Samuel Estes: Mission of Athletes vs. Epilepsy

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, welcome to the show. To everyone in the United States, and across the world. Especially, I've got to say this, my special friend Richard Roberts with the U.S. State Department in Brazil at the embassy is a friend and disability rights leader. And Richard, you know I love you. Gan Young in South Korea, I just, oh, what a friend, what a great leader. Sheryl Harris at the State Department in, well, formerly in Tunisia, now right in D.C. And Venyamin in Kazakhstan. So, you know, people with the State Department are awesome because they are the ones helping me go around the world and just really let people with disabilities know about quality of life. Then I have my very good friend Yoshiko Dart. Special shout out to Yoshiko, who is the wife of the late, great Justin Dart Jr. Lead on, Yoshiko. You know I love you. I have to thank my sponsor. Wow. Highmark. What a great company Highmark is. HiMark has been behind me for years as the lead sponsor of this show. I mean, it is amazing. And oh yes, before I forget, to my friends in China, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Japan, all over the world, we now have 17 to 18 countries with listening audiences. Hey, I want to say to you, even if you're that one person in Mongolia, you're making a difference. Spread the news, talk to other people. I just really appreciate you listening to the show so much. And to all my listeners, boy, I have some great listeners, great, great. Know this, I really— it really means a lot to me how you've helped me keep this going. We are the only source in the United States that give weekly news on what's happening nationally in the disability world, like The Hill, like state government or governor across the board, uh, with my newscaster Perry Jude Radesik. So thank you for allowing me to do all of that, and I am excited because today we have a great friend of mine, Sam Estes, who's the vice chair for the board of directors for the Hundley Foundation, and in addition to that, a board director on the board of the Bender Leadership Academy. Just an absolutely great person, like a brother to me. But for all of you, a great disability rights advocate also. So, Sam, welcome to the show.

Thank you for having me, Joyce Bender. Thank you, thank you so much.

Well, it's a thrill to have you, Sam. And Sam, let's begin by you telling our listeners— as you can see, we have listeners throughout the United States but also around the world, and they always want to know Hey, tell me about this person. Who are they? What did they do? So how about if we hear the Sam Estes story? Like, where did you grow up, go on to school? I know you played sports and then you became an advocate for people living with epilepsy and disabilities. So let's hear your story, Sam.

Sure.

Thank you. So yes, Sam Estes, born in North Carolina, was raised in the Metro Detroit area, played football, graduated out of the Metro area, Ron Mills High School, went on to play football at Eastern Michigan University, played offensive tackle there. Just went on professionally, understood that I wanted to get into the security law enforcement profession. So was able to leverage that and start doing executive protection with your training and worked for Penn National Gaming. And then Fannie Mae Corporate Security, and then, you know, from there began to be a liaison with law enforcement, working on the presidential inauguration detail, supporting DOD at the Department of Navy at the Washington Navy Yard, force protection, executive protection. In 2015, made that move over to Homeland Security as a government contractor. So, currently, I'm the Director of Operations in Washington, D.C. for a government contractor for Homeland Security and still supporting DOD, our DOD missions. And in my spare time, I am the Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors for the Honey Foundation and also a Board Director for the Bender Leadership Academy. And it has been so very— rewarding to work with you, Joyce Bender, and Tony Coelho, and a myriad of other individuals, and really learn about the civil rights for people living with disabilities. And understanding that, you know, as a Black man, and it being Black History Month, understanding that there are some direct correlations between not only the plights of African Americans and other minorities, but also individuals living with disabilities and figuring out the best way to be able to support them in their way of living. And so it's been rewarding and it has been very humbling and a great experience to be working with you over the years and really understanding the civil rights of people living with disabilities.

Well, Sam, you know, I was just thinking when you were talking, You know, you're a champion right there in D.C. for people protecting them. Because look what happened January 6th. I mean, you just don't know when you're putting your life on the line or protecting, you know, something in D.C. I know you said you talked to Secret Service and, you know, you've just worked on many things where You're, you know, close to all of this. I wonder, in all of your years in security, did you ever dream something could happen like what happened January 6th?

