EARN Staff
Learn more about the team behind EARN.
Meet the EARN Staff:
Cornell Staff Bios
Susanne Bruyère, Principal Investigator
Susanne M. Bruyère, Ph.D., CRC, is the Academic Director of the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability and Principal Investigator of EARN. For EARN, her efforts are focused on collaborating with project partners, fiscal administration and contributing to research around employment disability nondiscrimination and disability employment policy. As Director of the Yang Tan Institute, Susanne is responsible for the strategic and financial direction of a multi-million dollar research, training, technical assistance and information dissemination organization devoted to improving employment outcomes and accessible communities for people with disabilities. Susanne is also a Professor of Disability Studies at Cornell. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.
Amanda Ward, Project Manager
Amanda Ward serves as the Project Manager for EARN, bringing experience at the intersection of academia, policy, and business. She holds dual bachelor's degrees in History and Political Science from Mansfield University, a master's degree in History from Ohio University, and is currently a PhD candidate in Contemporary History. Amanda’s career includes roles as a lecturer and advisor at Ohio University and as the Assistant Director of both the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention and the Human Rights Institute at Binghamton University. In these positions, she developed expertise in fostering collaboration across sectors to address complex challenges and drive impactful initiatives.
Wendy Strobel Gower, Development and Dissemination Lead
Wendy Strobel Gower is the Thomas P. Golden Executive Director at the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Wendy leads the Development and Dissemination Team. Wendy has almost 30 years’ experience in employment and disability and has been with Cornell University for 14 years. She has extensive experience with knowledge translation, product development and project leadership. Wendy has a master’s degree from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Sarah von Schrader, Research Lead
Sarah is the Director of Research and Program Evaluation for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability and Co-Project Director of EARN. She serves as EARN's Research and Evaluation Lead. Sarah’s research focuses on employer practices related to employer success in recruiting, hiring and advancing individuals with disabilities. Sarah has a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.
Ellice Switzer, Development and Dissemination Team
Ellice is a Extension Associate for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. In this role, she provides national technical assistance and training on topics related to disability and employment and U.S. disability policy, in addition to developing content and offering trainings for EARN. Her areas of focus include employer efforts to support disability employment, demand-side strategies to improve employer engagement among disability service providers and evidence-based practices to support post-school success for youth with disabilities.
Ashley Bryant, Development and Dissemination Team
Ashley Bryant, PhD, CRC is a Extension Associate at K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Dr. Bryant supports EARN to operate an employer-focused disability policy development and technical assistance center. Dr. Bryant is passionate about workplace access, and she has a wealth of experience working as a rehabilitation counselor to ensure persons with disabilities are included in the workforce. Prior to joining the Yang-Tan Institute, she served as corporate consultant and trainer for Dellanni consulting and a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist III for the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. Dr. Bryant is a licensed mental health counselor. Her dissertation research involved exploring the role of family cohesion in influencing the vocational identity status of emerging adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Jennifer Pawlewicz, Development and Dissemination Team
Jennifer Pawlewicz brings over 2 decades of employer relations experience into her role as Business Outreach Specialist within the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Jennifer’s areas of focus include employer best practices to recruit, hire, retain, and advance employees with disabilities, and accessible and supportive workplace cultures.
Bill Erickson, Research and Evaluation Team
Bill serves as a Disability Data Specialist for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. He serves as part of EARN’s research and evaluation team. He has been actively involved with disability research for over 20 years and has extensive experience in employer research, disability statistics, secondary data sources, survey design, web accessibility and youth transition related research. He has been involved in employer research since 2000 in both the private and federal sector in the U.S. as well as internationally. Bill has a master’s degree from Cornell University.
Bryan Bates, Web Team
Bryan serves as a Web Specialist for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Bryan serves as the Project Manager for EARN’s web related work. Bryan joined the Institute in 2019 as a designer working on identity, web and print projects. Prior to this, he was a partner at the brand communication and design company, Ancient Wisdom Productions, for 14 years. Bryan has a master’s degree from Syracuse University.
Michelle Alvord, Media Team
Michelle serves as a Communication Specialist for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Michelle supports EARN's online events. Michelle previously worked at News Channel 34 in Binghamton, NY where she was a Television Director. Michelle has a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Peter Quinn, Media Team
Peter serves as a Multi Media Editor for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Peter supports EARN’s video related project work. Peter previously worked for WIVT/WBGH News Channel 34 in Binghamton, NY where he served as Anchor/Reporter/Photojournalist. Peter has a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University.
Sara VanLooy, Project Coordinator & Administrative Lead
Sara serves as a Project Coordinator for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability (YTI), supporting administrative tasks for EARN and leading the administration team. Sara has worked at YTI since 1999 as an administrative assistant and publications assistant, providing administrative, research, editing and writing support on numerous projects. Sara has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
Concepts Communications Bios
Melissa Armstrong, Communications Team Lead
Melissa serves as the Communications Director at Concepts Communications (Concepts). For EARN, she takes the lead orchestrating and overseeing all communication initiatives and managing the day-to-day operations for the project. Melissa navigates the realm of communications, from developing impactful outreach strategies and managing engagement to steering media strategy and crafting compelling social media content and campaigns. Melissa brings nine years of experience in public relations and communications with a focus on strategy, brand management, media relations, and message development. Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University.