Angela Winfield is the Director of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity at Cornell University. In this role, she provides leadership, vision, energy, and a unified philosophy to the university’s diversity, inclusion, and engagement efforts.  As one of five university diversity officers with her dedicated focus on Cornell’s over 7,000 staff members, Winfield develops and implements strategies to create an inclusive environment that supports Cornell’s commitment to a diverse workforce. She oversees and implements the university’s affirmative action program, is the equal employment compliance officer and one of three Americans with Disabilities Act coordinators for the campus.

Winfield is Of Counsel with Barclay Damon in its Commercial Litigation practice group and previously served as Program Manager for the Northeast ADA Center where she provided information, training and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act to stakeholders in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She currently is a commissioner for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Disability Rights and serves on the Pathways to the Profession subcommittee on bias interrupters. Winfield is also a certified success and leadership coach and motivational speaker.

Winfield earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University.

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Angela Winfield, Leading International Disability Champion and Advocate, Joins BBI Board

Joshua R. Tumen, Esq., is a Litigation Associate at White and Williams LLP in New York, New York. He represents corporations, commercial entities, and insurance agencies in matters including complex litigation, contractual disputes and tort claims.

Mr. Tumen received his B.A. from the University of Delaware and J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law. Throughout law school, he served as a legal research assistant at BBI and participated in several community collaborations and partnerships. Mr. Tumen also completed an independent study and externship with BBI Chairman, Peter Blanck, with a primary focus on the impact of emerging technology on individuals with disabilities.

Dr. Michael L. Tumen, Director of Foot Surgery at the St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, New York, has been a practicing podiatrist for thirty-three years. He is certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery; the most highly regarded certifying board in the field of foot surgery, and is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

At St. Joseph’s, he currently serves on the hospital’s medical board, is the director of quality improvement and peer review for podiatric surgery, and is the on-site director of the surgical resident training program. He is also a staff physician at North Shore University Hospitals at Plainview and Syosset.

The Harris County Podiatric Residency Program in Houston, Texas recognized Dr. Tumen for his “outstanding achievement in anatomy and surgery.”

Michael and his wife Randi have a daughter who is currently a freshman at SU. Their son will be a first year law student at SU College of Law in the Fall. As a family, they are passionate about improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and the families who provide support and loving care for them. The Tumens have life experiences that enable them to understand the challenges of those who are disabled. Their son, Zachary, lived for twenty-one years, in their home, with severe physical, medical, and mental disabilities. He succumbed to these overwhelming challenges in 2010. They honor his life, by participating in the direction and vision of the Burton Blatt Institute.

Barbara Huntress Tresness’s journey to becoming a leading advocate for nonverbal and limited communicators and to founding the Connecting Humans through Awareness and Technology (CHAT) Collective began in 2000 when her son, Graham, was born with cerebral palsy.  Finding herself, the local medical community, and the public school system poorly equipped to meet the needs of a nonverbal child, she embarked upon a worldwide search for techniques, technologies and treatments to free Graham from the walls of silence that imprisoned him.

After a decade of frustration and frequent medical emergencies that resulted from his inability to communicate, Graham “emerged” a bright, happy and engaging child through the use of assistive technologies and innovative therapies that now allow him to converse with family, friends, teachers and medical providers.

It was during these trying years that Barb discovered such ground-breaking approaches as craniosacral therapy (CST) and dolphin assisted therapy, pioneered by Dr John Upledger of the Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The dramatic effect these had on Graham inspired her to become a licensed massage therapist and craniosacral therapist in 2005. CST is non-invasive form of alternative medicine that involves gently manipulating the spinal and cranial bones to release tension in the central nervous system, allowing the entire body to relax and to self-correct. It has been shown to be beneficial in treating concussions, TMJ, chronic pain, whiplash, insomnia, tinnitus and various symptoms of Alzheimers, cerebral palsy and autism.

Since 2006, Barb has served as support therapist at the Upledger Institute working directly with Dr. Upledger and as a lead therapist in the dolphin assisted therapy program (DATP) in Freeport, Bahamas. In 2010, she established Ultimate Yu, a massage therapy practice in upstate New York, where she has helped hundreds of patients through craniosacral therapy.

In 2013, Barb and her husband, Greg Tresness, founded and funded a program at the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University that became the precursor to CHAT Collective.  Also called CHAT (but initially an acronym for Communication Hope through Assistive Technology), the program’s mission was to assist youth with disabilities who communicate using technology to open their voices to the world and to create communities among CHAT families for sharing friendship, fun and learning.  Among its successes were the development of an online interactive fun center for children and a resource center for parents and the hosting of a weeklong CHAT Camp for families.

