JAMES EMMETT AND COMPANY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Embedded Specialist
- Specialist
Alicia Carey joined the JEC team as an Embedded Specialist in October 2021. She has a passion for assisting individuals with barriers to employment and other community outreach needs on both a professional and a personal level.
First and foremost, Alicia is a proud mother of three grown children, two of whom were diagnosed with a disability during childhood.
Professionally, she received an Associate in Science in Criminal Justice in 2007 and Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2012.
Her employment background primarily involves corrections and re-entry services, including experience in case management, compliance, and administration.
Aside from the corrections field, she also has experience with teaching in a classroom setting for grades K-12 within five different school districts and assisting individuals with disabilities with various social needs and community outreach connections.
Bill Emmett has been involved in numerous national disability inclusion projects with James Emmett and Company (JEC). Working as the Chief Sourcing Officer, Bill has developed many partnerships across multiple industries.
Some of the partners that Bill has worked with are Advance Auto Parts, Quest Diagnostics, DRiV, TIAA-CREF's "Fruits of Employment", and many more.
Here at JEC, Bill is part of our expert team of consultants, specializing in creating pathways for employment for people with disabilities.
Bill holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from The University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Job Titles:
- Employer Services Vice President
Carla Gaouette, JEC's Employer Services Vice President, oversees partnerships with multiple employers. Carla has been consulting with national employers looking to diversify their workforce with people with disabilities and other barriers for more than 20 years.
She received her undergraduate degree in Human Services Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Additionally, she holds a certificate in psychiatric rehabilitation from Boston University.
Carla's entire career has been devoted to helping people with disabilities and other barriers realize and work toward reaching their full potential. Carla's work has been concentrated in employment services, supporting many different populations around the ever-changing challenges in the employment world. A groundbreaking change for employment of people with disabilities was the development of the Job Training and Placement Programs for national companies.
Carla has focused during the last 15 years in developing her expertise, creating, and refining this model with companies like Walgreens, Sephora, Petco, and Travelers Insurance. Developing and operating this model has provided the exposure and experience nationally that led to the development of Viability's Corporate Inclusion Solutions, which she created and managed, and her ongoing consultation with numerous companies.
Carla is a recognized expert in the realm of employment and training for people with disabilities, and she has spoken at the local, state, and national level at numerous conferences to explain and advocate for the full benefits and value of integrating people with disabilities to diversify any workforce. Her experience and knowledge in this area, as well as her relationship with national employers and governmental and private funding sources has contributed to the many successful employer initiatives she designed.
Deb continues to drive change through thought leadership and practical strategies, is a sought-after international speaker and has testified before the US Congress.
Lisa Stoops is an Embedded specialist for GEODIS on their campus in a suburb of Indianapolis. Geodis is a 3rd party logistics company and is wanting to be an employer of choice for the disability community.
Since joining the JEC team Lisa has proved that thinking out of the box to attract talent is a skillset needed to be a successful Embedded Specialist. Lisa has used a wide variety of ways to recruit talent from disability community and shows that Geodis is an inclusive and supportive employer.
Prior to JEC Lisa has over 20 years' experience in the hiring and managing of employees. Her strengths are in building customer and employee relationships while in her roles as a supervisor over Golden Malted's call center and a project a manger for ADT.
Lastly, Lisa is also the co-chair to the JEC coalition for Indianapolis, where disability organizations/partners from Indianapolis meet monthly to discuss job opening, best practices, and lessons learned. If you are interested in learning more about the coalition, please contact Lisa.
Lisa is the mother of one child and lives in Indianapolis
Olivia Young is a Disability Specialist from Lafayette, IN who has been with James Emmett & Co. for 2 years.
She has had a continuous role in working with different companies to break barriers within the workplace.
Olivia has a mission to assist candidates that are seeking employment that best suits them
Risa Mack currently works as our Embedded Specialist in Carrollton, Texas. Most of her 10+ years has been working with adults and children with disabilities
Risa works from a person-centered approach supporting clients with aligning their goals while and increasing independence. Her experience ranges from Lead Direct Support Specialist, Residential Supervisor, Employment Specialist, Documentation Specialist, and Medication Technician. Among her areas of expertise are assistive technology instruction, social skills training, situational functional skills assessment, job exploration, counseling & development, and cultivating individual service plans.
Risa has a passion for assisting others and encourages individuals to focus on their abilities rather than their disability. Her altruistic approach brings clarity, direction, and positive support for her clients. Risa is a visionary and takes great pride in advocation and sustaining lasting relationships
Robert Washington joined JEC in March 2021. He is a proud college graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC.
He has 10 years of Banking and Finance experience. He has also enjoyed serving in Nonprofits and Community organizations for numerous years.
His passion has always been helping others. He is excited to be on the team at JEC.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Corporate Disability Consultant
Tanner Whittaker, Corporate Disability Consultant joined James Emmett & Company in March of 2021. He received a Bachelor of Science in Disability Services at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2007 and a Master of Education focus on Vocational Rehabilitation from the Pennsylvania State University in 2010.
Whittaker began his career with the State of Colorado, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation focusing on supported employment and transition services from 2010 to 2019. During his tenure, he was elected as the Vice President for the Colorado Chapter of Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE) where he spearheaded the transition from nonintegrated work settings to competitive integrated employment.
In 2019, he joined Easter Seals Colorado, a non-profit organization as the Director of Transition and Employment Services. In this role and in partnership with James Emmett & Company, he led the initial local pilot of the Advance Auto Parts hiring initiative. Whittaker was integral to its success and expansion from Denver into several markets across multiple states.
His diverse background has provided a well-rounded knowledge base of the disability field. In his current role at James Emmett & Company, Whittaker supports hiring initiatives across several markets with a primary focus in the Denver area.
Whittaker enjoys the Colorado mountain air - fishing, hiking, camping, and traveling. He finds the most joy gardening, cooking, and spending time with his wife and two children.