Kellogg's Commitment to Hiring People with Disabilities and Its COVID-19 Policy

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, welcome to the show and happy ADA year! You know, this is the 30th anniversary this year and we are celebrating it the entire year, and that's I have to have a special shout out to Yoshiko. Yoshiko Dart, we love you. She is the wife of the late Justin Dart Jr. If you've ever seen that photograph of the day on the South Lawn of the White House that President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, July 26th, 1990, you will see seated up there by him in a wheelchair wearing his cowboy hat, Justin Dart, Yoshiko's late husband, who was a general and great disability rights advocate for all of us. So Yoshiko, happy ADA 30, lead on. And also, oh, to my two friends, Richard Roberts in Okinawa, and Gangyung in Seoul, South Korea. And now I have a new friend, Cheryl Harris in Tunisia. Okay, so if you missed the show a few weeks ago, we had Richard Roberts from the embassy in Japan with guests, and we did have the translation as we spoke Japanese to English, English to Japanese. What a great show. If you missed it, You've got to go back and listen to that show. Got to go back and hear it. And all of the countries in the world that listen to the show, I have to say thank you, especially China. We have a large listening audience, but every country, even if there's just one listener, you've got to tell other people about the show. Got to spread the news. Got to let other people know. And if you want to reach me, Joyce Bender at benderconsult.com. Thank you, Highmark, for being a lead sponsor for years. Thank you for our new sponsors, Peoples Natural Gas, and the real rock star here, Wells Fargo, and the Employment Options. All of you companies, you're doing so much to help other people living with disabilities. As is our superstar guest today. You know what, I gotta tell you, I love this woman from the first time I met her. She is the real deal. I mean it. And I'll give you an example in a little bit. But Priscilla, Priscilla Korentang is the Vice President of Global Talent at Kellogg's Company, and she is a real dynamic person of inclusion. I just love her. I'm so thrilled she's on the show. Priscilla, welcome to the show.

Thank you, Joyce Bender. I am very excited to be here.

Well, I'm excited to have you here. And since we have our listeners across the United States and the world, you grew up in Ghana. What is diversity like in that country?

Yeah, Joyce, so thank you again for having me. So I grew up in Ghana. I lived in different parts of the country. My mother was a teacher and my father was a politician. And I am the first of 5 children. And so I have 5, 4 incredible brothers, 2 sets of twins. And they keep me very much on my toes. And, you know, growing up, you know, what does diversity mean in Ghana? So when you think about Ghana, Ghana is very diverse. So Ghana has a very rich culture of 9 major ethnic tribes with different foods, languages, traditions, religion, and different ways of life. And every aspect of our culture is unique and filled with so much history and traditional norms. And even though we were colonized by the British, and so our education system is, you know, reflects the British system, and English is the official language, what is interesting about the Ghanaian culture is that we preserved our traditional norms, even with the influence of Western civilization. And so, you know, we embrace people from all walks of life. We, we celebrate every event, you know. And if you have seen some of our videos around, you know, when kids are, when we have babies, we celebrate. We celebrate throughout life, and it is very important in the Ghanaian culture that from a diversity standpoint, that when people visit you, that you make them feel very welcome. Now, as we are on the topic of diversity, I want to point out something that's very dear to my heart, which is around people with disability. You know, the Ghanaian community has come a long way, and I want to see us improve in this area. You know, growing up, I would see people who had disabilities and would be ridiculed. And people with mental problems did not have a safe haven. And so there were a lot of people who had various mental issues that were either on the street, or, you know, begging on the, you know, on the sidelines, or just, you know, being taken to prayer camps. And I think that the laws have changed and continue to change, but I want to see more of that, if you ask me. And so from a diversity standpoint, I am very, always very proud of the Ghanaian culture and what it represents. But I would say, you know, as we continue to form around our, the areas of disability, I want to Well, I'm not surprised about that.

I think I, I, I had talked to Priscilla about this, that I sponsor a lot of children throughout Africa through World Vision, and the very first child was Suleymana, and he, his family was not in but outside of Accra. Is that the right— Accra? Is that the capital?

Yeah, that's the capital.

Yeah, yeah. And now, is that where you lived, that city? Did you live there?

Yes, Joyce, I lived in Accra. I lived in Cape Coast. I lived in, um, Takoradi, which is in the Western Region, and other parts of Ghana as well.

