couldn't have been doing this all these years without HiMark. So I mean it, HiMark, thank you so much. Thank you, David Holmberg. And I have to tell you, I was really excited about the show today because this guest is someone I really love. He is the real deal, make no mistake about it. People with disabilities, he has been one of my supporters for so long. Wow, it's way back. Evan Frazier, who is my guest today, and as we're selling— celebrating Black History Month, a person that's trying to change lives for African Americans right here in Pittsburgh is Mr. Evan Frazier, the president and CEO of the Advanced Leadership Institute. Welcome, Evan.

Thank you so much, Joyce. Uh, you are incredible. What an honor it is to be back here with you. And before we start, I just want to say also congratulations to you for 20— for the 20th anniversary of the Joyce Bender radio show Disability Matters. What an incredible milestone that is. And I just want to just take a moment to just congratulate you. I, you— I've been blessed to have this opportunity to be on your show a number of times over those over those 20 years. And just, I can't— it's, it's amazing that you've been doing this that long, impacting people's lives and really inspiring people all around the globe. So thank you for what you're doing, and thanks for having me back.

Of course, that's why we have so many listeners, Evan, because I can say we have Evan Frazier. That's why. So Evan, for our listeners in the United States and around the world, I think I mentioned this to you before, but many of the listeners, when I said you have 6 Yes, we want to know more about the person on your show. You know, you know, but we don't all know. We want to know. So Evan, for our listeners in the United States and around the world listening, would you share with our listeners your story? You know, like where you grew up and went on to school, and then what happened after that?

Sure, sure. Thank you so much. Well, so, so I am born and raised right here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I feel very fortunate to be with an incredible family. I had a mom and father who were very instrumental in, you know, shaping who I am as a person and my values and, and just really to see demonstrated leadership and compassion through, through parents made a big difference in my life. So I grew up here in Pittsburgh, went off to college. I went to Cornell University up in Ithaca, New York. And when I was there, I was in the School of Hotel Administration and had the opportunity to study organizational management at really one of the premier hospitality programs in the world, really. And so I was very, very fortunate there. I was blessed to have a graduate degree at Carnegie Mellon, did a Master of Public Management degree there with a focus on marketing and planning. And, you know, those experiences were, you know, an important part of who I am. But I would say that during those college years, first starting in undergraduate, there are a number of things that really shaped you know, who I became. One of them was the, you know, I had a tendency to be active, active in organizations and, you know, active on campus. And I had the fortunate opportunity as a student there to start something called NSMH, the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality. And so, and it was one of those things where we had just kind of a club on campus and we grew it into a national organization during the 4 years I was in college. And then over the course of the last 30+ years, we continued to grow it and we're now going on, I want to say, 33, 34 years now. That makes me sound really old, I know, but it was a really important part of when I think about the leadership journey that I'm on, you know, how, you know, And those early experiences really helped to shape how I thought about leadership and I thought about giving back and, and really focusing in on communities. So I've had those opportunities. When I graduated from college, I've worked in many different industries. One industry is with— started in hospitality with a company called Eaton Park Restaurants. So I worked out of their corporate office for— about 6 years, and they were instrumental, one, in me going into the business when I was in high school and had the opportunity to meet the CEO during that time, and they provided scholarship funds, so I felt it was only appropriate when I graduated to start my, my professional career with them. So I spent some time in HR, moved into community relations. I had the opportunity to start their first community relations department And while I was there is when I had the opportunity to do graduate school. And so I did my master's degree thanks to Eden Park Hospitality or Eden Park Restaurants at the time and was very fortunate. So I left there to really, I wanted to broaden my horizons and get out of the box. And so I left really to take advantage of an opportunity to kind of live and work in Asia for a year. So I was selected as a Luce Scholar through the Henry Luce Foundation. And I spent most of that year in Singapore and Hong Kong. And I was placed with the company, it was a luxury hotel chain at the time. I'm sure it still exists today, Shangri-La Hotels. And so I had the fortunate opportunity to be with that, you know, to that, have that experience during my Luce Scholar year. Came back to Pittsburgh after that year and worked in a nonprofit as a senior vice president. It was called the Manchester Bidwell Corporation. So I did that for a period of time. Bill Strickland, who is really iconic and one of the real legends when it comes to social entrepreneurship. So I had a chance to kind of work as an understudy to him and to his chief operating officer. My next step, I wanted to get back into the corporate side of things and ended up going into strategic planning with PNC. So that was my next step, spent some time, a little over 2 years in strategic planning. Moved into an area called finance communications after that. And then I would say that's right around the time that I was recruited to run my first kind of post-college nonprofit organization as the executive director, then president and CEO, called the Hill House Association. And you were such an important part of that. I'm great— I'll always be grateful to you, Joyce, for being on my board. When I was at the Hill House, and your support went a long way towards making me feel supported and advancing our work in the community. I was head of that organization for about 6 years until I got recruited to go with your sponsor, which is Highmark, and spent an incredible career as a senior vice president of community affairs there. I spent 11 years at Highmark Health. And so that was an incredible journey. Had a wonderful team there. And I can't say enough, you mentioned David Holmberg and how supportive he has been. I have to say the same thing was my experience. He was super supportive of me, but also the leadership that he provided just was, I feel very blessed to have had that opportunity to be a part of his organization. I, and it wasn't until recent years that I ended up leaving to start the Advanced Leadership Institute. I guess I started it even prior to leaving Highmark. In fact, wrote the concept paper back in 2016 for it. And it wasn't until 2021 that I made the transition to run it full-time. So I started it really as a volunteer, and once we kind of went from being an initiative into an institute, that's when I ended up, you know, really stepping up and deciding to do it full-time. And it was with great support and great, you know,, you know, fought and, and buy-in. David Holmberg was one of those folks that helped to make that happen. So that's, that's the long story there. I will say that one of the things that's always been important to me is community service. And so I've been fortunate to have had at least, you know, served on at least 30, maybe 35 different boards over the years. And so regardless of what industry or, position I was in, I was always active in the community and that's just been a part of my DNA. And so that's who I am. Another part of who I am is my family. I feel very blessed to have an incredible family. My wife, who was an educator and then kind of went into, you know, kind of being a television personality. Then I have two, three, 2 boys and a daughter, incredible children, very, very blessed.

