Meet our amazing participants.
Abbie Cooke
PhD student, University of Northampton (UK)
Abbie Cooke business speaker, sculptor, social entrepreneur, diversity and inclusion champion, and PhD candidate is passionate about helping challenged artists, musicians and performers to make a living and make a difference. She founded the disability arts charity Gig-Arts.org and is a former UK female inventor/innovator of the year award winner and Chartered ABS business school student of the year for corporate social responsibility.
Amalie Vågen Ystebø
PhD student, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway)
Amalie Vågen Ystebø is a Ph.D. student in organization studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). In my research, I am particularly interested in questions about how notions of difference, equality and diversity are produced and changed, and I want to explore the potential for change that lies in participatory action research.
Aminat Muibi
PhD student, University of Victoria (Canada)
Originally from Nigeria, most of my background is from supply chain management in the eCommerce section before deciding to make a career pivot to academia. I have extensive experience in market research analysis and that has helped fuel my need to dissect phenomena and attempt to understand how social identities are formed. My free time is spent trying to reach over 100 books a year and learning new crafts to foster my creativity.
Caroline Demeyère
Post-doc, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)
Caroline Demeyère (she/her) is a Postdoc in Networks and Diversity at CBS (Denmark). She works on how organizations collaborate to create inclusive work environments and societies. She is interested in how relationships between governments, market actors, and civil society (NGOs, nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, grassroots activist initiatives…) leverage inclusion in CSR and public policies.
Chloe Cameron
PhD student, Ivey Business School (Canada)
PhD Student, OB, Neurodiversity in Organizations
Constantine Steven Loum
Senior Lecturer, Gulu University (Uganda)
Dr. Constantine S. L. Loum is currently working as a Senior Lecturer at Gulu University, Faculty of Medicine, department of Public/Mental Health. His most important task is to train undergraduate and graduate students as well as the promotion of research activities within the faculty and university at large. Other important activities include leading a research team at the faculty to undertake grant writing as well as promoting the academic discourse such as organising seminars and conferences.
Dan Lococo
Cardinal Stritch University (USA)
Dan focuses his time on the engagement of persons with disabilities in economic and community settings. The topic of his Doctoral dissertation was “exploring organizational environments supporting persons with disabilities in professional/skilled settings.” His diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) work is guided by the principle, “We don’t rise to the level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems” (James Clear). He focuses on aligning systems to support DEIB becoming a reality. Dan participates in several nonprofit boards, consulting, and mentoring programs based in the Milwaukee Area. He facilitates Mainstreaming on Main Street® Connectors Table conversations by/for persons with disabilities (PWD) in professional/skilled settings. Dan also facilitates roundtable conversations exploring the intersection of Servant Leadership and systemic disenfranchisement.
Ed Timke
Assistant Professor, Michigan State University (USA)
Ed Timke, PhD, is assistant professor in the Department of Advertising + Public Relations at Michigan State University. Timke is also a visiting scholar in the Department of History and an occasional professorial lecturer for the School of International Service at American University. He is a disabled scholar and activist focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in advertising. Before coming to Michigan State, Timke held positions at the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, Duke University (Cultural Anthropology and Innovation & Entrepreneurship), American University (School of International Service), and the University of California, Berkeley (Media Studies). Since 2016, he has been the Associate Editor of Advertising & Society Quarterly, an academic journal focused on advertising’s relationship to society, culture, history, and the economy. He has published various research and educational articles on DEIB in advertising, including disability, gender, race, and sexuality.
Eduardo Millet
Assistant Professor, State University of New York at New Paltz (USA)
Dr, Eduardo Millet is an Assistant Professor of Management at SUNY New Paltz. He specializes in Strategy, Social Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. His research focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship and disabilities. Currently, he is studying the motivations, characteristics, and challenges of entrepreneurs that have made delivered efforts to hire disable workers.
Eduardo Vega Clarke
PhD student, Goldsmith University of London (UK)
Eduardo Vega Clarke is Brazilian born from Salvador, Brazil. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and a master’s degree in Ethnic and African Studies. He is currently a doctoral researcher in Sociology at Goldsmiths, and a Support Worker at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Elena Elkanov
PhD student, Bentley University y (USA)
Elena Elkanova is a Ph.D. student at Bentley University. She is interested in social and marketplace exclusion. She is currently working on a project on representations in advertising (in particular, the congruence between inclusive advertisements and the design of the product advertised) as well as on a theoretical paper on inclusive advertising.
Erika Lieu
PhD student, University of Calgary (Canada)
I left a 10+ year career in leadership and management consulting at an engineering design firm to pursue I/O psychology, and am currently completing an MSc at the University of Calgary. My thesis examines neurodiverse teamwork, namely the teamwork experiences of autistic individuals in STEM, and how leaders and team members can adjust their interpersonal interactions to optimize neurodiverse team functioning. My past research also includes conflict in multiteam systems, time-based conflict in work-life priorities, and selective incivility. At a personal level, my research interests are at the intersection of my identity as a Canadian-born Chinese-Vietnamese woman, visually impaired person, neurotypical spouse to an autistic partner, and mom of two.
Emong Paul
Lecturer, Kyambogo University (Uganda)
I am a person with a physical disability; with 25 years’ experience in inclusive development and advocacy; 9 years lecturing and Head of Disability Centre at Kyambogo University. I hold a PhD, Masters of Arts in Human Rights, Postgraduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management and Bachelor of Statistics (Hons).
Farzana Chowdhury
Assistant Professor, Durham University (UK)
I am an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Durham University Business school.