Well, whatever are the most furthest outskirts, you know, where it's, uh, more of a rural area That's where Suleymana lived, but every time I think about him, I think about you because of these stories that you've told me. So that is, that is a great, just a great depiction of, you know, what's going on in Ghana. So Priscilla, you chose a career in HR and then you moved into diversity and inclusion. But first, how about if before you tell us why you did that, maybe we should start with you telling our listeners what you do right now at Kellogg's.

Sure. So at Kellogg's, I have the honor and privilege to be the Vice President of Talent Management and Chief Diversity Officer, and my role encompasses about 5 different things. And so let me translate that. So how we hire people, right? So bringing people into the organization, how we develop them once they get into the organization, right? How we help our managers and our leaders become better leaders, right? So leadership development, how we provide for our employees in in terms of developing their career. So we have a lot of learning solutions within my department that we deploy to our population to help them grow within Kellogg and also within their career. I also manage a group that looks at our analytics, right? So as we hire people, as we promote people, as we develop people, we want to see to see how we are doing. And as people know, you know, data is, is fact. And so I manage a group that looks at workforce analytics to see how, you know, our data is trending. And from a diversity standpoint, to look at our representation. Are we promoting people? Are we developing people? How are we attracting people to the organization? So I manage a group. That looks at that. I also manage a group that leads diversity and inclusion. And so within diversity and inclusion, my, my role is to attract the best talent into Kellogg and really stretch our diversity agenda to encompass everyone who wants to be part of our organization. And when they get there, create an inclusive environment that makes them stay and feel like they belong. And so that's my job in a nutshell. And it's a very exciting job. I get to work with all of our leaders, including our CEO, to really drive that agenda. And I'm very proud of Kellogg and the work that we do.

Well, hey, Kellogg, when you listen to this show or hear the podcast again, you got a gold mine when you got Priscilla. So, just want to make sure everyone knows that. So, Priscilla, what, what made you go into human resources? And then how did you move from that to diversity and inclusion?

Sure.

So, as a young girl, I wanted to become a lawyer and be in the courtroom. Why? Because I wanted to to defend the marginalized in the society. I wanted to help people to get to their goals in life. And as a young girl, I would give advice to kids my age. But, you know, as I sit back now, I think my HR career actually started before I knew it. So my father, who was a politician, and in my opinion, a really great one, would seek my opinion. So he was a chief executive, and he would always ask me what I thought. He would travel with me to different villages of Ghana, and I would experience firsthand how he interacted with people, and I will give him feedback. And, you know, I will give him feedback around, you know, kids' education, bringing clean water, and I was very, very passionate about it. And one thing, Joyce Bender, I would share, every morning, you know, my dad lived in a bungalow, a government bungalow, and every morning there would be a pool of people at the front gate wanting to speak to my dad. And if I did not have school, I would go and ask them questions, you know, "What do you need? Everything okay?" And I heard a lot of stories. I think that shaped my career around, you know, thinking about people, and what people need, and how can I help. So I started my career actually in England when I moved to England many years ago to pursue work and my education. And I worked in— my first job was a personnel type of— personnel manager they called me. So I would deal with hiring people and doing the paperwork. And I really enjoyed it. You know, I— it was the best time of my life. And I grew to love the impact that HR would have on organizations. And when I moved to the U.S. about 19 years ago, I continued to pursue my career in, in HR. And, you know, I love creating programs that help people grow and achieve their aspirations. Diversity and inclusion to me must be part of every leader's job. And that's why for me, you know, it always has, it has been embedded in my job. And about 3 years ago, Joyce Bender, when I was with DXC, and DXC asked me to take a combined D&I and talent role, that was the perfect role for me because, you know, to me, I didn't see diversity and inclusion as a standalone function. I saw it as part of how we hire, how we promote people, how we develop people, how we create an inclusive environment. And so that became my, my job, and I carried that to Kellogg. And, you know, I every day, you know, when I reflect upon my job from a diversity standpoint or from a talent standpoint, what I think about is, is not just, hey, diversity is nice to do, but it's how can I make sure that every single manager who makes a decision to hire, to promote, to retain talent is able to embed diversity and inclusion in their day-to-day. And that's, that's what makes this job very exciting. And, and to me, when I think about my career, that's how my job has evolved into and And I love it. I love every aspect of what I do.

So you didn't see talent programs and diversity as separate, did you?

