Joyce Bender

Joyce Bender, President and CEO, Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Bender Leadership Academy. Joyce A. Bender is the CEO, President, and founder of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and the Bender Leadership Academy. Bender Consulting is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and works on a national basis. Bender is an advocate for disability employment and the host of the Internet talk radio show Disability Matters with Joyce Bender on voiceamerica.com. She is the Vice Chair of the board of the American Association of People with Disabilities and Chairman of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central Pennsylvania. In 1999, Bender was selected as the President's Award winner, an honor given to an American who furthers the employment and empowerment of people with disabilities. In 2000, Bender received the 2000 James F. Compton Humanitarian Award for her efforts in improving the quality of life for people with disabilities, by removing barriers to employment and creating other employment opportunities. In 2003, Bender was awarded the New Freedom Initiative Award winner from the Bush administration. In 2008, Bender was selected by the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh as a Tribute to Women Awardee in the Entrepreneur category for her work in empowering women and girls to reach their personal and professional goals.

Bender received the Distinguished Service Award from Geneva College In 2014, she received the Catherine Variety Sheridan Humanitarian Award from Variety the Children’s Charity.

In September 2002, Bender Consulting received the Employer of the Year Award from the National Epilepsy Foundation. Bender Consulting also received the 1999 Employer of the Year Award from hireAbility in Philadelphia, PA, the 1997 Power of Work Award from Goodwill Industries, and was selected the 1996 Small Employer of the Year by the Pennsylvania Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Affiliations

Bender serves as the Board Chair of the Bender Leadership Academy. and Chairman of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central Pennsylvania. Formerly, Bender was the Board Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation. Pittsburgh Disability Employment Project for Freedom, Homeless Children's Education Fund, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Disability Rights Pennsylvania. She also is a member of the Board of Trustees of Carlow University and serves on the National Advisory Group for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). and an Advisor for AudioEye.

Bender was one of the first regional coordinators for Disability Mentoring Day and coordinates activities in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Toronto. She has also been a contributor for EpilepsyAdvocate, a community of people living with epilepsy, their family members, and their caregivers.

Bender is also a sought after speaker, appearing at events for the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association - PHRA, Epilepsy Michigan, and the City of Pittsburgh.