For the second year, OCASG is hosting our Autism at Work evening. This year we will feature:

• Anthony Palmeri, Special Education Teacher and Founder of ABLE Coffee Roasters 
• Tiffany Jameson, Founder of Grit and Flow
• Judi Uttal, President of OCASG who will be discussing the Thompson Policy Group OC Transition Initiative - Autism@Work OC
• Neil Barnett, Director, Inclusive Hiring and Accessibility at Microsoft Corporation and chairman of the Autism@Work Roundtable. 

The meeting starts at 7:00 pm, and is free to individuals and families dealing with AS, HFA or PDD-NOS, but reservations are required. The meeting will be held over ZOOM. Login information will be sent two days prior.

About the Speakers

Neil Barnett, Director of Inclusive Hiring, Microsoft Corporation
Neil Barnett, Microsoft's Director of Inclusive Hiring for people with disabilities will share about Microsoft’s inclusive culture for people with disabilities and its approach to hiring people with disabilities. Neil started Microsoft’s Autism hiring program in 2015 and is leading the efforts to improve the experiences for Microsoft employees and their customers with disabilities.

Anthony Palmeri, Special Education Teacher and Founder of ABLE Coffee Roasters

Tiffany Jameson, Managing Partner, Grit & Flow
Tiffany Jameson holds degrees in business administration and computer information systems, a master’s in business administration with an emphasis in finance, accounting, and e-business strategy. Currently writing her dissertation on autism employment, Tiffany will soon have her doctorate in organizational psychology.

Tiffany is a certified professional in Human Resources (PHR) and holds a Cornell Certified Diversity & Inclusion. Tiffany is a LinkedIn Learning Instructor, presently creating the modules for Human Resource practitioners on Neurodiversity. Tiffany is also the Neurodiversity Faculty lead at Executive Institute on Inclusion. Tiffany has spoken internationally on the topic of Neurodiversity in the workplace.

Tiffany is a co-founder, and global steward for the NDGiFTS Movement created in 2020. Though Tiffany’s work as the team manager, head editor, and writer to the first issue of the NDGiFTS Movement paper, she has had the opportunity to expand her network globally.

Judi Uttal, President, Orange County Asperger's Support Group
Judi Uttal is president of the Orange County Asperger’s Support Group (OCASG) a nonprofit organization focused on improving the quality of life for individuals and families dealing with high-functioning autism. For the last fifteen years, OCASG has offered an array of educational, social and support programs that have helped hundreds of families.

Judi recently retired from a successful career as a high technology marketing executive. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Math/Computer Science from UCLA (where she graduated Cum Laude) and an MBA from the Tepper School of Management, Carnegie Mellon University (where she graduated at the top of her class). Judi is married and is the mother of a 29-year-old son with High-Functioning Autism who recently graduated with a BA in Cinema and Television from California State University, Fullerton.

One of OCASG's important initiatives is the Autism@Work Orange County project. Autism@Work is a worldwide movement where companies are eliminating barriers to hiring individuals on the Autism Spectrum. Judi, working with the Thompson Policy Group Orange County Transition Initiative which is leveraging business-to-business marketing techniques to increase the active hiring of people with ASD in Orange County. To help drive this action, Ms. Uttal  has created a  OC-Autism@Work LinkedIn group.