Wow, what a great journey you've been on, you know that? Let's start with Eaton Park, the Broadhurst. Here's an organization, like with Susie, that was one of the very first organizations, Eaton Park and Giant Eagle hiring people with disabilities. They may have been the first. You know, you go in and see people, you know, busing tables and all that. They were one of the first. And I mean, they're such great people. And, you know, if you're ever in Pittsburgh, you've got to go there and have that Smiley Face Cookie, even though it's probably 1,000 calories. But, you know, they are really, really great people. Then you got to work with Bill Strickland, who, as you said, is like an icon, is iconic, you know, did so many innovative things at the Bidwell Training Center. Then PNC, which is another great organization that has been very supportive of the Bender Leadership Academy. Which Evan is on the board of the Bender Leadership Academy, and we could talk about that a little bit. Well, it's our honor to have you. And then, oh, the Hill House. Evan, I loved the Hill House. Without a doubt, that was my favorite boards. I loved it. I loved going there. I love the authenticity, you know, of some of the people on the board. It's a sad, sad, sad day that we don't have the Hill House. But, you know, and I'm sure Elsie Hellman would not be happy. But at least she made a major impact, the Hill House, you know, while it was there. And then Highmark, I love Highmark. And David Holmberg, he is just, He had breakfast with me, our holiday breakfast. Now, CEO of major organization, you're thinking Duquesne Club, Rivers Club, Press Club. Instead, Calio's Diner, that's what he chose. And that's David Holmberg, a real person, a down-to-earth person. But now it's even more exciting with what you're doing right now, Evan. It is just the culmination of all of those years of the work you've done, plus the person that you are, one of my very favorite people, um, and just such a great role model. You know, many people, Evan, just like in the disability community, so many people with disabilities But not everyone decides to be an advocate. So same thing in the African American community. What made you decide to become, to advocate for people in the African American community?

