Anita Wright inducted into the Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame

The Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame was established by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) to honor those individuals who are making a significant difference in the lives of youth and adults with disabilities through mentoring and to raise awareness about the importance of mentoring for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to induct Anita Wright into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.

Current Responsibilities: Anita champions diversity inclusion at Northrop Grumman Corporation. In her role as a manager of business development and proposal operations she is a leader responsible for interacting with executive leadership, business development, engineers and all functional organizations within Northrop Grumman to build a diverse workforce, inspire innovation and grow the business.

Anita is recognized as a knowledge expert in her field. She has gained the respect of her colleagues and peers through collaborating across boundaries to facilitate effective solutions with a can do attitude, a commitment to succeed, and a philosophy that encourages respect and teamwork.

Building the profession: Anita leads by example as an innovator. She was the recipient of the 2015 Northrop Grumman Sector President’s Leadership Award for Proposal Process Innovation and Affordability. She has been an active board member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) since 2005 to elevate innovation and creativity in the workforce to capture new business. The mission of the APMP is to advance the arts, sciences, and technology of new business acquisition and to promote the professionalism of those engaged in those pursuits. 2016 she was appointed to the international APMP Board of Directors for increasing the professional skills of proposal management professionals and improving the proposal process. She has applied new technology to save time and money to create compelling and winning proposals with the use of software and process tools and has been recognized for her leadership role of generating interest in the profession through the APMP and coordination of the Annual California APMP Training Day.

Culture change: She is known for her dedicated service to increase the talent pool of qualified individuals with disabilities, and improve the work environment for current employees to enable them to perform at their highest ability. At Northrop Grumman she has been an instrumental corporate leader driving process improvements internally from the grassroots by leading The VOICE: Victory Over Impairment & Challenge Enterprise, a volunteer disability advocacy employee resource group, to contribute to corporate disability initiatives and the rollout of disability resources, accessibility tools, and accommodation services enterprise wide.

Anita’s commitment to workforce and workplace engagement is highlighted by her leadership in the development and sustainment of diversity groups in multiple domains. As a leader who inspires innovation and problem solving, she was appointed Diversity Council Chair at her business site of approximately 900 employees guiding and mentoring 11 volunteer employee resource groups that include: African American Task Group, ADELANTE – Hispanic Employee Resource Group, Asian Pacific Professional Network, Gen2Gen, Pride in Diversity Alliance for LGBT, Veterans, Employees and Reservists Inspired to Act and Serve, Women’s International Network, The VOICE – disability advocacy group, GreeNG and Connect1NG. The ERGs collaborate to provide opportunities for career and leadership development to drive initiatives that impact the business, forums to include multiple types of diversity to foster inclusion, professional networking, and community and education outreach to grow the talent.

Community impact: Anita makes a difference locally, state wide and across the nation. She was appointed by the California Secretary of Health and Human Services as a board member of the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (CCEPD) as a business representative committed to workforce diversity and the advancement of employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She is a champion dedicated to building disability and diversity inclusion from all levels as exemplified by her leadership role with the CCEPD, volunteer work with the Youth Leadership Forum for H.S. students with disabilities and Career Links Mentoring Program for university students, and community involvement with organizations such as The Junior Blind Special Olympics and the 2015 World Special Olympics. Her focus is not on disabilities but rather on abilities and unique qualities as she inspires individuals to aim high to accelerate in STEM related fields.

Previous Responsibilities: Anita has over 15 years experience as Senior Editor, Publications Manager and Program Trainer which aligns with her expertise in disability management and career counseling. She has worked with private and non-profit organizations as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Job Coach, and Job Developer. As a writer, speaker, and curriculum developer, a common theme in her work has been the importance of owning responsibility and taking action to succeed with the right resources and tools. She has challenged individuals to gain exposure to employment opportunities, act with purpose, and take responsibility for their actions to excel on the job.

Publications: Anita is a lead author of Blueprint for Workplace Success and has provided training to Workforce One Stop Centers in the state of California to train professionals working with high risk youth and individuals with disabilities. In addition, she was a contributor to several publications related to the American with Disabilities Act. These include: Making the ADA Work for You and What Managers and Supervisors Need to Know about the ADA. Additional accomplishments include: senior editor and trainer of career development programs 30 Ways to Shine as a New Employee: A Guide to Success in the Workplace, and Beyond Traditional Job Development: The Art of Creating Opportunity.

Education & Accomplishments: Anita received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a master’s degree from California State University, Northridge in Educational Psychology. She is an APMP Certified Proposal Management Practitioner and currently serves on the APMP international board of directors. She is also certified by Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business in Corporate Social Responsibility and recipient of the 2016 Corporate Responsibility Award for the 21st Women of Color STEM Conference.

Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame: Information and Inductees

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