No. Yeah, exactly so, Joyce, because a lot of people talk about diversity as a concept. And to me, when you talk about true diversity, what makes the difference?, right, in corporate America is when managers understand the various elements of diversity and are able to make decisions every single day with a diversity lens. So if you treat it as a concept that sits somewhere that's managed by HR, it doesn't work. You have to embed it in your day-to-day because it is a business imperative. If you're making decisions to hire people, it is a business imperative. Imperative. And so to me, that's what it should be, and that's how I treat it.

Wow, I'll tell you what, that is so impressive. I'll be quoting you. Isn't that the way I wish it was everywhere? Because you know it's not. A lot of times, Priscilla, it's diversity inclusion over there to the right, and then it's over here, diversity and inclusion. And it really should not be like that. You're right, it should be part of talent programs. I mean, that should be one thing. But, you know, at least, thank goodness, we have people like you out there, uh, doing the right thing. And I think anyone listening to the show, you can tell why I love this woman so much with, uh, just her whole philosophy of everything that she thinks and does. Um, so I'm going to go ahead and tell everyone a little story. Okay, so I met Priscilla, and like, I could not believe that when I met her, she was so excited about hiring people with disabilities. I mean, it wasn't like that I had to, you know, if you hire people, it's a return on investment, you know. I didn't even have to go through any of this. She was excited about hiring people, but then she left DXC Technology and went to Kellogg. And when she went there, I'm gonna tell you, and I'm sorry to tell you this, but I want to tell you what happens. Not all the time, but maybe 50 to 60% of the time, that's it. I don't hear from that person again. I hear from maybe like the top person or someone that believed in this, but a lot of times that's it. I don't hear from them again. Well, Priscilla was like only in this job, I don't know, such a short time, it seems like it was one day, and she called and told me, Joyce, I want to tell you, I want to work with you. Now I have to do a few things because I just got here. I want to make this happen. I want to tell you something. She purchased iDisability, our software product on training people, you know, how to communicate with people with disabilities, so fast. I mean, I couldn't believe it. How she did all this so quickly. So if you're a person with a disability and you're listening to this show right now, I just want you to know this woman is the real deal because that is where the rubber meets the road, is hiring people or following up on training the way I just told you that she did. And Priscilla, you'll be very excited to know that we now have 4 1 million business users on our platform of iDisability.

Joyce, that's amazing, and I want to see that number keep growing. You guys are doing phenomenal work, and I'm so proud of you. So that's incredible.

Well, it takes someone like you, Priscilla. I mean, you are just the most wonderful person, Ah, I'm just so impressed with you. And I have to tell you, I see why you went to Kellogg, because I saw diversity and inclusion not set aside somewhere, but as part of the key initiatives on your website when I went and read your website. And it seems like this company has always been oriented, I mean, in history, because I was reading about the company before, you know, the show. It seems like they've had a commitment ongoing to diversity. Is that true? I mean, how do you see it?

Yeah, so Joyce, you know, again, you know, from our top leaders to our employees, diversity is part and parcel of what we do. So, I'll go back to our overall strategy that we have, and it starts with our leadership commitment, right, and accountability. And our leaders are very committed to driving a workforce that reflects our consumers. And, you know, people from all walks of life, Joyce, buy our products, and our workforce must reflect that. And so our leaders make every effort to really support the diversity agenda, to really support in creating an inclusive culture, and they get involved. You know, they get involved in hiring, they get involved when we get to sit down and talk about people, when we get— when we talk about promotion, and they provide us with the right resources to really drive the agenda. And I— and I think for every company, you know, that's what should happen, which is when the leaders get involved, when you have the right buy-in, and when you see it as a business imperative, then it propels your success. And to me, that's what we have at Kellogg.

Yeah, I can tell. And I could tell by how it was emphasized on the website. And as I said, how it seems like it has been an ongoing thing. And Priscilla, what— it makes such a difference when the CEO is bought into all of this, doesn't it?