Yeah, so, so, um, well, first of all, thank you so much. Um, you know, for, for me, you know, it really does go back to You know, just growing up and what was instilled in me, the pride, you know, for who I am as an African American, you know, just the opportunity to see at very different levels, you know, what the needs are out there and also seeing the inequity that's out there as well, right? And, you know, just throughout my life, I always felt that there was a need And I felt a deep connection to who I was being African American. I was very proud of that and felt that, you know, if you've been blessed, and I've been blessed all my life, that you have a responsibility to be a blessing to others. And always felt that one of the areas that I can, you know, have a real strong impact is when it comes to, you know, helping to build diverse leadership, you know, and helping to support one another to find opportunities to impact, you know, the community in a broader way. And so, you know, even going back to, you know, college and even before college to some extent, I would see opportunities where I felt I could make a difference. And, and so that's, that always tended to be an area where I saw a need, felt that I could have an impact, And I really took the time to invest. You know, my heart has always been in the community. And so it is one of those things where, you know, when you see a need, you feel a connection, you know, to the people. And you want to see progress and advancement in a deep way. And, you know, being willing to work for it and to work with others to help achieve a broader goal and broader purpose. And that's, that's how I ended up doing what I do today. But that, that same theme goes back to NSMH, the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality, when it was specific to that field. It goes back to many of the organizations where I may have served on the board and those kinds of things and for community service. It goes back to the Hill House, which was anchored in predominantly African American community and serving African Americans and the broader community. And it goes back to this idea when I first had a vision for TALI and having conversations with some colleagues of mine, and really there was a lot of rhetoric at the time about how important diverse leadership is, but just did not didn't seem to be a lot of mechanisms to really create any real meaningful change as it related specifically to, you know, trying to find executives who are diverse and particularly African Americans. And having had the opportunity to see where, you know, in our community, there was a time, and this is, you know, 25 years ago, that you could almost list, you know, major African American or Black executives in just about every major company. One or two, you could usually pinpoint their names, to then a number of years later, you had to scratch your head to really come up with who was at that level within these companies. So we've gone backward. And there were a number of us who had some discussion about, you know, really feeling, the need to drive and do something that's going to have a real measurable impact. And so that's kind of the origin of how TALY, you know, came to be. I had the opportunity, I took the opportunity during the summer of 2016 to really write the concept paper for it. And I was away on vacation and, you know, took the time to try to draft out this was about a 10-page concept paper for, you know, something called the Advanced Leadership Initiative at the time. So it started as an initiative, and then I took the time when I came back after vacation to start to socialize it for the next 5 or 6 months pretty broadly in communities with influencers, people in the community, people who would be impacted by it, people who I could see going through the program, people I could see were vested in the community, try to get as much feedback as possible. And, you know, after that period of time, you know, there were a couple things that kind of came back, and that was one, people would ask the, you know, people felt that it was important that, you know, if we're looking to build a world-class executive leadership program that targets Black professionals and executives, you know, it had to be anchored and supported by companies. You know, that it couldn't be an independent, isolated program. It had to be something that was anchored and supported by companies. The second thing was that we had to have a really strong academic institution. They felt that, you know, who we selected would matter. Fortunately, I had the opportunity. I was a a trustee at Carnegie Mellon for 6 years. I want to say 2008 to 2014. So when I wrote the concept paper and started to socialize it in 2016, you know, it became very clear that I needed to reach out to Carnegie Mellon and to the dean of the business school, which I did. Bob Damon was his name. We had some great conversations about the concept. He was excited about it and had then introduced me to his executive education team. And then we started working to build one of our first signature programs, which is known as the Executive Leadership Academy. And so that's kind of how it started to kick off. We started to pull people who were vested in the work that we were looking to embark upon. One of the, one of my mentors, Greg Spencer, who I know you know, Joyce, as well. Yes. He happened to write a document and do a study based on an award he had received. It was right at the same time, and it really showed the real disparity as it related to senior-level Black leaders, particularly at the C-suite level within our community. And then broader studies would then show that we were about, about half of what other cities are as far as the kind of vice president and up level. So we were very underrepresented. And so it was those discussions and then a group of incredible volunteers who would serve on an executive committee, on advisory boards, those who stepped up as sponsors, including, you know, some of our close friends that we just shared. You know, that is really how the origins of TALY began.

