Meet Your Instructor:
Debora Sepich
EdD MBA at Doane University
Debora Sepich is an entrepreneur turned educator who has spent the last 15 years blurring the lines between the world of work and the halls of education. Debora is the Director of Graduate Business and Technology Programs at Doane University. Prior to working at Doane University, she founded Dolphin Software, an environmental health and safety software company focused on supporting pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and other highly regulated industries focus on protecting people, the planet while also making sustainable profits. Debora is delighted to be marrying her years of applied business experience with online education.
Meet Your Instructor:
Debora Sepich
EdD MBA at Doane University
Debora Sepich is an entrepreneur turned educator who has spent the last 15 years blurring the lines between the world of work and the halls of education. Debora is the Director of Graduate Business and Technology Programs at Doane University. Prior to working at Doane University, she founded Dolphin Software, an environmental health and safety software company focused on supporting pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and other highly regulated industries focus on protecting people, the planet while also making sustainable profits. Debora is delighted to be marrying her years of applied business experience with online education.
Meet Your Instructor:
Debora Sepich
EdD MBA at Doane University
Debora Sepich is an entrepreneur turned educator who has spent the last 15 years blurring the lines between the world of work and the halls of education. Debora is the Director of Graduate Business and Technology Programs at Doane University. Prior to working at Doane University, she founded Dolphin Software, an environmental health and safety software company focused on supporting pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and other highly regulated industries focus on protecting people, the planet while also making sustainable profits. Debora is delighted to be marrying her years of applied business experience with online education.
Professional Certificate in Inclusive Leadership
Become a successful leader in today’s global economy
Becoming a Successful Leader (Inclusive Leadership Training)
Get Beyond Work-Life Balance (Inclusive Leadership Training)
Leading With Effective Communication (Inclusive Leadership Training)
Meet Your Instructors:
Dnika J. Travis
Dnika J. Travis, PhD, specializes in organizational change, leadership and communication effectiveness, and workforce diversity and inclusion. In her position, Dnika is responsible for leading Catalyst research on the advancement and inclusion of women of color in the workplace. She is a Center Leader for the Catalyst Research Center for Corporate Practice where she distinguishes sound talent management strategies from programmatic fads and documents the best practices. In her position, she leads the Center’s research agenda, conceptualizes and develops methodologies, as well as conducts analyses for the Center’s global projects.
Dnika has been widely published, and her research has been funded by several foundations and government branches including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and the Texas Workforce Commission. She has extensive consulting, training, and teaching experience—in the nonprofit, public, and corporate sectors helping organizations develop engaged teams that produce quality outcomes and business results.
Prior to joining Catalyst, Dnika was an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) School of Social Work. While at UT, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Society for Teaching Excellence. She maintains an affiliation with UT as a Fellow, leading research on employee voice, inclusion, and retention in health and human services. Dnika is also on the Editorial Board of AFFILIA: Journal of Women and Social Work.
Dnika earned her PhD in social work from the University of Southern California, MSW in community organization and program evaluation from the University of Michigan, and BA in sociology from Hampton University.
Alixandra Pollack
Alixandra Pollack conducts research on organizational practices, examining diversity and inclusion efforts, change models, and the career experiences of women and men throughout the talent pipeline. As a member of the Catalyst Research Center for Corporate Practice, Alix focuses on corporate change strategies and the role of organizational and societal culture in creating inclusive workplaces. She has a strong focus on global work and cross-cultural themes, in particular through her management of the Culture Matters Research series and lead role in extending research to Mexico and other emerging markets, as well as through her leadership of Catalyst’s Global Issues Specialty Team – an internal group that builds knowledge and fields expertise requests on relevant topics such as: global trends, cultural sensitivity, regional variations, and diversity issues in emerging markets. Her work also includes research on organizational strategies related to LGBT inclusion and a role in Catalyst’s Practices team and Employee Resource Leadership Initiative (ERLI). In addition to her position in the research department, Alix is a member of the Men’s Issue Specialty Team dedicated to supporting the engagement of men as champions of workplace inclusion and equality, as well as the Millennial ERG focused on generational trends.
Prior to joining Catalyst in 2011, Alix was an Advisor for the Permanent Mission of the Cote D’Ivoire at the United Nations. She holds a BA from Brandeis University and MPH in Global Public Health from George Washington University. Alix is fluent in Spanish.
