#WISHRM23 Speaker Spotlight: Shelly Dretzka and Chelsea Budde

As a part of the WISHRM State Conference SMILE Team, I have the opportunity to connect with speakers and exhibitors and learn more about what to expect at the upcoming conference. Today I spoke with two of the WISHRM23 Speakers, Shelly Dretzka and Chelsea Budde who will be presenting Considerations for Hiring the Neurodivergent While Creating a Sense of Belonging for All.

Q & A with Chelsea and Shelly:

1. Who should attend your session?

Chelsea: Anyone who's looking to expand into this diversity dimension that can be aligned with including disabled talent.

Shelly: Those struggling to attract and retain talent that are open to making tweaks to their process which could result in hiring some top neurodivergent talent.

2. What is the most common barrier you see in the workplace to the success of a neurodivergent employee?

Chelsea: Because social communication for a neurodivergent person differs from that of the neuromajority, talent is often excluded through the interview process.

Shelly: It starts with the job posting. Does it tell the story that your organization is open to meet the needs of the neurodiverse and how will you accommodate from the beginning?

3. What is something attendees might not know about you?

Chelsea: Right out of college, I worked at a public relations firm in Milwaukee. After a few years, I "retired" to care for my growing family full time. Fellow autism mom Denise Schamens approached me with a great idea back in 2007, which is what gave rise to our nonprofit organization, Good Friend, Inc.

Shelly: Our family requested the first Good Friend, Inc. classroom program in 2007 with our son Josh. He is now a college graduate beginning his HR career with aHRrow. (So yes, my first full time employee is neurodivergent!)

4. What are your favorite resources or media on this topic?

Chelsea: Everything Good Friend, Inc. offers, of course. There are also some government initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) with great content, including the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) and the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN).

Shelly: All of the above, plus my HR peers. There are a few HR pros already making this a priority - seek them out!

5. What are you most looking forward to at WISHRM23?

Chelsea: Connecting with DEIA-minded professionals who are willing to take their first step in expanding the neurology of their talent base!

Shelly: Not only the DEI-minded, but those that don't even know this is a possibility. There are some major a-ha moments in the presentation and film clips that will be valuable takeaways for the participants.

6. Anything else that WI HR Professionals and People Leaders should know?

Chelsea: Be encouraged by other companies that have successfully included neurodivergent talent. Every journey begins with a single step, and this presentation will point you in the right direction!

Shelly: Connect with Chelsea, me and those who have already begun this journey. Be ready to have the information you need to convince the decision makers in your organization that this is a valuable use of your resources and enjoy the rewards of hiring these amazing individuals.

I, personally, am very excited for this session as a member of the neurodivergent workforce - it's great to see it coming to the forefront of the conversation in HR over the last few years and I hope it continues. Hope to see you there!

Meet Chelsea:

Chelsea Budde is the Program Director and Co-founder of nonprofit organization Good Friend, Inc. (Brookfield, Wis.), which is devoted to autism awareness, acceptance, and empathy. Her inspiration comes from her two young adult children, whose journey has taught more than 58,000 people how to better understand autistic neurology.

Website: Good Friend, Inc.

Meet Shelly:

Shelly is the mother of two young men, one a neurotypical college sophomore and the other a neurodivergent student teacher/coach. With her 25+ years of HR experience, she founded aHRrow Consulting in the middle of the COVID pandemic. Her style is personal, approach is upbeat, and objective is always the same—to be an HR business partner who is a seamless extension of her client’s team.

Website: aHRrow, Human Resources Consulting