Oh, absolutely not. I mean, that is something that as we sit back and look at from a law enforcement perspective, there were some red flags. There were some things that, you know, in hindsight could have been taken more seriously or could have been vetted out. But, I mean, it was one of the things that's farthest from the realm of possibility to think that the Capitol could be stormed in that manner. So, you know, I don't want to make a false equivalency, but it's almost from the standpoint of after September 11th, when you have different agencies that weren't communicating and there's some things that's come out afterwards to where, you know, law enforcement could have done things differently that could have eliminated the possibility of it happening. Well, it's the same thing for January 6th. Um, you know, you're dealing with, with multiple, multiple, uh, state, local, um, and federal agencies trying to, uh, um, analyze information coming in to figure out which threats are credible and what's not. But the fact that you can have that large amount of people make a conscious decision to come to the Capitol is disheartening, to say the least. You know, and it is a sad moment in history. It is a teachable moment in history. And, you know, we are definitely working to continue on with the mission to make sure that is never a possibility moving forward.

Yes, I agree. And I just want to say I am really blessed to know Sam because Sam does, you know, stand up and make sure not just people with disabilities, but people from the Black community are really treated properly. I guess looking at it from a systemic standpoint, but he really is Mr. Civil Rights Sam, and that's why I'm blessed to know him. And Sam, you were saying about the work you do right now. So you work for a company right now, is that correct?

Yes, I work for a company called the HANA Group, and there's a lot of different subsidiaries of it, HBC Management, HANA Industries. We service government, a lot of different government entities, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. and many others as well. But those are our 3 main agencies, federal agencies that we support.

So I guess your job is just keeping, like law enforcement, everything safe and overseeing, you know, staff. And is it hard to find people, Sam? Is it hard to find people to work in this area? When you are out recruiting, is it hard to find people?

It is a little bit more difficult from hiring when you talk about law enforcement security because we provide both.

Yes.

And support both. So it is harder. It has been harder over the years. But, you know, law enforcement is one of those professions. I was actually doing a speaking engagement yesterday and was talking about angel professions. Right? And law enforcement is an angel perspe— uh, profession. And how I categorize that is individuals that's in that profession strictly for the love of it and from a community perspective, right? So I think nurses are, um, in the angel profession. Uh, you know, they don't make as much as doctors. It's not the glorious title, but they are there for their patients. Uh, teachers are angel professions, right? You— I don't want a teacher teaching my kid because of a paycheck. I want them to be teaching my kid out of a passion and a love for educating youth. All right? Same thing when you talk about law enforcement, fire department, military, so on and so forth. So, you know, trying to find individuals that is in a position to be of public trust to ensure that they are responsible to the community that they are serving, you know, we really do want to put our due diligence on the front end of it. And make sure that we're making the right decisions in employment when we're considering positions.

Yeah, yeah, that is an angel profession. You're right about that. And Sam, when I met you, you became involved in— as you know, I live with epilepsy— and you became involved in epilepsy advocacy. How did that come about? Why did you get involved?

So a good friend of mine, Jeffrey Pope, who I played football with at Eastern, he went on to the NFL and he became one of the first spokesmen for the Epilepsy Foundation of America at the time. And he used to always, when he got involved, because his grandmother experienced seizures, he would ask me to support financially. To come to events. And through him is where I met you and Tony. I'm going to one of the galas in D.C. and at the time I was living in Ohio. And you and Tony telling me that donating money wasn't enough and that I need to donate time. And it really struck a chord with me. And so understanding about the epilepsy community was important. Making sure that I firmly understood what the community needed and what the community was comprised of. And not knowing how many minorities lived with epilepsy. And so really engaging with you all, going to the National Walk at the time in D.C. over the years, had me and Jeff Pope create the Athletes Versus Epilepsy initiative at the Epilepsy Foundation. And through that work, we were pairing professional athletes as ambassadors to our initiative in raising money and awareness for epilepsy through sports, which is a connecting type of thing within itself. So that's how I got involved with the Epilepsy Foundation and through there just really fell in love with the community and the work that goes behind it. And it has really, really turned into a passion, making sure that I'm doing everything that I possibly can for the community.

You know, I just want to say about Sam, you have to understand that he became as passionate about this as Jeff or as if it was his grandmother or he had epilepsy. I mean, he became very passionate, not just a bystander, and so involved in advocacy. And you recruited athletes with epilepsy, right, Sam?