With the founding of CHAT Collective, Barb has focused on identifying and creating awareness of those with communications challenges as “nonverbal communicators” (NVC) and “limited communicators” (LC). CHAT Collective’s goal is to teach the community how to communicate with NVCs and LCs. To that end, Barb has also developed a suite of communications products to aid verbal, nonverbal and limited communicators in engaging with each other. CHAT Collective Hand Bands help verbal communicators stimulate conversation and obtain information by posing Yes/No questions and encouraging respondents to choose the wristband that correlates to their answer. CHAT Collective Dog tags, ID tags and t-shirts let people know if the wearer is a NVC or LC, and NVCs and LCs can use communication cards to help people learn how to communicate with them. CHAT Collective’s website went live in early April 2015.

Barb was invited to present at the 15^th annual Accessibility Summit in Washington, DC, which took place in mid-April 2015. The Summit draws experts, educators and other attendees from community, medical and faith-based organizations nationwide. Barb participated in a panel discussion entitled “Advocacy Through Collaborative Conversation,” which focused on helping parents to engage in positive and productive discussions on behalf of their children; and she introduced techniques for communicating with nonverbal and limited communicators in a workshop entitled “Talk to Me: Effective Communication with Nonverbal Individuals.”

In early May 2015, Barb was asked to serve on the NYS regional Special Education Task Force, which strives to improve education for students with disabilities.

Barb has published two books in the past year.  Everyone Communicates: Learn how to talk to ME! came out in October 2015 and is a guidebook to help the verbal population learn how to communicate with NVCs and LCs. Her memoir, Beyond a Charmed Life, A Mother’s Unconditional Love, came out in January 2016.  The message of the memoir is that hope exists and you are not alone.

Barb currently serves on the BBI Board of Advisors and previously she held leadership positions on the boards of the Onondaga County Special Children’s Services (Early Intervention), the Boys and Girls Clubs of Syracuse, Eldercare Foundation, Advocates Inc., Junior League of Syracuse, Jowonio Foundation, and Manlius Public Library.

Barb received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont, and lives with her husband and three sons in Manlius, NY.

Barbara Huntress Tresness in The News
CHATing Together
Syracuse Woman Magazine May 2016

Robert Tannenhauser, chief executive officer of The Ruxton Capital Group LLC, is the founder of BoeFly, a premier online marketplace connecting lenders with business borrowers, secondary market loan buyers and professional service providers. He also serves as board chairman of the Children’s Health Fund, founded by singer-songwriter Paul Simon and Dr. Irwin Redlener. Tannenhauser was a practicing attorney with more than twenty years of experience in commercial transactions. He received a B.A. from Syracuse University, J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, and an L.L.M. in taxation from the New York University School of Law.

Vijay serves as the Senior Director, Corporate Relations and Technical Alliances, at Syracuse University, since 2010. Vijay’s responsibilities include the identification and development of university-corporate partnerships – both domestic and international to best leverage the strengths and competencies of the university and in furthering the strategic initiatives and goals of the several colleges, and the university as a whole.

Prior to coming to Syracuse University, Vijay was Director, International Business at SRCTec. As a subsidiary of SRC, SRCTec delivers unique, next-generation solutions of national significance in defense, environment, and intelligence.

As Director of International Business, Vijay’s primary responsibility included identifying and developing the international markets for SRCTec products and systems and in pursuing opportunities. In his 3+ years at SRCTec, international sales accounted for ~ $25 M. He was also tasked with seeking and developing partnership opportunities with international entities. Vijay lead the Product Pipeline Working Group within the corporation, and was an integral part of the internal Investment Steering Committee that was tasked with qualifying and funding new product ideas. Additionally, Vijay was responsible for exploring the expansion of SRCTec’s product offerings and seeking new business opportunities.

Before joining SRCTec, Vijay, over a 10-year period, held several technical and business leadership positions at Sensis Corporation – a global provider of air defense, air traffic control, airline and airport operations management, systems. Notably, Vijay led technical development projects, new product launches, as well as the capture and execution of Sensis’ first international A-SMGCS program at the New Delhi airport in India.

Prior to moving back to the CNY region, Vijay was at General Motors for ~ 5 years in Business Process Reengineering roles.

Vijay holds a master of business administration (MBA) degree with a concentration in operations management and international finance, along with a master’s (MS) degree in manufacturing engineering from Syracuse University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bangalore University, India. He is also a graduate of the Central New York Advanced Course in Engineering (ACE) program from Syracuse University. Inducted into Phi Beta Delta, and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies.