It does. It does. I'll tell you this. I'll tell you this story. When we were going to have a big 30 for 30 celebration and, you know, talk about ADA and how it's changed the workplace and and do a ton of activities to commemorate that. And when we were not able to do that because of COVID we could not bring a lot of people together at the same time. We were also going through the racial unrest, and we were, you know, we went through a lot of education, Joyce, to educate our population. We had lots of town halls. And so that was happening in July and August. And when our CEO actually sent a message. We call it shoulder to shoulder. And he talked about eye disability. He talked about ADA. And he talked about how important it is for us to continue to support people with disabilities. I thought that was phenomenal because in that moment, right, You know, think about everything that we had to deal with, and he took the time to send that shoulder-to-shoulder, it's like a blog, to the entire organization. I thought that was phenomenal. So, yeah, so that's how committed our leaders are. I'll tell you, Joyce, the other piece that is fascinating is our CEO meets with our employee resource groups. And our, um, Executive Committee actually sponsor our employee resource groups. So, for example, you know, we have Executive Committee members who sponsor, you know, K-Pride and Allies. We have our president of Canada who reports to our North America president, who is the champion for K-PABLE, which is our business employee resource resource group for disability. So, you know, you can imagine the effort and the commitment that our leaders have. And I'll tell you one story. Last year, last December, I was with our CEO and some of his direct— so our exec com and some of our Kellogg North America leaders. And we were reviewing our diversity year-to-date program and talking, the BERGs were talking about some of the work that they've done throughout the year. And Vice Chair Gary Pilnick, he, when he heard what the CAPABLE group had done, he said, you know, sign me up for mental health. I want to be a champion for mental health. So you can see our leaders get involved. And when leaders get involved, You know, good outcomes happen, right? And so that is how it is working, and that is some of— those are some of the examples that I can share with you today, Joyce.

Are we— are you talking about— I mean, when you were talking about the CEO, is that Steve?

Steve Callahan?

Callahan, yes. I just want to say to you that I am so impressed by your leadership, Steve, and what you're doing because, you know, you're changing lives. And thank you for including ADA30. And with that, we have our news break on the half hour Advocacy Matters with Perry Jude Radesik. Perry Jude, welcome to the show.

¡Hey! Thanks, Joyce Bender.

Well, today we want to talk about Congress, what's happening in October. So many disability advocates in the United States are gearing up for the November 3rd election, but many of us are still focused on Congress. We're so waiting for that COVID relief package. So, both the House of Representatives and the Senate should right now be in a district work period until after the November election, but that's really not what's happening behind the scenes. The U.S. House of Representatives is still negotiating with the White House on a deal for the fourth COVID relief bill. The negotiations have been on and off, then on and off, but they're still happening. So the House is recessed. The members have until November 16th, but leadership continues to seek a deal on a COVID relief package with the White House. Over in the Senate, they too were scheduled to be in a district work period. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell intends to call all senators back on October 19th to look at a small COVID relief package. Now, we have information about all of that at disabilityrightspa.org. Now, the biggest issue on all of our plates is the U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary. They started their hearings on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. And, of course, again, if you go to disabilityrightspa.org, You'll find information there from the Center for Public Representation and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Both have information out about Judge Barrett's record and any concerns the disability community might have about her record on disability rights issue. So again, if you go to disabilityrightspa.org, you'll find that information. So the Senate Judiciary Committee has hearings going on right now and through Thursday on Judge Barrett. We have those links. You can livestream those hearings. They're happening— they started yesterday and they will be going on through Thursday. So 50 disability rights organizations sent a letter to Senate leadership expressing their opposition to Judge Barrett. We have a link to that letter as well. So advocacy matters. So it's important that you educate yourself about Judge Barrett's record and then decide for yourself what you want to do about Judge Barrett's record and writing to your senators. We have a link to contact your senators as well. So that's Advocacy Matters for today, Joyce Bender.

Thank you so much. And Perry Jude, before you go, I just want to mention to all my listeners that— and please, if you share this show or if you're listening on demand, because many, many people listen to the show on demand, you know, because they can't listen in the daytime. And all you have to do, by the way, is go to Apple or Spotify and you can subscribe to the show. But if you're listening right now And you're in Pennsylvania. Although this show is heard around the world, I am in the state of Pennsylvania. We've had some issues in voting where people with disabilities, you know, they went, it wasn't accessible, or some type of voter suppression, or actually fear of things going on. So what I'm going to do, I— my show, can you believe this, it's on election day. And I'm going to have a couple people on, and one is Perry Jude, so that if you have any issues, you can call into Voice America. They'll get us the information right away and we can tell you what to do. So, um, be ready. Perry Jude will be on with us the whole hour on the day of the election. Uh, and Perry Jude, thank you for all of your advocacy. Again, Pennsylvania Disability Rights of Pennsylvania, disabilityrightsofpennsylvania.org. Go read all of that great information. Thank you, Perry Jude.

