The Global Forum on Neuroinclusion 2025
brought to you by and

Melissa Aviles-Ramos is Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, the largest school system in the nation. She was formerly the Deputy Chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs, as well as the Chief of Staff to former Chancellor David C. Banks. In those roles, she oversaw innovative family engagement programs such as NYC Literacy Hubs and our Family Literacy Ambassadors; she also launched and led Project Open Arms, our unprecedented effort to welcome, enroll, and support 45,000-plus of our newest New Yorkers.  

As the leader of NYCPS, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos will ensure consistent and thorough implementation of key initiatives, from NYC Reads and NYC Solves to reimagined Student Pathways. She believes deeply that our schools must provide every student with a solid foundation in reading and math, while preparing them for well-paying jobs.  Additionally, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos plans to prioritize physical safety and emotional wellness, enhanced professional development for teachers, and in-depth family and community engagement.   

Chancellor Aviles-Ramos began her career as an English teacher and NYC Teaching Fellow at Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx. She later served as principal at Schuylerville Prep and then became the acting superintendent to Bronx HS District 8, 10 and 11. Chancellor Aviles-Ramos earned her Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, Master of Arts in English Education from the City College of New York, and Advanced Certificates in school and district leadership from College of Saint Rose. She is a native New Yorker, a Latina, and a proud NYCPS parent.

Steven is the Director of the North American Google Education Go-to-market and Partnerships team, which works with school districts, universities, and colleges to leverage Google’s Workspace and Chromebook products to personalize learning.  After working in IT consulting and volunteering as an adult English Language Learner (ELL) teacher, Steven combined his interests in education and technology by joining the Google Education team in 2009.  During his 15 years at Google, he has helped universities migrate to Google Workspace for Education; worked on the founding team to bring Chromebooks to the education market, which have become the #1 device in K-12 education in the U.S.; and launched Google’s efforts to bring Google Cloud Platform to researchers, universities and EdTech companies.  Steven holds a BA from Brown University in International Relations and French, and an Honorary Doctorate in Education from Bethany College.

For nearly two decades Anna has helped to architect changemaking campaigns, and advised the leaders of the nation’s most impactful businesses and nonprofits on national policy and advocacy initiatives.  A product of the Atlanta Public School system and honors graduate of Yale University, Anna is regarded as trusted confidante and partner by both federal policymakers and state and local leaders alike on K-12, higher education and workforce policy.  A student of the policy and market dynamics that impact pre K-post secondary education, Anna is a frequent speaker and advisor to education donors and investors. She is also Whiteboard Advisors’ most frequent flyer, working with governors’ offices, state departments of education, higher education and workforce leaders, and school districts across the country.

Anna currently serves as a Senior Advisor to New Markets Venture Partners and was the founding vice-chair of the national nonprofit mindSpark Learning, an initiative of the Morgridge Family Foundation.  In Washington, DC, Anna has served as an advisor to the National Cherry Blossom Festival, where she co-chaired the festival’s primary fundraising event, and Jumpstart, an early childhood organization.  Anna began her career working in CNN’s D.C. Bureau for National Correspondent Bob Franken and CNN Productions.

As the Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL), Christina Foti serves to ensure the needs of historically marginalized students are centered throughout the department.  In this capacity, she oversees both the Special Education Office and the Office of Multilingual Learners within a unified division. In her previous role as Chief of Special Education for NYCPS, Christina led initiatives impacting over 200,000 students, managing citywide special education services and implementing specialized programs for students with diverse needs, including those with autism, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, and students who benefit from bilingual special education.  Before her tenure as Chief of Special Education, Christina held various roles, including Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Chief Executive Director of the Special Education Office, principal, assistant principal, literacy coach, and middle school teacher.

Christina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Vassar College, a Master’s degree in Special Education from the City University of New York, and a Postgraduate degree in Educational Leadership from Hunter College. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Glenna Wright-Gallo is a transformative leader in disability policy, inclusive education, and employment. As Vice President of Policy at Everway, a global neurotechnology software company, she leverages over 25 years of experience to drive systemic change and empower diverse learners worldwide. Wright-Gallo’s career reflects a progression of impactful leadership roles. She recently served as Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, where she championed policies improving outcomes for over 7 million individuals with disabilities. 