Wow. You know, Evan, this reminds me of something that really bothers me. In the disability world. When I call companies, now they're being more open, but when I would call companies, hey, I'm, you know, Joyce Bender, we're trying to find opportunities for people with disabilities, I cannot begin to tell you, maybe 98% or 95% of the time, this is what we said, you know what, We have openings in call center. I think people with disabilities would be great in the call center because we have tremendous turnover, and I know people with disabilities are really loyal. And so, you know, let's look at our, let's look at our call center. But that's it. Not, hi. Well, you know, it's changed now a little, thank God, that we're looking at all different areas. But I'm telling you, It reminds me of the African American community. Why does, why does people think, why do people think that every African American wants to be in D&I?

Hmm.

Do you know what I mean? You'll go to a company, do you have any executive level African Americans? Oh yeah, so-and-so is the senior vice president. Over, you know, diversity initiatives or in human resources. You know, what about account? You know, what about C-suite? What about CIO? What about all these other positions?

It's the same thing, right?

Get categorized into one area. We get categorized into one area. Now, as I said, it's far more It's so much better now, but we still have 70% of people with disabilities not counted in the workforce, and you, Evan, definitely have your work cut out for you right here in Western Pennsylvania. So what you're doing is so great, and we're going to talk about it, uh, a little more when we come back, uh, from our news break, which we have our news on the half hour., and it is with our own Perry Jude Radesik, CEO of Disability Rights of Pennsylvania, which I'm proud to serve on the board. She is a national leader. She's been with me for 5 years as we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. Perry, welcome.

Hi Joyce, welcome to 20 years, and it's been great to be a part of that for 5.

So yes, yes.

And we like— you know what, Perry? We're going to be scheduling Theo Berry on. So when I sent him an invite, I said, and by the way, my newscaster really loves you, Perry Jude Radesic. Only place in the country though, only place that does what we do, which is weekly news for the disability community. So, Perry, what do you have for us today?

Well, Joyce, on Wednesday— this is last Wednesday, February 15th— our own Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman had checked himself into Walter Reed National Medical Center. Now, according to a statement released by the senator's office, Senator Fetterman is now voluntarily receiving treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed. His office stated that he has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, and it only became more severe in recent weeks, and the Fetterman family has asked for privacy, um, during this time. Now, clinical depression is a more severe form of depression, and We know depression can range from temporary experiences of sadness to really major depressive episodes. But I have to say, Joyce, the community response has been overwhelmingly supportive of Senator Fetterman. Fellow lawmakers have stepped forward to share their experiences with depression and have offered support to the senator. This is just a short list. But they include U.S. Senator Tina Smith from Minnesota, who— and Representative Ritchie Torres from New York, who both have talked about their experiences with depression. In fact, Representative Torres has spoken about his own hospitalization for depression. Heidi Cruz, the wife of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and former Representative Patrick Kennedy, uh, have all come forward, as has Representative Susan Wild, who's a Democrat here in Pennsylvania. The disability community, Joyce, also has stepped forward to use the moment to challenge mental health stigma. Uh, AAPD, which is the American Association of People with Disabilities, uh, has said that they are proud of Senator Fetterman for being open about his mental health and seeking treatment for his needs. The National Disability Rights Network treated kudos to Senator Fetterman for being open and transparent about his mental health. Now advocacy matters, and we say the best way to end mental health stigma is to be open and honest with our experience with mental health. We do think honesty breaks down those barriers and helps others move into recovery for mental health. Everyone should be able to receive mental health support and treatment without being stigmatized, and we applaud Senator Fetterman for sharing with the public that he prioritizes his mental health. And Joyce, that's our news for the week.