Sure, take care, Joyce.

Bye. So, you know, to me the key thing, folks, is education. No matter what you do, no matter who you vote for, um, and this is a democracy, so of course no matter who you want to vote for, you can, but you need to be educated. You can't just listen to one a station or whatever, you've got to be educated. And Priscilla, since we're talking about people with disabilities, I've said before that you are to me a champion because of your commitment to people with disabilities. And, and not everyone sadly is like that, or we wouldn't be that 70% of people with disabilities are not counted in the workforce. So why, why are you so committed, Priscilla?

So first of all, Joyce Bender, my philosophy is this: I believe the workplace must belong to everybody, and everybody must belong in the workplace regardless of how differently they are abled, or regardless of their race, their national origin, gender, sexual orientation. Joyce, I have not shared this with you extensively. I grew up with one of the smartest women, my maternal grandmother, who at the age of 12 got injured in one foot. And due to the lack of access to proper healthcare, she ended up with a deformed foot. But her disability did not stop her to become a great farmer., and trader who took care of her children, and many others. She was named Eno, which is an honorary name given to mother figures who do a great job in the society. And she taught me a lot of lessons, a lot of life lessons, and I'm forever grateful to her. But she also taught me something, that every fight 'it is worth it.' And so whatever I do in corporate America, I always think about my grandmother whispering to me and saying, you know, Efia, which is my Ghanaian name, 'Every fight is worth it.' My 10-year-old son, Harold, who is differently abled, has taught me a lot. Harold is the smartest person on earth. I mean, he surprises me me every single day. He is still working on his speech, and we are helping him. But he has the most creative thoughts. And Joyce Bender, he has created his own books. He is a great author. He is an illustrator. And recently, during COVID you know what he did? He went on YouTube. He created his own YouTube channel. And now he has his characters and his stories on YouTube. And, you know, he's just fascinating, and he's taught me a lot. Last year, one of his special ed teachers called me in tears and said, you know, I just observed something I just wanted you to know. And apparently his general ed class teacher had ignored him for the most part. And so I had to go to the school and and give them some education. But because of that, Joyce, my passion to fight for the rights of people with disabilities and to make sure that I create a better workplace for everybody to thrive in is so important to me. And it goes beyond my personal experience. It is what I see in society. In society. It is what I want to make sure that happens in corporate America. It is what I think we can do beyond the basics of talking about helping people with disability or hiring people with disability. I think there's more we can do. And so that's why I'm very passionate about it, Joyce Bender. And, you know, I will keep fighting for the right policies for the right procedures, for the right benefits wherever I go, and to educate my organization wherever I am to make sure that we continue the focus, because that to me is very important, and it is a business imperative. Because sometimes we, we don't tap into the genius and the skills that are available, and sometimes people with disabilities people with disabilities are overlooked. And I want to make sure that, you know, from my standpoint as an individual, I do everything that I can to create a workplace that people can thrive in. And so that's why I'm passionate about it.

Wow, that is a great story. First, your grandmother. Wow, that is a phenomenal story. That really is, because she didn't— You know, this is how people with disabilities are though. They don't let anything stop them, even though people think that they don't. And then about your son, here he is on YouTube. He'll probably end up being some, uh, you know, multi-millionaire with these characters he's coming up with. But once again, do not label people. Do not label people because you really don't know how smart they are and how much they could contribute to your company. This is the problem. You don't know what you don't know. And that is why I was so committed to the software product Eye Disability, because I know that stigma and lack of education are part of the problem. So I wanted to do something you know, to change that. So that is awesome, Priscilla, really awesome. As you know, all of us are dealing with this horrible COVID-19 around the world, and I was wondering what, what is Kellogg doing for employees in reference to COVID-19? What, what are you doing at your company?