Jeff Barth
Jeff Barth is the Program Director of MARC (Men Advocating Real Change), an online learning community created especially for professional men who are committed to building inclusive workplaces. In this role he is principally responsible for the development, implementation, and marketing of MARC’s strategy and initiatives aimed at empowering individuals to become inclusive leaders and powerful forces for change in the workplace. As an expert on engaging men, Mr. Barth also provides external training, does speaking engagements, and takes part in creating and expanding Catalyst’s engaging men programs. He currently sits on Catalyst’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council and has served on the Catalyst Canada Honours evaluation committee. Prior to his current role, Mr. Barth served as the Program Manager of MARC. Before that he was the European Marketing Manager, where he developed strategy for member engagement and worked with the communications and branding teams to leverage Catalyst’s presence across platforms within Europe. Prior to assuming his role as European Marketing Manager, he was an Associate in Catalyst’s Public Affairs department. Before joining Catalyst, Mr. Barth managed political campaigns for candidates running for federal and local office in Utah. He also taught English in Tianjin, China. Mr. Barth received a joint Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology from Utah Valley University and is currently studying Mandarin.
Professional Certificate in Inclusive Leadership
Become a successful leader in today’s global economy
Becoming a Successful Leader (Inclusive Leadership Training)
Get Beyond Work-Life Balance (Inclusive Leadership Training)
Leading With Effective Communication (Inclusive Leadership Training)
Meet Your Instructors:
Deepali Bagati
Deepali Bagati, PhD, leads curriculum development for the Catalyst Inclusive Leadership Initiative, working to transform diversity research, expertise, and advocacy into skill-building leadership programs for emerging leaders. She has led several workshops and training sessions on talent management, leadership development, and inclusive leadership, and she frequently speaks on topics such as women in leadership, organizational change, and diversity and inclusion strategies. Previously, Dr. Bagati led the growth and expansion of Catalyst India. Dr. Bagati received her PhD in Social Work and Social Research from Bryn Mawr College, and she has taught as adjunct faculty at Bryn Mawr College and as Assistant Professor at Yeshiva University School of Social Work in New York.
Krista Brookman
Krista Brookman is Vice President, Global Learning Products and Programs at Catalyst. In her role at Catalyst, Ms. Brookman leads special projects which includes advising on and leading the strategy of research-based D&I diagnostic tools and skill-building initiatives, training and programs. This has included the creation and launch of innovative products and programs for Catalyst focused on leadership development and inclusion measurement that foster actionable and accountable D&I results. The results have been evidenced in successful desired learning outcomes for organizations, behavioral shifts for individuals, and mission impact and revenue results for Catalyst. Ms. Brookman received an MBA and BA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Emily Troiano
As part of the edX project, Emily Troiano is developing content for the course IL1x: Inclusive Leadership: Becoming a Successful Leader. In her role at Catalyst’s Information Center, she manages a team of librarians who answer reference questions from Catalyst members, the media, scholars, and the public, and she plays an integral role in developing and updating knowledge products about diversity, inclusion, and business. Ms. Troiano has designed and conducted numerous staff trainings on databases, intranet content development, and work productivity. Ms. Troiano has presented at various Catalyst Awards Conferences, the Catalyst Canada Honours conference, and Catalyst Connects events.
About This Course:
This health course will focus on the mental health issues of people with intellectual disability.
You will learn about the complexities of diagnosing mental health issues in people with intellectual disabilities and the types of disorders, assessments, screenings, and treatments used. There will also be a special focus on the legal and ethical complexities in health practice with patients who often require substituted consent.
This course is open to anyone, but will be of particular relevance to those in the field of advanced medical, allied health, and disability. It can also be used as workforce education for professionals who are interested in mental health.
What You’ll Learn:
- mental health issues and disorders
- mental health assessments and screenings
- challenging behaviors
- treatments
- legal and ethical issues
XSeries Program in Intellectual Disability Healthcare
Understand the barriers and enablers
Through My Eyes - Intellectual Disability Healthcare around the World
Well and Able - Improving the Physical Health of People with Intellectual Disability
Able-Minded - Mental Health and People with Intellectual Disability
Meet Your Instructors:
Nicholas Lennox
Nick is the former Director of the Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability at the University of Queensland. He is a researcher, educator, advocate and clinician and has specialised in the health of adults with intellectual disability since 1992. He is trained in general practice, and has developed interventions to improve the health of people with intellectual disability.
Miriam Taylor
Miriam is the former Education Coordinator at the Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability in the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland. She has a wealth of educational design experience for multi-users including people with intellectual disability, their families, disability organisations and health practitioners. Miriam has established an ongoing international collaboration with and is an invited contributor to the first World Disability Report for the World Health Organisation.