Correct.

Which was phenomenal that he would get people to speak, athletes that lived with epilepsy. And that's just how Sam is. So passionate about all of this. But now you also do work with the Hudley Foundation, and I just spoke to Brett yesterday. He is such a wonderful person. But I wanted you to tell everyone about the foundation and your work with the foundation, you know, what they do and how you got involved with Brett.

Sure. So, you know, I reached out to Brett. Brett was a quarterback at UCLA at the time and connected with him. And when he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, and he was in Green Bay at the time, and approached him about the opportunity to be an ambassador for the Athletes Versus Epilepsy initiative. And he agreed after an amount of time and we connected and I just fell in love with the person that he is and the heart that he has. And so, you know, Brett over the years decided that he wanted to start his own foundation to service not only people living with epilepsy, but other disabilities, autism, so on and so forth. So we really just sat down and talked about what his vision was and everything and he asked me to serve on his board of directors. As the chair. And I humbly declined and told him that with a family foundation, he needs to make sure that someone with the last name of Hundley needs to be the chair, but I would be his vice chair. So I agreed to come on board, and it has been an awesome experience ever since. We have been extremely successful in outreach. We have become extremely successful in being able to have broad mission on purpose of being able to service individuals living with disability, but as well as disenfranchised communities, whether that be first responders, whether it be people living with disabilities, whether it be African Americans, whatever else it is. So, you know, Brett is a wonderful, wonderful man. He's become like a little brother to me. Blood could not have us any closer. And his family, his father and mother, his sister Paris, who lives with epilepsy, his nephew Elijah, who lives with epilepsy and autism, and just really just doing great, great work. We just recently had our first poker run in the state of Arizona, and Rick Harrison, who's a very close friend of mine from Pawn Stars television show, came out and I think we had 397 motorcycles that came out in support and over 400 people that participated in the event. And it was extremely, extremely successful and has been great raising money and awareness for the foundation and what our mission is.

Wow. He is a wonderful person. And I know that, you know, he is going to be successful and he is so lucky to have Well, hey everyone, we're going to go to a quick break before we come back with Sam Estes. And if you just joined us, he works in security, he works with the Hudley Foundation, but he is a great, great advocate for people living with disabilities. So as we celebrate Black History Month, couldn't have a better person. We'll be right back. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at VoiceAmerica.com. Don't go away. We'll be right back with Sam.

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You're listening to Disability Matters. If you have a question or comment, call in toll-free at 1-866-472-5788. That's 1-866-472-5788. Now please welcome back the host of Disability Matters. Here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. We are talking to Sam Estes, a great advocate for people living with disabilities. And my friend, and I can tell all of you, you know, he is the real deal. That's why I'm so thrilled to have him on the board of the Bender Leadership Academy. And Sam, you have heard several of the students speak, and I do that because I want to make it real. I, I don't like when I'm on boards and they talk about things and talk about it and talk about it, but like let me see what's really happening. And I know that you've seen how they're bullied. So, you know, kids with disabilities are bullied more than any other group, and I wondered, you know, why do you think that is? Why do you think kids with disabilities are so bullied?

Well, let me first say Yo, congratulations, because I, I, I do remember that this is the 20th, uh, year anniversary of your radio show. Uh, so congratulations on that. It is, um, without doubt a needed, uh, outlet to individuals living with disabilities, but it's just as important to people living without disabilities to hear about the importance, um, of all things disability-wise and understand and hear conversations, the much-needed conversations that you're having. So thank you for that and congratulations.

Thank you.

To answer your question, I mean, I think this goes back to the— I would have to say the earliest ages of time, um, and people are always afraid of what's different. And I think that especially individuals living with disabilities that you can, you can, you can visually see. It is unfortunate, but it is one of those things that has been happening for a long, long period of time where individuals, and not just kids, I think adults have more common sense as they get older, but they still bully or take advantage of individuals living with disabilities. I think it is something that unfortunately has once again been ingrained in, in, in, from a societal standpoint, in people. And it is almost like a morality thing, right? Some people in certain households have different morality benchmarks or levels of interpreting things that they have learned through the conditions of their life. Their parents, their grandparents, their brothers, sisters, their cousins, whatever they are exposed to, and they think it is acceptable. And it is not.

