Diversity Discussion: Inclusive Workplace with Disabilities in Mind

Join us as we closeout our diversity discussion series with this moderated panel on inclusive workplaces. The conversation will explore workplace policies, panelists' experiences, and disabilities in the workplace.

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Panelists

Samyuktha Neeraja, MPH, CAE

Samyuktha has been working in the association management industry for over seven years. Her current position is the State Association Relations Manager II at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). In this role, Samyuktha provides consulting services to state associations and assists them with their governance, leadership, and infrastructure-related needs. She is also the project manager of the organizational-wide leadership development program, AANA Ascend. In addition to her work responsibilities, Samyuktha serves on the AANA’s internal Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Committee.

Over the years, Samyuktha has volunteered her time in many areas of the community, focusing on advocacy work for people with disabilities. She co-hosts the “A Little Perspective” podcast, which is a platform for lifting up voices from marginalized groups. Samyuktha’s recent achievements include delivering the luncheon keynote address at the Association Forum’s Holiday Showcase in December 2022. The title of her presentation was “I am Not a Liability”, and she shared her experiences on being a South Asian woman with dwarfism and how the association industry can better accommodate people with disabilities. Samyuktha is a recipient of the Forty Under 40 Award for the Association Forum’s Class of 2021 and is a contributing author of the best-selling anthology, “A Little Perspective: Real Stories of Little Ladies”. She also recently earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) in June 2023 and is an ASAE DELP Scholar for the Class of 2023 - 2025.

Mariel Solomon, MS, CCC-SLP

Mariel is a speech-language pathologist and an associate director for the Practice Portal at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) serving speech-language pathologists and audiologists. She is a 2022 ASAE NextGen Scholar, a member of ASAE’s Young Professionals Advisory Committee, and a member of the Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Advisory Group. She also co-chairs ASHA’s internal diversity team, which advocates for and supports an inclusive workplace by providing learning opportunities to foster cultural responsiveness and enhance interpersonal relationships.

Michael Lewis

Michael is Vice President of Policy for the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). He has spent over a decade working in disability rights for a variety of organizations. His passion for disability policy advocacy stems from his experience as an individual with cerebral palsy. Michael received his undergraduate degree from the Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Masters of Arts in Government from Regent University.  

Moderator: Maunda Land, MBA, CMP, CAE

Maunda currently serves as the Senior Director, Conscious Inclusion with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).