Prior to this, she held key positions such as State Director of Special Education in Utah and Assistant Superintendent of Special Education in Washington State, leading strategic reforms to elevate expectations and expand access to opportunities.  As an individual with a disability, Wright-Gallo brings a unique perspective to her work. This personal experience fuels her commitment to ensuring all individuals have access to opportunities without arbitrary limitations. Her strategic approach to policy development positions her to lead advancements in inclusive practices that empower individuals with disabilities.  At Everway, Wright-Gallo spearheads the Policy Center of Excellence, an initiative that amplifies voices of neurodivergent individuals and/or have a disability, shapes equitable policies, and integrates research and evidence-based practices with neurotechnology software to foster inclusive practices and support accessibility in education and workplaces.

Martin McKay is a pioneering technologist, entrepreneur, and advocate for inclusive innovation. He is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Everway (formerly Texthelp), a global leader in assistive technology that has empowered over 250 million people worldwide to read, write, and communicate more effectively.  Martin founded Texthelp in 1996 with a deeply personal mission: to assist his father, who had suffered a stroke, in communicating. What began as a solution for one has evolved into a global enterprise, providing neuroinclusive tools that support individuals with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and other communication challenges.  

Under Martin’s leadership, Texthelp expanded its reach across North America, Europe, and Australia, employing over 600 people. In 2024, following a successful merger with n2y, Martin transitioned to Executive Chairman, focusing on global education policy and disability inclusion.  For his lifetime commitment to literacy and inclusion, he received the Presidential Award from the International Dyslexia Association. In 2022, he was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Ireland).  Martin’s vision is ambitious: to advance the literacy and understanding of one billion people by 2030. His work continues to shape the future of inclusive technology and education.

KerryAnn O'Meara (she, her) is Professor of Higher Education and the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of the College at Teachers College, Columbia University. She draws on insights from organizational behavior, higher education research, and behavioral economics to identify and test policies, practices, and interventions to recruit and retain a diverse faculty. KerryAnn previously served as Director of the University of Maryland’s ADVANCE program for ten years, leading evidence-based interventions in inclusive hiring, third space networks, workload reform, and faculty evaluation. 

She uses a range of methods to study equity in faculty careers and reward systems including longitudinal approaches, randomized control trials, ethnography, time-diary methods, survey, case study and interviews. Her research and practice have been continuously funded by NSF since 2010. KerryAnn is PI of a new NSF study to test nudges in faculty evaluation. She is a 2021-2022 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow and served as Special Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Maryland. She has taught courses on the Academic Profession, Organizational Change in Higher Education, Women in Higher Education, Ranking Systems in Higher Education and Doctoral Proseminar.

Jenny Kim Park is the Chief Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Officer for Bank of America. She serves as the chief strategist for D&I focused programs, initiatives and policies that help drive Responsible Growth for the company.  In this role, Jenny is a member of the Global Human Resources leadership team. She leads a team who supports enterprise-wide diversity initiatives, diversity conferences, strategic partner management and sponsorships, diversity awards and recognition, inclusion learning, diversity metrics and data reporting, and oversight to the employee networks for more than 230,000 memberships across the globe.  Jenny is a member of several of the Bank’s employee network groups, including Co-Executive Sponsor of the Asian Leadership Network and is part of the enterprise Asian Advisory Council.  Jenny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from San Francisco State University. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Kim (she/her) has served as New York State’s first-ever Chief Disability Officer (CDO) since being appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in February of 2022. Kim has been charged with advising the Governor and executive staff on policy and budgetary issues as they pertain to disability issues, serving as the state's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator and chairing New York's Most Integrated Services Coordinating Council (MISCC), which is responsible for the state's Olmstead compliance. Kim also acts as the New York State lead related to the execution of Executive Order 31—signed by Governor Hochul in July 2023—focused on New York being a model employer for people with disabilities.

Gus Schmedlen is Chief Revenue Officer at Everway, the global leader in assistive technology. Everway strives to help people understand and be understood, helping schools, colleges, and workplaces be more inclusive and accessible. Previously, Gus served as Vice President and Head of Worldwide Education at HP, where he led the expansion of their global education technology business into a multi-billion dollar enterprise.  Gus is honored to serve on the boards of Digital Promise, JA Worldwide, and the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.  Gus chairs the leadership council of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution.  Gus earned an EdD from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Duke University, and a BA from Colgate University.