About This Course:
This health course will examine the specific physical health issues that affect people with an intellectual disability including, oral health, syndrome specific health issues, health communication, especially for non-verbal patients, sexual health, and interactions between tertiary and primary healthcare systems. There is a special section on complex care including issues associated with aging and spasticity, and the health impacts of epilepsy.
This course is open to anyone, but will be of particular relevance to those in the field of medical, allied health, and disability. It can also be used as workforce education for medical professionals in this field.
What You’ll Learn:
- common health conditions
- health assessments and health promotion
- oral health
- syndrome specific health issues
- complex care associated with aging, epilepsy and spasticity
XSeries Program in Intellectual Disability Healthcare
Understand the barriers and enablers
Through My Eyes - Intellectual Disability Healthcare around the World
Well and Able - Improving the Physical Health of People with Intellectual Disability
Able-Minded - Mental Health and People with Intellectual Disability
Meet Your Instructors:
Nicholas Lennox
Nick is the former Director of the Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability at the University of Queensland. He is a researcher, educator, advocate and clinician and has specialised in the health of adults with intellectual disability since 1992. He is trained in general practice, and has developed interventions to improve the health of people with intellectual disability.
Miriam Taylor
Miriam is the former Education Coordinator at the Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability in the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland. She has a wealth of educational design experience for multi-users including people with intellectual disability, their families, disability organisations and health practitioners. Miriam has established an ongoing international collaboration with and is an invited contributor to the first World Disability Report for the World Health Organisation.
Meet Your Instructor:
Andrea Hickerson
Director, School of Communication and Associate Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology
Andrea Hickerson, PhD, is the Director of the School of Communication at RIT and an Associate Professor of Journalism. She joined the RIT faculty in 2009, when RIT began its Journalism degree. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including, Crafting the Message, Communication Law, and Reporting & Writing. She is the recipient of two grants related to journalism innovation from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In 2017 she was awarded a National Innovation Corps grant from the National Science Foundation related to entrepreneurship in publishing. In addition to her grant work on journalism innovation and education, Dr. Hickerson conducts research on journalism routines and political communication, specifically as they relate to immigrant and transnational communities. She also regularly contributes content to local media in Rochester, New York. Dr. Hickerson has a B.A. in Journalism and International Relations from Syracuse University; a M.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin; and Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Washington.
Meet your instructor
Mike Johansson
Principal Lecturer, School of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology
Mike Johansson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology where he teaches courses in Advertising, Public Relations and Social Media. He was one of three faculty who jointly developed RIT’s first 9-credit critical thinking class, “The Meaning of Things in Three Objects.” The initial offering of the class in Spring 2017 displayed measurable growth in students’ critical thinking skills over the 15-week course. Prior to joining the RIT faculty in 2009, Mike spent more than 25 years in media companies in the United States and abroad. He maintains a lifelong interest in critical thinking and problem solving and includes weekly exercises in his classes to encourage creative thinking. A mentor once noted “Mike doesn’t think outside the box, he doesn’t recognize that the box ever existed.” Mike received two fellowships to the Poynter Institute and also served as a Digital Journalism fellow at University of California, Berkeley. He has a master’s degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Professional Certificate in Communication Skills
Take your communication skills to the next level
Storytelling in the Workplace
Public Speaking
Visual Presentation
Meet Your Instructor:
Ammina Kothari
Ammina Kothari is an Associate Professor in the School of
Communication at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she is
also the Program Director for Communication and Media Technologies.
Professor Kothari teaches a variety of journalism and communication
classes, including Intro to Journalism, Mass Communications, and
Communication, Gender and Media.
Her research focuses on issues related to health, gender, technology
and religion that are situated within the contexts of global
communication, journalism and media studies. Some of her on-going
research projects include comparative analyses of global journalistic
practices within the context of emerging media platforms; how the media
conveys information based on the newsworthiness of the issue; and
exploring effective channels for message transmission based on topics
and target demographics. Professor Kothari was awarded an Emerging
Scholar grant from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication in January 2016 to support her research on how the British
media have been reporting on the refugee crisis. In 2013 and 2014, she
was awarded competitive grants to conduct fieldwork in Tanzania to
assess the feasibility of using short-message-system (SMS) to
communicate health information.
Professor Kothari was awarded two university-wide competitive
research fellowships in 2010 to conduct her fieldwork in Tanzania, which
involved interviews with journalists and leaders of NGOs. In addition to
interviews, she also conducted semiotic and content analyses of
newspaper texts, to examine how media representations contributed to the
social construction of HIV/AIDS.
