Information Technology Branch (ITB) Chief, Jennifer Freese (above) and husband, Craig take a photo with the Excellence in Mentorship Award.

The Project SEARCH (SEEC) annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month event was held on October 14 virtually. For this event, individuals and businesses, who work with NIH, were recognized for their hard work and dedication toward creating inclusive work environments for individuals with disabilities.  Information Technology Branch (ITB) Chief, Jennifer Freese, was nominated and chosen for the Excellence in Mentorship Award for Employers. This award recognizes an individual supervisor or coworker within a company or organization that has gone above and beyond to support, encourage and foster success within that company for a person that SEEC supports. These actions highlight the roles individual coworkers or supervisor play in ensuring the success of an inclusive workforce, and may include taking time, often outside of normal work hours, to mentor, coach, instruct, or provide moral support for a person with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Jennifer Freese demonstrated these actions and more in her work with a Project SEARCH employee within ITB. Jennifer also gave a presentation, along with Mark McNeel, to the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) working group to discuss inclusions of persons with disabilities in the work environment. Congratulations to Jennifer Freese for her award!