The auticon Training Institute (ATI) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 established in September 2023 to train and prepare autistic adults for tech careers. ATI is separate from but closely partnered with auticon US.
There are many unfilled jobs in the tech sector and many unemployed autistic adults. This presents a perfect opportunity! Autistic individuals often have the ideal aptitudes and abilities for tech careers, but may lack the required technical skills or job experience.
ATI exists to fill those gaps through structured learning pathways, certifications, internships, mentoring, job coaching, etc. This will increase the supply of ready-to-work autistic technologists and ultimately decrease unemployment and underemployment within the autistic community.
In 2024, Vance assumed the position of CEO at auticon. Prior to joining auticon, Vance served as the COO at the pioneering HR technology startup, Built. Before his tenure at Built, Vance held executive positions at various startups and prominent corporations such as Oracle, EMC, and Dell Technologies. His contributions have garnered recognition, including the Impact Award from Women Tech Council and the Silver Leadership Award from Junior Achievement. Vance actively participates in community and industry boards, including Junior Achievement, STEM Action Center, Women Tech Council, and the Technology Initiative Advisory Board of the Utah System of Higher Education. He is passionate about technology, nature, and social impact. Vance holds a BA and an MBA in International Business from Brigham Young University.
For the last two years, Evan has served on the leadership team and in a prominent Finance role at auticon US, an award-winning social innovation company with a majority of autistic employees. auticon US specializes in integrating autistic technologists into client companies as consultants or potential permanent employees. Prior to joining auticon, Evan held leadership positions within one of the largest multi-employer pension funds in the United States. With over a decade of management experience across various fields including accounts receivable, audit, and finance, Evan brings a wealth of expertise to ATI. Passionate about advocating for neurodiversity in the workplace, his commitment is deeply personal as his brother is autistic. Evan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Illinois State University and an MBA from the Liautaud Graduate School of Business at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Jeff has been a Certified Financial Planner for nearly 20 years. He currently serves as Senior VP of Wealth Management at UBS, a position he has held for 16 years. Prior to joining UBS, Jeff held similar roles at Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo. Jeff is keenly aware of the many challenges that the autistic community faces through his involvement with the UBS Autism Roundtable event. Jeff is a staunch advocate of autism in the workplace programming and is involved in many community programs in Salt Lake City. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of Utah.
John has been a leader in the technology sector for nearly 15 years. He currently serves as the Senior Partnership Manager at Pluralsight ONE, the social impact arm of the tech company Pluralsight, where he dedicates his time to unlocking career opportunities for those that have been historically underrepresented in technology positions. John is uniquely positioned to help guide ATI in the programmatic features of a program and to assist in navigating government labor programs. John holds a bachelor’s degree in science from St. John Fisher University.
Jodi has been in IT Project Management for nearly 10 years. She currently serves in an IT Product Manager role at Nationwide Financial, a position she has held for over 8 years. Prior to this, Jodi was a Managing Director and Regional Manager in the private higher education space. Through these experiences, Jodi is uniquely positioned to help guide ATI in understanding the in-demand technical skills and the workplace training that is needed for a learner to flourish in a technical role. Jodi holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University.
Michael P. Storz is President of Chapel Haven Schleifer Center, Inc. (CHSC), an award-winning nonprofit that empowers adults of varying abilities to live independent and self-determined lives. CHSC is a lifelong program serving more than 250 adults from across the U.S. and several countries. Michael received his BA in Psychology from Providence College, his MBA degree from Southern CT State University, and received advanced post graduate certificates from the London School of Economics and the Lilly School of Fundraising Management at Indiana University. Prior to CHSC, Michael worked with children and adults with autism in both the classroom and home environments.
Bob McCowan is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and is responsible for global IT Strategy and Cyber Security. His global remit also includes supporting Research & Development, Commercial, and G&A functions. He and his team have won many Industry awards for technology innovation including CIO100 and Bio-IT World.
Bob is active on the Evanta NY-CIO governing body, providing support and guidance to this community. He is also engaged in a number of diversity and inclusion programs and has seen firsthand the value of partnering with neurodiverse individuals through organizations like auticon. Bob holds an MBA and is NACD certified.
Alison Andreozzi was most recently the CFO of CrossFit for three years, also serving as interim CEO and CMO during her tenure. Throughout her career, Alison has held operational and investment roles at high-growth companies in the technology and consumer sectors. She has been a growth and venture capital investor for over 15 years, serving as Managing Director of Mercato Partners and as a Venture Partner with Signal Peak Ventures, investing in early- to growth-stage companies across the U.S. As part of her work with Signal Peak, she served as CEO of portfolio company, Backbone PLM, a cloud-based product development platform for consumer brands. and Upwell Health, a pharmacy services provider focused on people with chronic conditions. Alison holds a BS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Eric had a long career as a founder/CEO in the retail and commerce technology space with a company that ultimately became part of Salesforce in 2016. Eric “retired” from the tech world in early 2018 with an intentional focus on solutions for the autism and neurodiverse community in the areas of housing and care, employment, and technology and innovation. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Eric and his wife Jaye support multiple organizations that serve this community locally and globally. Eric is also an investor and member of the global board of auticon GmbH, and is a founding director of Multiple, a nonprofit early-stage accelerator for neuro-world technology and innovation.