Kierra Cacciotti
Student, Ivey Business School (Canada)
I am a fourth year student completing a dual degree in Business Administration at Ivey and the Media, Information, and Techno-culture program at Western.
Kyleigh Stubbs
Student, Ivey Business School (Canada)
Kyleigh Stubbs is a dual degree student at Ivey Business School, studying health science and business administration. With a passion for global partnerships, she co-founded a cross-continental consulting group to create impactful solutions for Indigenous-led African businesses. She is constantly looking to create people-focused solutions to support local/international communities.
Leonie Baldacchino
Senior Lecturer, University of Malta (Malta)
Dr Leonie Baldacchino holds a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship from Warwick Business School (UK), an M.A. in Creativity and Innovation and a B.Psy.(Hons.) from the University of Malta. She is a Senior Lecturer at The Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation, University of Malta, where she held the post of Director between 2013 and 2022. She is also a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation, the OECD’s country (Malta) expert on inclusive entrepreneurship, and the national host for the Global Entrepreneurship Week events held annually in November. Her research focuses on different aspects of creativity and entrepreneurship and has been published in various outlets, including the Journal of Creative Behavior, Journal of Management Studies, International Journal of Management Reviews, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, and in edited books by Routledge, Springer and Edward Elgar. Further details and publications: http://www.um.edu.mt/profile/leoniebaldacchino
Mark E Moore
Professor, East Carolina University (USA)
Dr. Mark Moore is a professor and research at East Carolina University. His line of research focuses on disability and employment. Mark teaches undergradue anf graduate courses in sport marketing, sport finance and sport leadership. He is a power wheelchair user (Cerebral Palsy). Mark previouslly taught at St. Cloud State.
Mohammad Zainuddin
PhD student, Australian National University (Australia)
Zain is currently a doctoral researcher in the Research School of Management at the Australian National University. He is involved in a number of projects, including World Vision Australia project on small and growing businesses in Myanmar and Ghana, and ANU Grand Challenge “Australian Social Cohesion: Exploring New Directions” (ASCEND) project. He is a certified professional trainer by the Swinburne University of Technology, and an accredited lecturer in intercultural management by the Hofstede Insights, Finland. His research spans a broad spectrum of issues related to social entrepreneurship, social innovation, social justice, and social movement. Besides publishing in refereed journals, he has presented at conferences across Asia, Africa and Europe.
Nagapriya Vaidyanathan
PhD Student, Drexel University (USA)
I am a first-year Management Ph.D. student at Drexel’s LeBow College of Business. I hail from Bangalore, also known as the Silicon Valley of India. After completing my bachelor’s degree in information systems and MBA, I stepped into the industry as a Program Manager. My projects involved working with teams to achieve efficiency through improved processes and structure. A month into my program, I was drawn towards studying Neurodiversity at the Workplace which I believe is one of the least explored areas in Management. In my free time, my other interests include binging on thrillers, going for a run, and burying myself in a nice novel.
Nikita Williams
PhD Student, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (USA)
Nikita Williams is a first year Organizational Science Ph.D. student at UNC Charlotte. Her research interests include leadership and career development of disabled and neurodivergent individuals and adverse impact of disability groups in selection. Her M.A. thesis conducted a needs assessment for a servant leadership development initiative targeted to empower autistic developing leaders.
Siddhartha Saxena
Program Chair, Ahmedabad University (India)
Program Chair- BBA and Faculty with Ahmedabad University. Pursued Global Faculty Development Program from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Completed PhD on ‘Gender Role Congruity in Family Businesses’ in 2020. Involved in teaching and administrative role with Ahmedabad University. Developed skills to analyze & carry out 360 degree feedbacks, CPI analysis and CVF framework, along with designing and teaching courses in the field of Organisational Behavior and Human Resource Management. Presented research work on platforms like Academy of Management (AOM), Academy of International Business (AIB), Decision Sciences, INDAM, UNESCO- APEID, PAN IIM and IIT Conferences. Besides that wrote papers for journals, cases and working papers at IIM- Ahmedabad. One of my case studies is in Harvard Business Review (HBR) collection. My work also includes developing new courses in the field of Human Resources viz., Future of Work, Dark side of Organisations and People Analytics. The courses are based on some of the most contemporary issues of the organizations which are rested on pure application. I am associated with the development of Foundation program on water where I am involved in behavior and systems domain of organizations
Swati Ghulyani
Assistant Professor, IMT Ghaziaba (India)
Swati completed her PhD in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management from Indian Institute of Management, Indore, India in 2019. Her dissertation titled “Disability Identity and Social Symbolic Work” aims at facilitating disability inclusion in the workplace by bringing forward the narratives of employees with disabilities. She is trying to understand, explore, and deconstruct the subjective experiences of persons with disabilities in the workplace and beyond.
Vinayak Tripathi
MT Ghaziabad, Delhi NCR (India)
Vinayak is an ethnographer of organizations working in complex social and marginal communities. His work has explored as to how organizations and professions entwine with marginal communities in course of organizing. Questions of organizing care in genetic disabilities, disability and professions are broader areas of his current work.
Walker Ray Dornisch
PhD student, University of Connecticut (USA))
Walker Ray Dornisch is a Ph.D. Student in the Management & Entrepreneurship Department at the University of Connecticut with a concentration in Strategic Management. He earned his M.S. in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, B.S. in Applied Psychology from New York University, and Certification of Professional Achievement in Enterprise Risk Management from Columbia University.
Spring Institute 