About Us
Accessibility and Inclusion in STEM: A Discussion with General Motors
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), in partnership with General Motors, invites you to join us for a panel discussion focused on inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in STEM education and STEM careers. In today’s workforce, careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are growing exponentially and more diversity in the field is needed to drive innovation. This discussion will inform and empower youth and young adults living with a neuromuscular disease to consider exploring STEM-based careers.
WHAT: Engineers, designers, and innovators from General Motors will share their experiences pursuing a career in STEM and how they are now using their skills and creativity to solve challenges around accessibility and sustainability. Some of the panelists will also share their personal experiences living with a disability, why they pursued a career in STEM, and how they advocated for their needs in higher education and employment.
The discussion will be co-moderated by Justin Moy and Amanda Zurek, MDA Ambassadors currently pursuing their own careers in STEM.
WHO: All youth and young adults ages 13-25. Parents/caregivers are also encouraged to register.
WHEN: Thursday, July 22, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. ET/4:00 - 5:30 p.m. PT
WHERE: RingCentral Webinars (a link will be sent to registered participants two-days prior)
When registering, we encourage you to submit your questions in the box provided. We will do our best to address every question during the discussion.
Questions? Please reach out to us at resourcecenter@mdausa.org or by calling 1-833-275-6321.
GM Panelists
Joseph Bilderbeck - Community Outreach and Culture lead for the employee resource group GM Able (this group provides a community for all people with disabilities, their allies and care givers). Living with multiple disability for most of my life some physical other invisible. Team member at GM for 6 years and currently a team leader for the Aftersales Engineering team at GM. I have a Associate Degree in Automotive Technology, Bachelor of Technology Management and Master Degree in Management Strategy and Leadership. I am a father of 2 and married for 15 years.
Matthew Titsworth - artificial intelligence and machine learning manager at General Motors as well as the Austin chapter lead for GM Able, GM’s employee resource group for disabled employees, caregivers, and allies. He was diagnosed with comorbid ADHD and bipolar at the age of 7 and received his Ph. D. in Mathematical Physics in 2016 from the University of Texas at Dallas at the age of 31. Matthew is also a caretaker for a partner with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who is an ambulatory wheelchair user as well as children diagnosed with ADHD and other neurodivergences. He is working to be open and transparent about his story and challenges as a means to provide positive representation as well as learning more about disability advocacy for other caretakers and challenges.
VeRonica Mitchell - EV COE Brand Integration and Business Planning Manager
Kristy Rasbach - AV chief engineer Kristy Rasbach is excited by the possibilities of autonomous vehicle technology. A mother of three children who will be driving soon, Kristy is motivated by the role AV plays in GM’s vision of a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. Video overview of her here: https://www.gm.com/our-stories/technology/cruise-autonomous-vehicles-engineering.html
Amrit Mehta - Global Executive Director - Enterprise Customer Experience