Perry, you cannot believe how proud I am of him. As you know, at the Bender Leadership Academy, we have the Mary Brooker Mental Health Initiative that includes the national initiative Not Ashamed, which just today I was sending a text to Valerie Jarrett to make sure she saw her clip at the Bender Leadership Academy about being supportive of Not Ashamed. But we also had Brett Hundley from the NFL do the same thing. And you know what? We've had congressmen. So, you know, I'm going to have our person that is on retainer for Not Ashamed to reach out to Senator Fetterman, because this is what it's all about. Ty Herndon is a famous country star. He's gonna be on my radio show in a couple months. And he did a video for us saying, you know, I live with bipolar disorder. This is what I've gone through in my life. These have been my obstacles, not ashamed. And that is what we wanna do with Senator Fetterman right here from Pennsylvania. Perry, before you go, Guess where I first met him?

Absolutely.

At Evan's mother's funeral.

I know exactly where you first met him. I believe I do. You know, and I'll never— I just, if I could just say, John Fetterman, I am also, like you mentioned, Joyce, so proud of Senator Fetterman. You know, I remember when John Fetterman worked directly with the Hill House. He ran our out-of-school youth program out in the Braddock area. And this is, you know, before he became mayor of Braddock and before, you know, those things. He was just an incredible force out in that area, you know, running programs. He was also developing his own community center at the time. So the entire time I was there, you know, I just, I remember the opportunity to build a relationship there. And then to see him then become mayor, to help transform Braddock as a city that was on the recovery, then to see him go on to become Lieutenant Governor and now U.S. Senator. I mean, how proud I am to see someone who I would regard as, you not only an associate, but as a friend, to really follow his passion and his dream for public service and community service and to do it at the highest levels. I mean, he is one of those people, if he's in it, he is seriously in it. He is serious as a heart attack. He is just that committed to the community. And I love the fact that he is open enough in this time where when it comes to mental health, once again, he has become coming. You know, he is really showing the type of leadership and impact that he can have in the community through his personal example.

Yes. And, and, uh, what was that he had on tattooed on his arm from Braddock? Something with Braddock, right? Didn't he have—

I didn't hear the whole thing, Joyce. I'm so sorry.

Oh, oh, he had a tattoo on his arm.

Oh yeah, he tattooed the, uh, the zip code of Braddock. Yes, because of how committed he was to serving the youth in that community and, and the people of that community. And he turned a community that had significant violence, uh, there was a lot of violence, gang violence even in that area. And his personal example of how he reached out and how committed he was on a deep personal level really made a difference to the point where, you know, there was— and I don't know the exact stats, but basically there were no killings that, like, for an extended period of time because of the work he was doing directly in that community. I mean, really amazing.

Well, Perry, that's where I first met him at. Evan's mother had a fundraiser and I went to their home for the fundraiser and I still have the shirt I bought and I still wear it. Fetterman. And now when he was running for senator, I got another long sleeve shirt. But boy, am I proud of him. I am proud of him. So, Perry, thank you so much, and you'll have to keep us, uh, up to date on that.

I will, Joyce.

Thank you. Thanks for calling, Perry. Thanks for the news. Yeah, yeah. I, I want to tell you, Evan, that was the first time I met him or saw him, and when he walked in, I said, what? This is Fetterman? Oh my God, he's so big! He's It's so big. But you know what, isn't that amazing that it fits into the Bender Leadership Academy, Not Ashamed. And Evan is on our board, and what we are doing is helping high school students with disabilities prepare for work, build leadership skills, mental health initiative, not ashamed, dealing with bullying, and we have the Jarek Community Engagement. So, named after Valerie, teaching people one simple thing: vote.