A geek at heart – Vijay is currently pursuing the Doctorate of Professional Studies at the iSchool at Syracuse University. This is an on-line program, with a very limited residency component. Vijay’s topic of interest is in the area of faculty motivation for entrepreneurship – and in how this fits in the broader context of the innovation and entrepreneurship eco-system at the university.

Vijay has been an invited speaker at international industry forums and conferences on product and system technologies and has presented papers at the CLIPS Users’ Conference (1990) and the 21st DASC (2002). A friend and supporter of Syracuse University, A long-time Director of the LCS Alumni Association, Vijay served the 2009-2010 term as its President. He was the Distinguished Guest Speaker at the 2008 LCS Graduate Convocation at Syracuse University. Vijay serves on the Board of Directors of Advocates, Inc. – a non-profit organization that provides a Support Network for families of Children with Multiple Disabilities.

Married with two children – one of whom is a child with special needs, (and their recently acquired labradoodle puppy, Simba) Vijay and his wife are active in the community and strive to make a difference.

Dr. Kal Srinivas is the Director for Retention in the Office of Academic Programs at Syracuse University. This position has been newly created and designed to meet a need on campus to help enhance college access and enrollment to non-traditional college students and ensure the success of all students through graduation. She reports to the Associate Provost for Academic Programs and will be working closely with the Vice President of Enrollment Management, the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, and the Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment.  Working collaboratively across campus, as the Director for Retention she is responsible for the coordination of university retention efforts, programs and services. She oversees the access and success of special populations (e.g., first generation, students of academic concern, intra-University transfer students) and special programs (e.g., Say Yes to Education, KIPP, Posse, Haudenosaunee Promise) as they progress to graduation.

As part of Syracuse University’s larger commitment to creating an inclusive student body, Kal will work with all schools, colleges, and divisions across the University to further the ideals of supporting all students. The underpinning concept being that any student attending Syracuse University receives the individualized services and support necessary for their success through graduation. Syracuse University has a history of strong academic excellence and support and as the Director for Retention she will assist campus stakeholders in thinking critically, analytically, and creativity to meet the needs of our diverse student population.

Responsibilities include:

• Work with School/College advising teams to develop best practices for access and retention
• Benchmark other universities and leverage initiatives initiated by State and Federal programs
• Assessment of target programs across campus to find out if our students are learning what we as a school are trying to teach them and provide feedback to both students and faculty
• Coordinate the implementation and use of the Early Indicators Warning system
• Design, develop, implement, and coordinate retention programs across the university
• Identify areas of needed change that would increase student success and retention
• Collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative information on what causes attrition and develop recommendations, alternate systems, and procedures to increase retention
• Design and perform assessment studies to determine the effectiveness, performance, and future directions of programs designed to increase retention and graduation rates

Mr. Snyder is an attorney in private practice in Syracuse, where he concentrates in personal injury and consumer rights litigation, trial and appellate practice, and class actions. Previously, he was a speechwriter, Senior Staff member, and an Assistant Counsel to Governor Mario M. Cuomo of the State of New York, and a senior trial attorney with the Legal Aid Society of the City of New York, in the Criminal Defense Division. For 20 years, he was an adjunct professor in the Legal Studies Program at Syracuse University, teaching litigation and civil practice, tort law, and alternative dispute resolution.

Mr. Snyder founded and directs the Franciscan Legal Referral Clinic in Syracuse and has served on several boards, including the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, Aurora of Central New York, and the Hiscock Legal Aid Society.

Laurence Silverman is a partner at Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP, a leading civil litigation practice, in the firm’s New York office.His practice focuses on complex commercial litigations and investigations representing corporations and investment firms in corporate governance litigation, antitrust litigation, securities class actions and derivative suits. His clients are primarily prominent financial institutions and multinational companies.

Mr. Silverman has an active practice representing international and domestic film production companies, television networks, and television and film personalities in arbitrations and litigations. He is an arbitrator for the International Film and Television Alliance and a mediator for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Silverman has tried numerous litigations in State and Federal Courts in New York and throughout the country and has been lead counsel in international arbitrations. He also has argued numerous appeals before Federal Circuit Courts. He has handled high-profile disputes arising from mergers and acquisitions, distribution and marketing arrangements, real estate restructurings, and disputes in the entertainment industry. Mr. Silverman previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas P. Griesa of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Silverman serves as the co-chair of the Advisory Board for The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.