As executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services for over five years, Melinda Fruendt leads more than 1,000 state employees who served 96,178 Oklahomans with disabilities in 2023. She previously served as DRS chief of staff for DRS’ seven divisions with 25 statewide programs focused on employment, education, independence and the determination of medical eligibility for disability benefits. Her past positions include chief of staff, executive-level project coordinator for DRS. Melinda farms with her husband Paul in Guthrie where they have a cow-calf and stocker operation, as well as diversified crops production.

Theresa Koleszar has been employed with the Indiana Bureau of Rehabilitation (BRS) services for 20 years. She began her career with BRS as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in the Indianapolis area and has served as the Director of BRS for the past 8 years. Theresa has been instrumental in implementing several key projects and initiatives in Indiana, including Project SEARCH, pre-employment transition services, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Employment Plus (SE+). Under her leadership as BRS Director, several major milestones have been achieved, including IT system modernization and improving retention of VR Counselors with one of the lowest vacancy rates in the country. Theresa has a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation from the University of Illinois and has been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) since 2002. Theresa sits on the Council of State Administrators for Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) executive committee and co-chairs the national CSAVR performance and accountability committee and is an appointed member of the Indiana Governor’s Workforce Cabinet. Theresa is passionate about empowering individuals with disabilities to achieve their career goals and enjoys a very positive collaborative relationship with many stakeholders focused on this same mission.

Dee has 35 years of experience in the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and Disability field working with a variety of medical, cognitive, mental health and physical disabilities and injuries. She has provided transformational leadership in the field of VR for over 20 years. Dee currently serves as the Director of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) within MN Dept of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) since 2019. Prior to this, she worked as a VRS Regional Director for 7 years where she oversaw the services and offices in the Metro and Southern MN regions. Dee has previously served as Director of the Vocational Rehabilitation Unit within the Workers Compensation Dept at MN Dept of Labor & Industry (DLI) for 7 years. She also served as interim Director of the Mediation Unit as well as the Data and Compliance units at DLI. In addition to her work with the State of MN for the past 18 years, Dee also has many years of vocational rehabilitation counseling and consulting experience working in non-profit and private businesses, as well as running her own businesses. Dee earned her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and Rehabilitation. She has studied and earned certifications in Human Resource Management. Dee has attended the Humphrey Institute’s Emerging Leadership program as well as the State of MN Senior Leadership Institute. She is an alumnus of National Rehabilitation Leadership Institute (NRLI), Center for Purposeful Leadership and Whole Person Leadership for Women.

Ron is a veteran of 35 years in vocational rehabilitation. He spent most of these years in the Missouri state vocational rehabilitation program with his last 7 years as director. He served as CSAVR consultant for technical assistance programs such as WINTAC, Westat and now the TAC-QM. Ron believes in the value of the vocational rehabilitation program and in the selfless service of its staff at all levels.

Areas of Expertise Include: Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Organizational Change Management, Partnership and Collaboration, Systems Change, Leadership & Professional Development, and Executive Coaching. John (he/him) serves as the Project Director for the Center for Innovative Training in Vocational Rehabilitation (CIT-VR) and provides training and technical assistance to State VR agencies and their partners via the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C) and the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Management (VRTAC-QM). He also is part of the project team for the Vocational Rehabilitation – Return on Investment Project (VR-ROI) funded by a NIDILRR grant. He has close to forty years’ experience working in human services, with a focus on promoting full integration for individuals with disabilities in their communities and the workforce; thirty of those years working for the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired in providing and administering Vocational Rehabilitation services at that agency. He also served as the Project Manager for the VR Technical Assistance Center – Targeted Communities (VRTAC-TC), which provided training and technical assistance to State VR agencies and their partners to address barriers to VR participation and competitive integrated employment of historically underserved groups of individuals with disabilities who are living in economically disadvantaged communities.