DMEC champions leaders in the field of disability and absence management who inspire their colleagues to think beyond traditional methods and to forge new paths that lead to better employee experiences. The Association expanded its awards program in 2024 with the Kaleta-Carruthers Innovation Award, which honors DMEC cofounders and recognizes trailblazers, who develop best-in-class integrated disability and absence management (IDAM) programs. “It really does underscore the importance of creativity and forward thinking in our field,” Bass noted in the DMEC podcast The True Payoff to Integrated Disability and Absence Management.
The inaugural Kaleta-Carruthers Innovation Award was awarded to Krystle Barnes-Iwediebo, director of disability and absence management for New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the 2024 Emerging Leader Award to Tamisha Waters, senior personnel analyst I for the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
These professionals stood out among a group of impressive candidates for their creative approaches, innovative solutions, and dedication to putting people first. Their stories shine a light on the power of leading with heart and delivering results that make a difference.
“Tamisha’s innovative solutions, leadership, [and] dedication to both her community and professional roles illustrate our Emerging Leader Award,” said Bryon E. Bass, CLMS, DMEC CEO, during the 2024 Annual Conference.
In a video recording presented to attendees, Bill Jones, human resources director for the city’s Recreation and Parks department, shared that Waters’ willingness to encourage, engage, and move people in positive ways has had a significant impact on city employees. “What an incredible honor and distinction to receive,” he said. “Our department is so proud of you!”
Emerging Leader Award
Waters (pictured top right), who was charged with finding a way to help employees return to work, tapped local library resources to help employees return to light-duty positions at no cost to the city. In addition to offering resources, including English as a second language and computer courses offered by the library, Waters helps employees reimagine their professional lives and encourages them to expand their personal and professional horizons. She describes her approach as helping “people reinvent themselves in the workplace” by asking questions like, “What are your career goals?” and finding free library courses that help them achieve them.
Through this light-duty program boot camp, employees discover career paths “they may not have ever known were available to them,” which “has given them a brighter outlook on life,” says Walters. Examples include a custodian who returned to work in an office job after learning to type and an employee in a manual labor role who now plans events, including one for the city’s workers’ compensation team.
Access to education and training has allowed employees to transition to more analytical positions that support recovery and reduce the potential for workplace injuries. Her success with these programs has attracted attention from other human resources departments across the city, and Waters has been asked to replicate the program. She is working to streamline leave forms and increase awareness of and access to disability and absence-related resources. Waters is always seeking ways to share words of encouragement with employees and knows how valuable it is, “when someone is kind to them in their darkest moments.” Hear more about this work in an upcoming DMEC podcast.
When accepting her award, Waters told attendees that she was grateful to be in a room among peers. “Although we may have thankless moments in this job, I would like to say thank you to all of you today!” She encouraged professionals to consider nontraditional resources for solutions, “to be encouraged, and most importantly stay the course.”
Noting her appreciation for the award, she added, “All of my efforts have not gone unnoticed. Sometimes we get it right!”
The recognition of work that is oftentimes done behind the scenes and frequently overlooked, is one of the driving forces behind the DMEC awards program. Championing the work done by the people who support employees during some of their most vulnerable times remains a core tenet of DMEC’s mission.
Kaleta-Carruthers Innovation Award
The recognition of work that is oftentimes done behind the scenes and frequently overlooked, is one of the driving forces behind the DMEC awards program. Championing the work done by the people who support employees during some of their most vulnerable times remains a core tenet of DMEC’s mission.
It is also part of the reason the Association expanded the award program purview in 2024 to include the Kaleta-Carruthers Innovation Award, which will be given every other year. In addition to celebrating visionary leaders, this award requires professionals to share objective data that illustrates efficiencies and sustained improvement as a return on investment for integrated disability and absence management (IDAM) processes.
The award “is a testament to the enduring legacy of Sharon and Marcia that encourages others to push boundaries and embody the pioneering spirit of DMEC’s founders,” Bass said as he introduced Barnes-Iwediebo, the first Kaleta-Carruthers Award winner, and Noeralis Angeles, manager of accommodation for New York-Presbyterian Hospital, to the stage.
Angeles, who nominated Barnes-Iwediebo, described her colleague as a leader, who turns every challenge into an opportunity. “She revolutionized the way we handle absence reporting and executes with precision and compassion.”
Taking a holistic approach to disability and absence management is central to Barnes-Iwediebo’s success at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Her innovative approaches are fueled by the recognition that “people want to have a sense of belonging” at their places of work, which should be part of the healing process.
Yet she acknowledges that returning to work can prompt feelings of anxiety for employees on leave, which influenced her process design to ensure regular communication and options that encourage employees to return to work when they are ready. Those processes and programs have also helped employees stay at work instead of taking leaves when possible.
Two of the keys to her successful endeavors are effective communication and a desire to connect with and support employees where they are. Examples include taking a task-based approach to roles versus a traditional skills-based approach to help widen the purview for employees returning to work; a centralized accommodations and return-to-work program that streamlines processes; and ongoing investments to upskill team members. She also led work to wrap paid parental leave with applicable state and federal leave, and introduced a Support Care Time policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Angeles described Barnes-Iwediebo’s “drone-like” ability to find gaps in the leaves framework and provide patches that yield measurable, consistent results “faster than you can say ‘PTO’!”
These efforts have reduced the number and duration of leaves and increased the number of employees who have stayed at work. Data shows a 61% reduction in leaves, a 6.9% reduction in the number of continuous accommodations leave, and a 9% increase in the number of employees who stayed at work, which is a key component of IDAM.
“It is truly an honor to receive such an incredible recognition,” said Barnes-Iwediebo. “I thank DMEC for creating this space for all of us who truly enjoy disability and absence management. … We come in every day hoping to make a difference in employees’ lives, so it’s humbling to be honored in this way.” Hear more from Barnes-Iwediebo in an awards video on the Kaleta-Carruthers Innovation Award page.
DMEC appreciates the work these leaders do every day to enhance the employee experience and improve organizational efficiencies — two hallmarks of leadership in the disability and absence management space. Help us celebrate these leaders and continue to shine a light on this work, which is frequently done behind the scenes yet influences every aspect of an organization.
