Speakers

The VABLN provides a talented speakers bureau that boasts today´s top business leaders who exemplify the best practices in disability employment. Speakers design customized presentations for your specific organization that highlight workplace accommodations, disability etiquette, and to improve your company's productivity and bottom line through disability employment.

Keynote Speakers

The Honorable Katherine O. McCary
Vice President, SunTrust Banks, Inc
President, VA Business Leadership Network
Past Chair, US Business Leadership Network

Katherine McCary reports to the Chairman, President and CEO, SunTrust Mid-Atlantic and has corporate responsibility for the Disability Resource Center, a program that seeks to increase the employment of people with disabilities throughout SunTrust´s workforce and to increase awareness of marketing opportunities for customers with disabilities. The Corporate Center provides disability information internally to employees and managers. She is co-chair for SunTrust´s National Disability Mentoring Day. She acts as disability consultant to SunTrust´s 17 Diversity Councils.

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James A. Rothrock
Commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitative Services

James A. Rothrock is a native of Martinsville, Virginia, who has been involved with disability advocacy and programming for more than 40 years. In January 2006, he was reappointed to the position of Commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitative Services by the Honorable Timothy M. Kaine, Governor of Virginia.

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Kevin D. Holden, K&C Employment Team

Kevin D. Holden, a partner and member of the K&C Employment Team, has extensive experience in the field of employment and labor law. Much of his time is devoted to defending claims of wrongful discharge, race, sex, and disability discrimination, non-compete agreements, sexual harassment, breach of contract, unpaid overtime compensation and various other workplace torts. His practice takes him before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor, and various human rights and unemployment commissions.

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Liza Bruce, Educational Credit Management Corporation

Liza Bruce is a native of Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 1987. Liza has worked in the Financial Aid industry since 1989. She currently works in the Client Relations department of the Educational Credit Management Corporation in Richmond. Liza lost her sight in 1997. She also had a kidney and pancreas transplant at that time. Since becoming blind, Liza has attended the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired, gotten a Leader Dog named Baxter in June of 2000, returned to work full-time after a three year illness, married a wonderful man named David Hines, and returned to Leader Dog for her second dog guide, Cooper, in June of 2008.

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Garth Larcen, Positive Vibe Cafè

Garth Larcen operates the award-winning restaurant/training program, Positive Vibe Cafè. Offering a unique training service for budding chefs in the making, Garth provides disability employment training in the restaurant industry. His organization has trained over 152 employees with disabilities.

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Debra Ruh, TecAccess, LLC.

Debra Ruh is the founder and president of the award-winning TecAccess. She is a recognized leader in the E&IT Accessibility and Section 508 Compliance arena. She has been invited to speak on Section 508 Compliance and IT Accessibility Issues all over the world, including a recent request to present before the European Union and in emerging countries throughout Africa. In addition, she has spoken before the US Government Section 508 Coordinators and for many government agencies including the US Coast Guard, US Marines, US Navy, SSA, USDA, HHS, NIH, USPTO, DOT, DOC and GSA.

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Dr. Roy Grizzard, Former Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy

Dr. Roy Grizzard, who served as the first Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), has been at the forefront of disability employment initiatives for over twenty years.

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Karen Michael, Leading Employment Law Attorney & Consultant

Karen Michael is a ADA expert, Leading Employment Law Attorney & Consultant with over 15 years of combined employment law and human resources experience. Karen offers expert legal and practical business advice to companies in the private and public sector regarding employment-related matters.

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