Teresa Thomas
Program Lead, Neurodiversity Talent Enablement Cyber Engagement
The MITRE Corporation (moderator)
Teresa Thomas is The MITRE Corporation’s Program Lead for Neurodiverse Talent Enablement and has a long history of advocacy for neurodiverse populations. She has been a house parent in a group home for adults with high support needs, is now a parent of an adult on the autism spectrum, and is active in the MITRE Corporation's Inclusion and Diversity programs.
Teresa brought together an advisory council consisting of private organizations, universities, self-advocates, and federal agencies to develop and pilot the Neurodiverse Federal Workforce program. She also designed and now spearheads MITRE's internal neurodiversity internship program. Both programs focus on providing opportunities and support for neurodistinct individuals in cybersecurity and other technical roles.
She is passionate about the topic and speaks widely about MITRE’s programs, and neurodiversity in general, and is regularly interviewed as a subject matter expert in the area. She speaks often at federal agency events and has been featured at the National Cyber Summit, the RSA Conference, and on Bloomberg TV.