No, it is not. And Sam, you know, the Bender Leadership Academy, what do you hope to see from that?

Well, there is a lot. And I, you know, I know how passionate you are about this, your, the Mentorship Leadership Academy, and I know how passionate our good friend Mary Baraka was about the success of the foundation and the important work. And so, you know, she is a large reason why I accepted— the board appointing or the appointment of me on the board. I think it is much-needed work to be done in the disability space. And so I just want us to be as successful as possible in our programming and our fundraising and our advocacy and our outreach and let individuals know that even for the people people living with disabilities where they cannot speak, I will speak for them. And I think it is very important for them to have a voice. So I am willing to lend my platform and all of me to make sure that those individuals not only are seen but are heard as well.

And that means so much. And I have to say, Mary, Mary Brocker, my closest friend, who was the president at Bender and here for, with me, traveling around the world for 22 years. Needless to say, it is a hard to describe the grief. But we want to keep Mary's spirit alive, and that's why we have the Mary Brooker Mental Health Initiative You know, Mary lived with clinical depression for 40 years and loved helping young people dealing with mental health disabilities. And it is Mary that said, that's it, it's time to start the Bender Leadership Academy. So, yes, Em, I'm all in. Everything that you said, so true. And I know this, I knew Mary would would be so thrilled to know you're on the board. Well, I guess she does know because I believe she's still with us. But, oh, you know how she loved you, Sam. So she'd be so thrilled. So thrilled. And so is Tony and many other people that know you, Sam, because that voice, that's the whole thing. Having that voice. There's a young 10-year-old girl, I told this story before, that several months ago, African American living with autism, and when she would go to school they would call her the N-word, and her parents went to the school furious, thought they took care of this, and then one day she's going to school carrying Febreze, and her mother says, "What are you doing with that?" She said, "Well, they tell me I smell, so I was going to spray my chair." This is heartbreaking. This is what I meant about bullying kids living with disabilities. But what is more heartbreaking is that she took her life 10 years old. So that is why we need that voice of a Sam. And Sam, we talk about you because we always say, see this person, they are behind you. Because Sam is a, looks like a football player, just so you all know. And oh, I always say, boy, when someone is bullying, then wouldn't you love to see a Sam walk into the room. You know, that would change the whole vibe in the room, to say the least. But Sam, I really do appreciate everything that you're doing. And here we are in 2023, Black History Month, and yet we still do with— deal with racism and ableism. How we know that? With what just happened with— I won't even say his name, but the creator of the Dilbert comic strip. That people who are celebrities or politicians don't care any longer about what they're saying about people from the Black community. And by the way, That, of course, includes disability. You know, that includes ableism. Because why I say that is that just as I told you, Black and have a disability. But I remember several years ago Tony saying to me, I'm so sad. I said, why, Tony? He said, I thought we put a lid on it. —bigotry, but here it is. So, Sam, you know, why is it? Why haven't we made more progress here?

I think it is one of the same things that, like, we talked about why people with disabilities get bullied. I think it is the standpoint that minorities look different, and certain people do not feel comfortable engaging. They feel scared for whatever reason. They feel entitled to a certain way of life. And so, you know, they look at others as different. And, you know, that's something that I have to battle every single day as a Black man, especially being in law enforcement. So, you know, it's one of those things where we, you know, We know it. You know, it's unfortunate that, that, that people in minority communities have to have conversations about how to engage with law enforcement or how to act a certain way around certain people because of their preconceived perceptions that they might have or interpretations of the person that you are without even knowing you. And so it is something that is systemic in America. Regardless if people want to agree with it, you know, it is embedded in the fabric of America, unfortunately. And I think personally one of the biggest reasons why we can never seem to get through racism is because America refuses to look herself in the mirror and accept that it even exists. And as we know, you know, when you're dealing with any type of issue, the first thing is recognizing that it is an issue. And when you talk about alcoholism or drug addiction or whatever it is, that individual needs to first know that they have a problem before they can address it. Once they know they have a problem, then you can have a conversation of how to address it, whether it be therapy, whether it be therapeutics or drug-related, you know, type of, of, of programs to address it. So when we're talking about systemic racism, uh, you know, America does not want to look herself in the mirror and face the reality that yes, racism did exist, yes, racism does exist, and that is an issue. Um, we have all these ancillary conversations and discussions about different things that have nothing to do about the root cause of individuals, um, not liking others because of the race, um, you know, sex or creed, sexual orientation, or whatever else it is. So, you know, once again, as we see here in Black History Month, the last day of Black History Month, um, you know, um, Black history is American history, um, and, um, you know, for the people that don't want to hear it, um or recognize it. It is what it is. Unfortunately, there is a— there is a community of like-minded individuals that still think that it does not exist, and they have this lazy mindset of, oh, you know, just pull your pants up and push through it. You know, my parents were, you know, my parents you know, came over, you know, Irish or whatever else it was, and came over and they started the business and so on and so forth. And that's nothing to take away from anyone else's ancestry in America, uh, but there is a, a difference in people that look a certain way as opposed to others that look differently, whether they be the pigment of their, of their skin or physical features. So it is unfortunate, but it still exists.

