Ed Thompson

Ed Thompson

Director

Ed founded Uptimize to bring slick online learning tools to critical areas of education and employment. He became passionate about not just diversity – but its business impact – while developing diversity initiatives in the London tech sector, notably co-founding the successful apprenticeships program ‘Tech City Stars’. He is a graduate of Oxford University.

Nick Walker

Nick Walker

Author, Educator, & Global Neurodiversity Expert

Nick Walker is an autistic author, educator, speaker, and aikido teacher. He is a faculty member at Sofia University and California Institute of Integral Studies, senior instructor of the Aikido Shusekai dojo in Berkeley, California, and Managing Editor at the independent publishing house Autonomous Press. Nick has been an influential figure in shaping autistic community and culture since 2004, and is widely recognized as one of the leading thinkers on neurodiversity.

Tim Goldstein

Tim Goldstein

Neurodiverse Communications Specialist

Diagnosed with Asperger’s at 54, Denver-based Tim Goldstein is a “Neurodiverse Communications Specialist“ with a unique approach to helping leaders and employees better understand how coworkers who are on the autism spectrum function. Using his “Cloud Neurodiversity” idea, Tim explains the Spock-like logical approach of the techie. Tim has taught his concepts at Cornell and to professors at Stanford Medical. His book, Geeks Guide to Interviews: 15 Critical Items for the Technical Type, is available to those looking to better understand autism in the workplace.

Valerie Paradiz

Valerie Paradiz

International Autism Expert

Val is a leading figure in the autism sphere in the United States. Val has extensive expertise in developing curricula for educational programs relating to people with autism, and founded the Integrated Self Advocacy (ISA) program, which provides tools and curricula to foster greater ability in self-determination. Formerly the Executive Director of the Autistic Global Initiative.

Christine Barratt

Christine Barratt

Leadership & Management Skills Coach

Christine is an experienced, AoEC- qualified executive skills coach and founder of leadership development consultancy Velocity at Work. Christine leverages her 30 years business experience – much of it seniormanagement – to provide commercial, results-oriented business coaching and mentoring. She focuses on leadership development.

Marcie Ciampi

Marcie Ciampi

M.Ed. (also known as author 'Samantha Craft')

Marcie is best known for her writings found in the well-received blog and book “Everyday Aspergers”. A professional educator, she has been featured in various literature, including peer-reviewed journals, Aspien Women, Autism Parenting Magazine, The Mighty, Project Aspie, Art & Autism, and Different Brains. Marcie serves as a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant at Spectrum Suite LLC and as the Senior Recruiter and Outreach Specialist at ULTRA Testing, a technology company with a neurodiversity hiring initiative. She is a coauthor of Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism and speaks globally on the topic of neurodiversity as it relates to employment and self-empowerment. To date she has corresponded with over 10,000 autistics around the world. She resides in Olympia, Washington, USA.