According to the United States Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, people with disabilities make up the third-largest market segment in the United States. Centene believes that by proactively hiring people with disabilities, it is better able to serve its members. Just as we are committed to hiring the most qualified talent, Centene is equally committed to ensuring that every member of our workforce has access to the tools and resources that enable them to be successful at work.
Centene National Disability Advisory Council
Centene has long recognized the benefits of workplace policies that provide a supporting and welcoming environment for people with disabilities. Centene worked with key leaders in the disability community to establish a council to develop a framework for disability inclusion with respect to our employees, members, providers, and suppliers.
Our National Disability Advisory Council is composed of national leaders in disability advocacy who work on enterprisewide recommendations and initiatives that advance disability inclusion in Centene's workforce and product offerings in our healthcare solutions.
Centene has brought some of the top U.S. disability leaders to the table to advise us on how we can be more inclusive to those who are aged, blind or disabled.
- Colleen Kelly Starkloff, Co-founder (Retired), Starkloff Disability Institute; Chair, Centene National Disability Advisory Council
Current Centene National Disability Advisory Council members include:
Zane Yates (Executive Sponsor), Senior Vice President, Chief Business Development Officer, Centene Corporation
Colleen Starkloff (Chair), Retired, Starkloff Disability Institute
Theo Braddy, National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
Charlie Carr, Disability Policy Consortium
Dr. Diana Cejas, Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina
Tom Earle, Liberty Resources, Inc.
Jeiri Flores, University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)
Claudia Gordon, T-Mobile
Andy Imparato, Disability Rights California
June Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant
Anil Lewis, National Institute for the Blind
James Meadours, Advocacy & Outreach Lead, Strategic Education Solutions
Mike Oxford, Topeka Independent Living Resource Center
Germán Parodi, The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies
Rylin Rodgers, Microsoft
Chris Rodriguez, Ability 360
Naomi Soule, Missouri Council of the Blind
Maria Town, American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD)
Jim Warne, TVR CIRCLE Training Coordinator CANAR & SDSU Interwork Institute
Mary Willard, Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL)
National Employer Recognition
As a result of Centene’s approach to the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our workplace, we were recently named one of the best places to work for people with disabilities by the Disability Equality Index (DEI®).
The Disability Equality Index is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN. Developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates, the DEI is a national, transparent, annual benchmarking tool that offers businesses an opportunity to receive an objective score on their disability inclusion policies and practices.