Absolutely. It's a great question because, you know, Joyce, I am so proud of the company that I work for. I'm proud of Kellogg. When COVID hit us, Kellogg was very great to respond to the changing needs of our employees, our customers, and our community. The health and safety of our employees remain a top priority for this pandemic. And for all our employees, we continuously provide a lot of communication. I'll tell you, this Joyce Bender, one of the things that happened was the company quickly made a decision. So, for all of our salaries, for most of our salaried employees, the decision was made to continue to work from home. And so, we all came home sometime in March. And most of us haven't gone back. And it's all to make sure that we, we continue to ensure a safe environment. We also made sure that our plants were operating at this critical time when we are making delicious foods for people, right? And so we ensured that our plants were open and that we provided the right safety measures for people who work in our plants. And we've implemented a number of measures, right, for our manufacturing facilities, including enhanced cleaning and sanitation of our operations, enhanced sanitations of our teams, significantly limiting visitors to our plants. We do temperature checks. We do mandatory face coverings. And We also make sure that we follow social distancing. And then for our sales teams, we actually sent them— you know, some of them came home, and the decision has been made to resume in-store selling. And it's very contingent upon customer need and also, most importantly, to ensure that they are safe, right? And so we've put some measures in place to ensure that. And we continue to monitor all of our efforts to ensure that we are providing the right equipment to our employees, the right information, making sure that our employees are safe. There is a COVID task force that always meets, and it was spearheaded by our CEO. And that committee used to meet every day to review where we were and how things were trending around the world and any new information that we could action. And so that's how Kellogg has operated. Now, the biggest thing for us was to ensure that families and children continue to have access to food during this challenging time. And so the Kellogg Company and its charitable funds have now donated, Joyce, $18 million in food and funds to global COVID hunger relief. Wow. And through our global— yes, and through the Better Days program, which is our platform for donating to organizations like the World Food Banking Network, European Food Bank Federation, Feeding America, Food Banks Canada, We have supported numerous number of people and we continue to assess how we can even do more. And so Kellogg is, you know, again, really championing the wellbeing of people, the wellbeing of our employees, the wellbeing of our customers, consumers, and most importantly, the wellbeing of our community. And that's what we've been doing, Joyce Bender.

Oh, you know what? And here's what I say about that. I tell people with this, I tell businesses, people with disabilities know companies that hire people or take a stand such as you, what you're doing, Priscilla, and give back because there are so many people that are experiencing hunger that have disabilities. And you know what? They tend to buy from those companies. So you heard it now. You heard it from me about Kellogg. People with disabilities, they're there for us, so we be there for them and buy their products. And I mean it. I am just so impressed with everything that you're doing. So, you know, we have a lot of companies that listen to this show. Business people, so I wanted to ask you, Priscilla, for companies that are not hiring people with disabilities, what advice do you have for them?

Great, great question, Joyce, and I go back to our overall strategy because Joyce, you and I have talked about this. I believe that diversity and inclusion must be part of your strategy in order to achieve the right So we have a 5-point or 5-pillar strategy that we execute. And to me, if I was advising companies that want to hire people with disability and should hire people with disability and retain them, it starts with commitment. Commit to doing it. Have a strong executive buy-in to sponsor your efforts. This includes Joyce Bender. Making it a business imperative to create the right physical and emotional support environment for people with disabilities to thrive. This also includes that your policies and benefits reflect your commitment. So our president of Canada, Tony Chow, sponsors our CAPABLE organization, and his commitment is infectious, and he makes sure that every single day that our commitments reflect our business agenda as well from a disability standpoint. The second thing that you need to do is to train your managers. And this is why tools and learning solutions like iDisAbility is useful to helping managers understand and be able to navigate how to hire people with disability, what to look for in terms of, you know, capability, how to make sure that you bring people on board, help them on board, help them develop, you know, communicate with them, and, and really tap into the genius that they bring into your organization. The third thing that I would say is be intentional when it comes to your talent practices. Joyce Bender, you know, I'm very big on this. It's not enough to just talk about diversity and It's not enough to talk about, oh yeah, we'll hire people with disability. It's important that you ensure that you're being inclusive by promoting people with disability and giving them a career path, in addition to making every effort that your application process and your technology is inclusive. The other piece that I would say, Joyce Bender, which is my fourth point, is overtly supporting your employee resource Resource groups. groups focused on people with disabilities. You know, you have to make the investment, right? Earlier on this year, we decided to make the investment in Eye Disability.

Why?

