Presented by:
Jolene Thibedeau Boyd,MS, CESP & Michelle Smith

About the Presenters

Jolene Thibedeau Boyd, MS, CESP, is a Lead Curriculum Developer at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. She has almost three decades of experience in leadership development and disability services, and has worked with leaders, teams, and agencies across the country. She has facilitated transitions from segregated programs to innovative community-based services for people with disabilities. Her leadership experience includes the facilitation of strategic planning, implementation of organizational change, and development of values-based cultures. Ms. Thibedeau Boyd served as an officer with MN APSE (Association for People Supporting Employment First) from 2006-2017 and was a founding member of the Minnesota Employment First Coalition, facilitating the progress of innovative policies and practices within Minnesota. She has presented at local and national conferences and workshops, both in-person and virtually, and has mentored service providers and state agency leaders. Ms. Thibedeau Boyd holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Human Services from the University of Minnesota, a Master’s Degree in Psychology from California Southern University, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Human Resource Development at the University of Minnesota. She is a Certified Practitioner of the MBTI® Step I™ and Step II™ Assessments and is a Certified Employment Support Professional.

Michelle Smith is a Lead Curriculum Developer at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. She has nearly two decades of experience in disability services; serving in a variety of roles including frontline supervision, training & development, quality assurance, and 15+ years as direct support professional. Ms. Smith holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, with a concentration in Family, Health and Aging from the St. Cloud State University.