How to vote.

Absolutely. So, and we're thrilled, Evan, to have you on the board, and you can share with our listeners, how powerful are those students when they speak?

Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh my goodness. Well, what an honor it is to be on the board of the Bender Leadership Academy. And when I sit in those meetings and you bring in the, you know, some of the young folks who went through the academy, and oh my goodness, you are transforming lives through the academy and the work that you are doing. You could see the passion. You could see the ambition. You could see the promise in each and every one of them that comes to share. And what an incredible feeling it is to sit there, to hear their story, and to hear, you know, the struggle that they've gone through and the level of achievement that they're experiencing, recognizing there's still much more to go. You're doing something very special there, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Well, I'm proud. Where you are a great board member. You should be an example to all board members. You know that Evan has introduced us to people that has caused grants to come our way. He has done so much. I mean, he's just a great board member. I'm just lucky I was able to get you because I know how many millions of things you're involved with, Evan. But I did want to ask you. 2, a few questions about Tally. Number 1, if a company is listening to the program, because remember folks, if you want someone else to hear this, it's on Spotify, benderconsult.com, voiceamerica.com. You can hear any of the old shows and share this podcast with others. Um, so, and, and Evan, even National World Institute on Disability put this podcast somewhere on their website because that way when they hear you, they know to keep hearing what it's about. I'm wanting to know, how does a company sponsor Tally?

Oh wow, yeah, well, well, thank you for asking the question. So, so, um, you know, Tally, our mission is to cultivate Black executive leadership to strengthen companies, institutions, and communities. And really our focus is to get companies to invest in their Black talent. That's really kind of the model that we use. And, and so very often what companies will do, there are occasions where they'll identify talent in their organization and then sponsor them to go through either our executive program called the Executive Leadership Academy or Emerging Leaders Program by paying the tuition for them to go through. For those who get accepted into the program. But more often, companies become sponsors. And when you become sponsors at certain levels, what it does is it helps to reserve a space for your company in the various programs. And so that as companies are looking to really build and to develop their leadership within their organization. They see TALEE as a partner that works with them in investing in their Black talent. Not only do we put people through world-class executive programs through Carnegie Mellon, through the Tepper School of Business, we bring in faculty from across the country in very specialized areas to be able to be a part of, you know, the delivery service that we provide.. But then what we do is we partner with our sponsors. Our sponsors do a couple things. I mean, it's not— there is— while there are branding opportunities and those kind of things, more— it's also opportunities where they can invest in their talent, work with their talent development teams to be able to make sure that they're providing these enriched opportunities for their diverse, particularly Black professionals and executives, depending upon which program they have, they are really choosing to be a part of. And so people can go to our website and contact us, talleyinstitute.org, or they can reach out to me personally in any way. But basically, as a sponsor, they, it allows at different levels, it will allow them to reserve space in our cohorts. And our cohorts are all competitive programs. And so it is important, particularly if they're looking to not just want on a one-time basis, say, we'll put someone in your program this year, but to say, hey, we're going to continuously invest in our own Black talent. And this sponsorship allows them to be able to reserve a space space so that they can continuously do that, continuously look for ways to invest in their diverse— the diversity of their teams.

And I just want— that is so fabulous. Remember Evan Fraser, he brought this dream to reality founding Tally in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University. Another question, Evan, how Is there a certain level people have to be, even if it's for emerging leaders, for companies to refer them, and how are they selected?

So, yes, yes. So for the executive program, it's a minimum of 10 years of professional work experience. Tend to be people who are at least at middle management, if not executive roles. So, it tends to be directors and vice presidents within corporations. Within the nonprofit or public side, it might be an executive director or, or for a large nonprofit or public institution, might be a number 2 person who aspires to the number 1 person in that organization. So, that tends to be the focus for the Executive Leadership Academy. For the Emerging Leaders, well, it's, we simply require at least a minimum of 3 to 5 years of professional experience. And in both programs, it usually— most, most people have not only degrees, but graduate degrees, and often, but we do recommend at least a bachelor's degree, you know, through most programs. And for the Emerging Leaders Program, It's usually people, they could be individual contributors or early managers. It could be either, but typically at least 3 to 5 years of professional experience and, and really some demonstrated spark of leadership is really what we're looking for as well. We're looking for those who are looking to advance and to better not only their own career, but also have greater impact in the community as well.