Because it will help educate our managers, and it will create a better place for people who are coming into the workforce, especially people with disabilities. And it would also help educate our managers on how to communicate to people with disability. And as I said, I shared the example of Gary Pilnick who raised his hand and said, "Hey, I want to support mental health." Right? You have to commit to it. You have to make sure that you are supporting your business employee resource groups. And then the last thing I would say, Joyce, is partnerships are very, very important to this work. You know, we continue to partner with various organizations. Joyce, I am so proud of the partnership that we have with you and started with you. Actually, our team is attending the November job fair. And we have— Joyce Bender. We have a partnership with the National Organization on Disability, which is, you know, again, another force for change. And we have learned a lot from our partners over the years. I would say, Joyce, that, you know, for any company that wants to do this, and we are all on a journey, but you really, really have to start with that commitment and you have to drive it throughout your organization.

Well, wow, what great advice. You know, again, if you're listening to this show, you've got to share it with other people. It's so easy to share this podcast. And go to Apple or Spotify to, to get this or to subscribe to it. Or go to voiceamerica.com where they list all the shows, or benderconsult.com. But you should subscribe to the show at Apple or Spotify, and you should tell everyone which I'm going to, to listen to this show with Priscilla. Well, Priscilla, you've got the passion, there's no question about that. So, you know, you, you had to get it somewhere, or you have to be getting it somewhere. So tell me, who is your role model?

Joyce, you know, I, I've thought about this a lot. Joyce, I have, I have a lot of people that I'm grateful I am grateful for. And in my life, right, starting from my first manager at JPMorgan Chase, her name is Patricia Williamson, who championed me. This woman never saw me, never met me before she hired me. And she hired me, I think she met me 6 months into my role. And she championed my career like no other. And I I owe her a lot of gratitude. I have talked about her in different forms. But I also admire women who have taken a stance in supporting people with disabilities, in championing girl-child education. So I think about you, Joyce Bender. You know, whenever I speak to you, Joyce, I am so inspired because of the passion that you bring to the table. And I have learned a lot from you. And Joyce, if you ask me, you are one of my role models. You know, I think about people like, you know, leaders and famous people like Oprah Winfrey who did a lot of work in girl child education in Southern Africa, and in South Africa specifically. And Michelle Obama who is pushing to create a better better education for girls. And so I think about all these women and, and men, some, some men who are my mentors as well, who have really given me something to wake up to every single day and be my best, and be the best person that I could ever be. And Joyce Bender, I will tell you this, you, you know that I write books. I am an author as well. And one of the books that I am very proud of, my Janjoo series, which is, you know, all about the girl, a story of a girl who feels like she can do anything, right, and built a library for her village. And the first title, the first book was The Voice of One Girl, and the second book was A Village Girl in a City World. And I think about you know, whenever I wake up, you know, what drives me? And what drives the passion that I have? And it is stuff like that. It is, it is really getting up and knowing that you can make a difference no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, and no matter what your last name looks like. You can make a difference in this world. And so to me, all these people inspire me, but the most important thing is to make sure that, you know, as a human being, that I'm contributing every being of me, every being of mine, to the society. And that's what I wake up to, Joyce.

No, wow. First of all, it's an honor to be associated with those people you mentioned. I'm humbled, let alone to be a role model of yours, because to me, you are a You are a giant. You are a great champion. And I— you know what, Priscilla, how do people get those books you wrote?

Oh, my books are on Amazon.

Okay, so they go to Priscilla Korentang, is that right?

They go to Amazon and they find my name, um, Priscilla Korentang, and all my books will come up.

K-O-R-A-T-E-N-G.

Yes.

Is that right? You want to spell your last name again?

K-O-R-A-N-T-E-N-G.

Right. Okay, Priscilla. Priscilla Koranteng. T-E-N-G at the end. So if you go to Amazon, you can get, purchase those books because, wow, those sound like great books for young children that, you know, for a parent to read to a young child. The one about the, the little girl with what she did in her village, that is an inspirational story that someone could share with a young girl. What a great story. Okay, remember Priscilla Koranteng, K-A-O-R-A-N-T-E-N-G, on Amazon. Priscilla, it has been such an incredible pleasure to have you on the show today, and you make sure everyone at Kellogg gets this so that they can see what a great person that you are. This— here's this podcast, and thank you so much for being with us.

Joyce Bender, thank you for inviting me. And I will tell you this, Joyce, keep going because your passion drives me. And to all your listeners, thank you. Thank you so much for listening to me today.

Okay, well, we end every show with a quote, and oh my goodness, I know you're going to love this one, Priscilla. In diversity, there is beauty, but there is strength. Said Maya Angelou. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. Talk to you next week with Regina Hayward from Wells Fargo. Talk to you then.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning 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.