Katherine McCary

PDI-J The Emerging World of Employment: The Time is Now to Hire People with Disabilities

About Katherine McCary

Katherine McCary has corporate responsibility for SunTrust’s disability leadership and the Disability Resource Center, a program that seeks to increase the employment of people with disabilities throughout SunTrust’s workforce and to increase awareness of marketing opportunities for customers with disabilities. The Corporate Center provides disability information internally to employees and managers. She co-chairs SunTrust’s National Disability Mentoring Day and acts as disability consultant to SunTrust’s 16 Diversity Councils.  Katherine is a long term member of SHRM, a SHRM certified Diversity Trainer and a recognized national speaker.

In her 20 years with SunTrust, her contributions to SunTrust’s disability efforts have resulted in national recognition, including the SHRM HR Magazine 2000 Innovative Practice Award, the 2002 US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) Exceptional Leadership Award and the US Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao’s 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award.

Katherine is a founder of the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) and is responsible for SunTrust representation in BLN affiliates. The USBLN®, a national organization representing 58 affiliates and 5,000 businesses, educates employers on the business imperative of disability leadership and inclusion. She is a past president, a past Annual Conference chair and now serves on the Corporate Advisory Board and the Disability Supplier Diversity Program committee which certifies disabled owned business enterprises for corporate diversity supplier programs. In 2009, Katherine received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the USBLN®.

In October 2008, Katherine was appointed to the National Council on Disability by President Bush and confirmed by the US Senate. NCD is an independent federal agency composed of members appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. NCD provides advice to the President, Congress, and executive branch agencies to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.