I'll tell you, that is so wonderful. Uh, one more time, what's that website, Evan, in case a business person listening wants to refer someone?

It's, uh, just www.tali, T-A-L-I, institute.org. That's taliinstitute.org.

So what if you are not through a company but want to go to Tally? How does that work?

Uh, did you say, uh, if they're not like—

say you're an independent, you're an entrepreneur like me, someone like me. Yes. Uh, because didn't Nina go through that Tally Blackwell?

Yes. Yeah, Nina. Yes, she did. She was an entrepreneur, went through the program, and, uh, Nisha Blackwell is incredible. Which she also did volunteering for Bender Leadership Academy was phenomenal. And so she's just a prime example of one of our graduates from the Emerging Leaders Program. She's an incredible entrepreneur, just really doing great things out there. And so I believe your initial question, Joyce, was that you wanted to know how people would get into the—

Yes.

Go through the process or—

Yeah, yeah.

I want to make sure I'm answering the question correctly here.

That's correct. How would they go through the process?

Yeah, so people can actually go to our website and apply right on our website. And so if you're an entrepreneur, They would— and people were with companies. They would go to our website, apply. What we tend to do is for people coming from companies, we would then also have them reach out to their representatives in their company because our plan is not to have the individuals put the financial burden on their own shoulders. It really is to get the companies to invest in their Black talent., right, in their, in their talent. And so we want the companies to play a vested role and have skin in the game. And as a result, we're, we're seeing a lot of tremendous results. Our first cohort back in 20, 2019, within 2 years, 87% of them had received promotions or significant additional responsibilities. We just tracked our 2020 class after a full 2 years, and I believe the number was about 96%. And so we're seeing real progress, real advancement, and part of it is because, you know, the way that it's structured, the companies are vested, the individual going through the program is vested. There's a whole TALE community of mentors, and thank you, Joyce Bender, for volunteering to be a mentor with our executive leadership Academy this year. We're so grateful. They're invested and we have volunteers, board members. We have a whole community that's surrounding both the people who are going through the program and then the alumni and then the alumni activities. So we're finding that it works. It has become— we have more than a 90% retention level for our region, for which is really significant when we're trying to attract and retain diverse talent in our region. We can demonstrate that it's happening here.

Oh, that is so fantastic. I, you know, I would tell every company listening or entrepreneur, whatever, from the African American community to check this out right away. But we got to take a quick break for our what's going on at Bender. I think Chris is with us. Chris Griffin, are you with us?

I am. How are you, Joyce?

I'm good, Chris Griffin. And Chris, what is going on at Bender?

Well, we've got some great opportunities right now. We have a great executive director position for a person with a disability working— it would be the chief executive officer of APRRL. APRRL is the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living Centers. And this is a fabulous remote, totally remote position. There is some travel required to visit members and funders, but for the most part, you can work from anywhere in the United States, and you would oversee this organization of 260 members that are rural independent living centers, meaning that they're in rural areas serving people with disabilities who live in rural areas. And I think we all know that people with disabilities who live in rural areas have a different set of needs and challenges. And this person would be overseeing the membership association of this— of these independent living centers. And it really is a great opportunity, but you need to have experience, at least 7 years experience working for an independent living center or a statewide independent living council. So that job is open and we encourage— it's open until it's filled, but the serious candidates should really get their applications in by March 1st. And all you need to do is send a resume and cover letter to me at cgryffin@cgriffin@bendaconsult.com. Just do that. Do it by March 1st, hopefully, and we'll consider you for that position. In addition to that, we have a couple of other great openings that are happening. They aren't posted yet, but one will be the Executive Director for the Washington Disability Rights Washington, which is the Washington Protection Advocacy Agency. And we have another one that's very close to posting that will be for the Executive Chief— Executive Director for Disability Rights Maryland. And those are two great opportunities. They, you know, want a person with a disability to lead an organization that serves people with disabilities in the state of Maryland. And then the other one is in the state of Washington. So those are two other great opportunities that will be posted very soon, and I'll hopefully be back on your show talking about those in more detail once they're posted. And we have some other things that we're working on but aren't for public consumption yet, but those are other great opportunities for people with disabilities that are coming to fruition. So it's very exciting.