Reid Jewett Smith, Ph.D. comes to Disability:IN from a research career in higher education. Reid has a background in non-profit management, social science research, and strategic consulting. She taught American History for ten years before completing her doctorate at Boston College, where her research focused on educational inequity, philanthropic reform, and teacher education policy in the United States. Reid remains an Adjunct Professor of Global Perspectives in Education at Boston College.
Originally from Washington, DC, Reid now lives in upstate New York with her husband and two small children. Reid has Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a hereditary degenerative lung disease. Pushing forward with a career while fighting CF has made this work – workplace disability inclusion – personal for Reid.
Reid attended Wesleyan University, Boston University (B.A. History, Summa Cum Laude), Brown University (M.A. History), and Boston College (Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction).

Tere began her career as the first female engineer ever hired by Alps Electric (a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer), and then moved into management consulting, specializing in automation, human factors, and user experience.
Seven years later, after earning additional degrees in English literature and creative writing, she went to work for the iconic For Dummies book series, specializing in computer and tech titles, and spent a decade working as an author, editor, and editorial manager. Tere has not only edited 150+ trade books—including a number of bestsellers that have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide—but also authored or co-authored 20 books of her own, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the World of Harry Potter, three editions of The Everything Budgeting Book, and a number of fitness and travel books.
Tere shifted her career focus to NGOs in 2008. As digital-content strategist for one of the largest nonprofits in the United States, her efforts at Girl Scouts of the USA were awarded “Overall Grand Champion” at the inaugural Wharton/Ernst & Young Social-Media Leadership Awards, based on explosive growth in social media on a shoestring budget. In addition to managing all aspects of digital media for GSUSA, Tere designed the organization’s 100th-anniversary digital campaign that engaged millions of alumnae. She also crafted content for girlscoutcookies.org and the Girl Scout Cookie App in support of the organization’s $800-million annual fundraiser, and created digital-marketing campaigns for National Girl Scout Cookie Day and the Girl Scout Cookie Nestlé Crunch Bar, which was named AdWeek/Parham Santana's “Best Brand Extension of the Year.” Tere wrote all copy for Girl Scouts licensed product packaging, designed campaigns to launch studies from the Girl Scouts Research Institute, created the first-ever volunteer handbook for the organization’s one-million volunteers, and developed GSUSA’s online volunteer orientation and app.
As CMO of JA Worldwide, Tere and her team are responsible for JA’s global brand and visibility; all of JA Worldwide’s web, social media, print, and advertising content; global marketing campaigns and initiatives; production of global events; and communication and collaboration among JA regional operating centers, member countries, and local areas.

Andy is NY’s inaugural Employment First Director, leading
efforts to implement Executive Order 40, signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in 2024.  With nearly 25 years of experience, Andy spent the formative years of his career providing and overseeing direct employment services for New Yorkers facing multiple barriers, including homelessness, poverty, disability and segregation.  As Employment First Director Andy works with essential partners to improve employment, economic and quality of life outcomes for New Yorkers with disabilities.  Andy holds a master’s in public administration from the University of Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, is a lifelong Upstate New Yorker and a
father of two, one of whom has a disability.

Dave Thompson is a strategist, innovator, and keynote speaker who helps organizations invite in, support, and leverage the strengths of neurodivergent professionals. An early-identified ADHDer and dyslexic thinker, he grew up navigating systems not built for brains like his and now works to redesign them.

His forthcoming book, Brainstorm: A Guide to Neurodivergent Talent and the Future of Work, will be released globally by Wiley in early 2026. Dave has advised Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, schools, and mission-driven startups, bringing lived experience and systems expertise to the evolving conversation on neuroinclusion.

Rebecca Winthrop is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, focusing on global education and the skills young people need for work, life, and citizenship. She promotes quality and relevant education, leveraging innovations and community engagement to advance progress for marginalized children and youth. Winthrop advises various governments, international institutions, and organizations, and serves on several global education boards. Prior to Brookings, she worked for 15 years in education for displaced communities, including leading the International Rescue Committee’s education efforts in conflict-affected countries. She holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University Teachers College, an M.A. from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and a B.A. from Swarthmore College.