Staff
The LEAD Center national staff has decades of experience in the areas of training and technical assistance, employment, research and demonstration, economic advancement, and communications to advance systems-level change for people with disabilities.
Elizabeth Jennings
Strategic Advisor/Financial Capability Subject Matter Expert
Elizabeth Jennings is a strategic advisor and financial capability subject matter expert at the LEAD Center and the deputy director of National Disability Institute. She was the assistant director of the LEAD Center from 2012 to 2018. Elizabeth has more than 20 years of experience managing grants and contracts and providing training and technical assistance to a range of service providers as well as youth and adults with disabilities. She is skilled in multimodal training and technical assistance with special expertise in customizing materials and approaches to individual learners to help increase knowledge and capacity.
Elizabeth is nationally recognized for her expertise of financial literacy activities and strategies that improve the economic advancement of people with disabilities. She is an expert in the interplay of those strategies with Social Security disability benefits, including applicable work incentives and other Social Security Administration tools that mitigate barriers to full participation in the workforce.
Elizabeth holds a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently developing new strategies to reduce internal barriers for job seekers. She is also working on positive interventions to support service providers and the disabled communities they serve.
Laura Gleneck
Co-Project Director
Laura Gleneck is division director of employment projects and LEAD Center co-project director at National Disability Institute. She has more than 20 years of dedicated experience in the areas of project management and project coordination involving federally funded contracts, small and large. She also has more than 25 years of experience working with national disability organizations.
Laura previously served as the project manager for training and technical assistance activities to help states implement work incentive grants funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and DOL’s Disability Program Navigator initiative (and its predecessor, the Disability Employment Initiative). She is currently the lead coordinator/supervisor of key technical assistance staff focused on supporting disability and workforce state grantees. Laura’s other roles include managing material development, coordinating all training and technical assistance related to knowledge-building efforts on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act from a disability perspective, and working closely with the national DOL program office.
Laura has expertise in facilitating cross-project/team activities to identify commonalities and build on interconnectedness with demonstrated outcomes. She holds a master’s degree in child study and human development from Tufts University.
Yvonne Wright
Co-Project Director
Yvonne Wright serves as the LEAD Center co-project director at National Disability Institute (NDI). In this capacity, she manages projects and provides guidance and expertise to multiple teams at NDI.
Yvonne has worked in support of workforce development in the disability community for more than 30 years. Highlights of her work include developing the first statewide business outreach services team for Vocational Rehabilitation, serving as deputy director for the Missouri Office of Workforce Development, serving as chair of the Governor’s Council on Disability, and participating in the writing of five Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act combined state plans and modifications.
Yvonne has a master’s in public administration from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in organizational leadership at William Woods University. Yvonne has extensive experience in providing outreach, education, and technical assistance to the workforce community. She is passionate about how meaningful partnering and collaboration can positively impact the lives of professionals and people with disabilities.
Dr. Rebecca Salon
Senior Strategist
Dr. Rebecca Salon, National Disability Institute’s principal investigator, serves as a senior strategist lending her expertise to all activities as needed. She has more than 30 years of experience managing federally funded projects and more than 40 years of experience working with people across the spectrum of disability, along with their families, staff, and allies.
Rebecca previously served on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. She was also executive director of the Kennedy Institute in Washington D.C. and Community Living and School Director for an Arc in New York State. Rebecca holds a Ph.D. from Syracuse University, with an emphasis on disability policy studies. Her areas of focus include best practices to promote employment and community engagement, including work on related issues at the Center on Human Policy.