How about when you grew up, Sam? Did you deal with racism? I assume you did, but what was it like when you grew up?

You know, growing up in the Metro Detroit area, there was senses of racism, but because that community is predominantly minority, I mean, I think Detroit is the second blackest city per capita in the United States, outside of Jackson, Mississippi, I believe. You know, definitely top 5. It was not extremely profound in the day-to-day life of individuals living in that community at a younger age. I am sure that individuals, you know, adults in the professional role experienced it in a more frequent manner than, than children. But of course, yes, we, you know, there is different instances of, you know, quote-unquote, fitting the profile, and engagement with law enforcement, job opportunities. It is disheartening. It can be discouraging. And, but it also builds character to be able to get through those type of experiences and still be successful in life. So everything that is great in me, I believe I get from my mother and my father. And my experiences growing up and having a firm understanding of how society views me and having a real-world expectation of that, it has helped me tremendously in my professional life.

Over the past several years, What has changed is that what people were thinking they're saying and what they were thinking they're doing. So, they've been empowered to do this. But Jim Lawless, who may have worked with Reverend Dr. William Barber, he said in his book, The Jesus Crisis, that until in America that white people understand that racism is at the foundation and that, you know, and this sin has caused so many problems that we will not be able to advance, which is what you were talking about when you said, you know, look yourself straight in the eye. You know Reverend Dr. William Barber very well. He's sort of like the modern-day Martin Luther King Jr. But don't you think he has been like a civil rights leader for the Black community?

He most definitely has. He has been a spiritual leader for me, a role model. And a dear friend. And he has been tremendous on a lot of different levels. And he has not been afraid to put his freedom on the line. He's been arrested multiple times for marches and protests on not just African Americans, but individuals living in poor conditions. And he took over the Poor People's Campaign. And he has led that for over a decade. He is a great civil rights activist, well-respected. Extremely proud that— to know him, to be a friend to him. And, you know, he is leading the Department of Theology at Yale University, and I think there's no better person for that position than to be able to teach our up-and-coming and current civil rights leaders and religious leaders on, you know, the different aspects of theology, whatever religion you have, or if you don't have a religion, understanding what is the difference between civil rights and civil responsibilities. And we have a responsibility to others. So yes, he's been great and been a great role model. Role model to me.

Oh, yeah, he has so many great books out. But it's because of you, Sam, that you gave me a really great gift. And that is getting to know his daughter, Dr. Sherrell Barber, who is now a friend of mine, which I have to thank you for that. But another tremendous person. Dr. Sherrell Barber. Social epidemiologist, and now the head of the Ubuntu Center. So, there are people out there fighting for people that live in poverty and fighting systemic racism, including in healthcare, and she is one of those people. So, Sam, you are absolutely a wonderful human being, very caring, compassionate, and yet with the fire for what is right, civil rights. So, I have to ask you, you got that way somehow. So, Sam, who is your role model?

My biggest role model is my father, who unfortunately passed away in 2006, but He was— he is my moral compass. He was my best friend, and he was my— he has been the biggest role model even after death. Um, many imperfections, but the perfect man. I don't think God created a better person on earth than my father, Jackie Estes, and he drives me every single day. Um, and I know that, um It is a mindset to know that you're going to fall short every day, but to not let that impede your strive for greatness. So, you know, he left some very big footprints in the sand, and I am trying to follow in those footsteps. But he is my biggest role model.