It's fun. Yeah, so awesome. And if you're listening right now, you think— oh, I said if you're listening, whoever's listening to the show and you're thinking, oh, I know this organization, get in touch with Chris. One caveat: we will not work with you unless it's a person with a disability you're hiring for that executive role. That's a must. Now, yeah, you go ahead and get in touch with Chris no matter what. If you're at the executive level and you're thinking, not right for April or Marilyn, but I would be interested in, you know, if something turns up, go ahead and reach out to Chris. She is building a big database of people, uh, because, you know, although there isn't If there's not something right for you today, there can be something for you tomorrow. And Chris, you also found the executive director for NDRN, correct?

Yes, NDRN. Malene Asayo has been in that position for about 4 or 5 months now, and that was a great search, and it was National Disability Rights Network, which is also a member Association, like APRIL, only this is the association of all the protection advocacy agencies across the country. So the Disability Rights, uh, for every state, uh, is a legally based organization and they're members of NDRN. So yep, we did that search, but more recently I completed the search for the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers. Another association that is— their members are all the independent living centers in the state of California, and that was a great group to work with. And their new director, Brett Eisenberg, will be starting on March 1st, next week, so that's very exciting too.

Another great person. Well, Chris, thank you. We'll have you back again keeping up up to date with all these great things going on at Bender. Thanks. Thank you for that update.

All right. Thank you. All right. Take care.

Bye-bye. Okay. Bye-bye. You know what? It's so great, uh, Evan, to be working on executive-level positions. You know what I mean?

Absolutely.

Absolutely. Yes. Well, before we end the show today, I wanted to ask you, Evan, what message do you have for our listeners?

Nurse? That's a great question. It's a great way to end the program today. So I would say the message I would have is that, you know, as we talk about, you know, as you think about the future either for yourself or you think about it for if you're representing a company, is that it's important to be deliberate. Deliberate about, you know, building for the future. It's important to be deliberate about diversity and inclusion because those are the things, you know, the things that really have a lasting impact. It's not something that becomes a fleeting thought one day and then out the door the next day. It's those things that you believe in, in that you're taking deliberate steps to advancing for the future. So, as you think about yourself from a personal career standpoint, you know, it's what is your vision? You know, how— what kind of plan are you building towards that vision? And how do you align and have the right attitude that's going to be in alignment with your vision, right? And but it's the same thing as I think about companies that if diversity and, and and inclusion is an important component. It cannot be a one-time thing. It has got to be something that you are actively and deliberately and consistently building towards. And that is what we do at Tally. It is, we are, we recognize that, you know, from a corporate standpoint, it is important to be partners so that as you are deliver, as you are deliberately moving towards creating a more diverse, inclusive culture, creating more leaders, diverse leaders in your organization, it is a process and it has to be over a period of time. So be deliberate. You know, be thoughtful. Be consistent. And really take the time and aspire for greater, greater things here.

Thank you for those words. And Evan, thank you so Thank you so much for being with us. We end every show with a quote. This person, like me, had epilepsy. I have epilepsy, but she lived with epilepsy also. "Don't ever stop, keep going if you want a taste of freedom," said Harriet Tubman. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice. Where Disability Matters at voiceamerica.com. Talk to you all next week, and in the words of Mary Brooker, choose joy.

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. Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.