Career Progression for Neurodiverse Public Servants

Speakers

• Sasha Russell

  Organisation Development Consultant, Government of Jersey

  UK

• Penelope Kopala

  People Lead, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

  UK

• Joseph Riddle

  Director, Neurodiversity in the Workplace

  USA

• Sasha Russell, Organisation Development Consultant in the Government of Jersey. As a HR specialist, she works across the public service to identify workforce challenges and design practical, evidence-based solutions that improve the employee experience and organisational effectiveness. Her work includes advising on talent and performance management, career progression, succession planning, employee engagement, and more. Sasha is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. As Co-Chair of the Government of Jersey’s Neurodiversity Network, she champions a neuro-inclusive culture that recognises, understands and values difference. The network collaborates with other employee groups to influence policies and processes, ensuring diverse voices are represented and supported. She is also an ambassador for Jersey Employment Trust, which supports people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to access and sustain meaningful employment.

• Penelope Kopala, a Business Psychologist and HR professional, has worked in the UK Civil Service since 2020. Prior to joining the Civil Service, she worked as a Psychologist in a consultancy. She is an advocate for neurodiversity in the workplace and emphasises the importance of recognizing and leveraging neurodiversity strengths. Outside of work, she coaches and mentors neurodivergent individuals.

• Joseph Riddle, (he/him) leads Neurodiversity in the Workplace, a non-profit consultancy which is responsible for many of the corporate neurodivergent hiring programs in existence. Joe and his team work to create partnerships with businesses from across the globe to diversify their workforce to include and support neurodivergent talent. He has built partnerships surrounding neurodivergent inclusion initiatives with companies such as CVS, Dell, Microsoft, Mastercard and many more.