What would you say, Sam, are some of the key lessons or impact or characteristics, whatever, or lessons that he imparted to you?

Character. About being transparent and honest with yourself and everyone else. And he taught me about the differences between civil rights and civil responsibility. My father Um, um, was part of the movement, um, in the '60s and, um, had a different, a very different, uh, vantage point on America, um, and society. And he taught my, me and my siblings, um, um, to go further than what the schools are trying to teach you. Uh, this is back in the day when you had to go to libraries, of course, smartphones, but, you know, to read about other civil rights activists because there were many of them outside of the normal Rosa Parks and Martin Luther Kings and Booker T. Washingtons. There's the W.E.B. Du Bois and the Malcolm Xs and the James Merediths and so on and so forth, Ralph Abernathy. So, you know, to put yourself in a mindset to understand and to embrace self-knowledge. You know, you hear about being self-driven, but to to be self-educated and crave self-knowledge is something that lives in, I think, me and all my siblings. So he just taught me how to be a man. And what I mean by that is to be responsible to your family, to be responsible to yourself and to your community and leave it a little bit better than you got it.

Yeah, well, that is a wonderful tribute to him. That is a wonderful tribute. Sam, now, like, you've done so much in your life, and I want to talk more about this in a minute, but you, you really have accomplished a lot, I feel, at a young age. So tell me, what are some of the things— we'll start with work— that you feel are some of your greatest accomplishments?

There have been several points professionally that I feel proud of. I think that, I think that at my age to be in senior leadership within the government contracting world is something to be, to feel commendable about, but I'm more proud of my work in the nonprofit realm. And going back to, going back for professional development certifications at Harvard University, Oxford University, is something I am very proud of because it is something that I did not need to do. It is something that I wanted to do to better myself and be the best leader that I could possibly be to my staff and to my team and to the communities that I serve. So that is probably my biggest accomplishment that I recognize.

How about personally? Is it what you said about Harvard and Oxford that you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Yeah, personally, and then, you know, being a good father to my children. You know, and understanding that personally, you know, I'm driven by more than money, titles, and accolades. Blades. It's making sure that I can walk through my community with my head held high and try my hardest to be as big of a role model to my children as my father was to me. So that's my biggest accomplishment, to know that, you know, my father was proud of me as the person that I was and to continue on with it and try not to let him down.

Oh, well, you haven't. That I can tell you. Well, hey, it's time for our segment of the show, What's Happening at Bender? And we have our outstanding executive consultant, Chris Griffin, with us. Hey, Chris, how are you?

I'm great, Joyce, how are you?

Good, good. And Chris, so you all know, Chris has been working on many executive-level positions at disability not-for-profits across America, which means if you are a not-for-profit in the disability community or with an organization like UCP or American Heart Association, whatever it would be, if you are seeking to hire a person with a disability, Wow, Chris has some big, big accomplishments. So, Chris, you have a lot going on now, and I want to keep everyone up to date in case someone is listening and they want to apply for one of these jobs. So what's going on?

All right, great. We have some great opportunities for people with disabilities. The first one is an executive director position position for the Association for Programs for Rural Independent Living. The acronym is APRIL, and they are an association made up of more than 250 organizations who are members who are independent living centers in rural settings. And it is a national disability-led organization that is focused focused on advancing the equity of people with disabilities in rural communities. They do advocacy, collaboration, shared experience, leadership development, education, and training. They put on a national conference, and they are looking for a new executive director that's dynamic and innovative and has a disability and that can lead them and take them to the next level. They currently have a $1 million budget. So they need someone who has some experience. They're looking for someone who has at least 7 years' experience working in independent living centers or state independent living councils. The pay salary range is $110,000 to $125,000 annually. And they have a generous leave package and contribution to retirement plans. Health benefits, dental, vision, life, really a great opportunity for someone. And that is a totally remote position, so you can live anywhere in the States and have some ability to travel to some of the membership organizations, conferences, things like that. So that's one opportunity. The next is really a great opportunity for someone located in the Maryland, D.C. area, and this is the executive director job for Disability Rights Maryland. And Disability Rights Maryland is the protection advocacy agency for the state of Maryland, which means it's an organization that provides legally based representation and advocacy to advance the rights of people with disabilities in the state of Maryland. They're looking for someone, preferably an attorney, because it is a staff made up mostly of attorneys, but they would consider someone who had a significant nonprofit-related, disability-related nonprofit experience. They need someone who obviously has good management skills. Good financial skills, fundraising skills, and frankly, a person with a disability who can lead a disability organization that works for and with people with disabilities. The salary range in that job is— it is $130,000 to $155,000 depending on your experience and special skills. That job is a great opportunity, like I said, for somebody with a disability who also has a legal background, significant nonprofit experience, and that just opened up recently, and I'm looking forward to hearing from folks who want that job. The next opportunity that just opened up is the executive director job for the Independent Living Services, which is the ILC in the Bronx. It's the Bronx Independent Living Services, and they're seeking a new executive director. You have to live in that area, so you'd have to live in the New York, New Jersey, somewhere around that area to be able to get into the office. A hybrid schedule is an opportunity for a hybrid schedule is available that you'd have to negotiate with the board. But they're really looking for an experienced, fierce disability advocate who wants to lead a well-established organization. They have a team of about 25 talented, dedicated staff. They have a budget of about $2 million. Again, they're looking for someone like the other jobs, so someone who has some, you know, good management experience and skills. This isn't an entry-level position. Someone has to have really done some managing before this in order to step in and lead this type of an organization. But this is also a great opportunity. The salary range for this is $95,000 to $110,000. Again, a hybrid schedule with approval of the board possible. And for all these jobs, you can see more detail about them on benderconsult.com, or you can email me at cgriffin@benderconsult.com and let me know if you have any questions or if you want me to send you the job announcements or job descriptions. Or just to apply, just email me your have a letter and resume for the job that you're seeking. So that's what's open right now. We have another one coming up that should be posted soon, but it's not yet— it's not finalized yet— and that'll be the executive director job of Disability Rights in the state of Washington. So that's, that's what's going on at Bender from my point of view. It's pretty exciting.

You have a lot going on. Hey, if you're hearing this, if you're listening and you're thinking, oh no, I wish so-and-so was hearing this, easy, easy. The show is on demand. Go to Spotify and look for Disability Matters with Joyce Bender on voiceamerica.com, or go to voiceamerica.com or go to benderconsult.com, and you can hear this show again tomorrow, and you can hear all the prior shows, anyone you want to listen to. But, you know, tell people about this. Tell them so they know. They're gonna— I mean, like, it's amazing to me how many great opportunities that Chris is working on. So, Chris, we'll keep talking about it. And, you know, thank you so much for everything you're doing to help change leadership in America in the disability community.

Oh, thank you. Great talking to you, and hopefully we'll talk next week, and I'll have another job opening to talk about.

All right. Wow. Pretty soon I'll have to have you on the whole show, Chris. Take care. Have a good day. Thanks, Chris. You too. Bye-bye. Bye, everyone. Bye-bye. Well, before we end the show today, Sam, I wanted to know what message you have for our listeners.

Just to continue to tune in. I think these conversations, once again, are much needed, very important. And to get involved. I think it is very important once again to reach out locally and figure out if there are some organizations, nonprofits that are local that you are able to assist with and help out and to check out Bender Leadership Academy and figure out, learn more about what we have going on and ways that you can support.

Yeah, thank you, Sam. And that's benderleadership.org. Benderleadership.org. Go to the Not Ashamed campaign. Get out your cell phone. Make a short video. If you are a person with a mental health disability, saying that and that you're not ashamed. If you don't have a mental health disability, saying that you are. Supporting people that live, young people with mental health disabilities, just go to benderleadership.org and you will find the information and know how to move forward. Well, hey, we end every show that we have, uh, with a quote, and as you know, we are celebrating, uh, Black History Month, so our quote today is Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change. We are the change that we seek, said President Barack Obama. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice. Where Disability Matters at voiceamerica.com. I look forward to talking to you again next week. And in the words of Mary Brooker, remember, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11:00 AM Pacific 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.