Letters of

Reference:

Matthew Randall and Matthew Mower, Camp William Hinds

Maine Youth Leadership

I am updating this part of my web site, all of my references will be on the right hand side. 

 

OBJECTIVE

My goal in starting Inspire For Life is to deepen employers', employees' and students' understanding of people with disabilities. Mainly, I want to inspire all people to be the best that they can be. 

EDUCATION

B.S. in Business Administration with a Concentration in Management, December 1998

• University of Maine, Orono, Maine
• Additional Concentration in Developmental Disabilities

Managing my two buildings,

Over 100 Motivational Speeches: 1994 - present

• The Maine Youth Leadership Board of Directors  invited me to be a Keynote Speaker at the 06, 07, 08, 09, and 2010 Maine Youth Leadership Seminar.  It was to a group of 120 students from all over the state of Maine and 50 staff members of their all volunteer organization.  The Seminar Co-Chair said “every year the segment of the seminar was rated WOW on all of our surveys and was number one over all ."
• Miami, Florida at TASH’s national conference, I discussed post-secondary education from a personal perspective as a student and as an employee on a grant designed to increase opportunities for success in higher education for students with disabilities.
• University of Maine, Orono and other universities: A variety of presentations to undergraduate and graduate students about disabilities, special equipment and augmented communication devices in regard to my educational experiences in public school and two colleges. 
• Awareness/Motivational Speeches at Maine K-12 schools and summer camps.  I taer presentations to fit different age groups. High school age, I talk more about higher education base on my experiences.  Grammar school age, I talk more about friendship base on my experiences. 

Landlord 2000 - present

• Landlord of my college boarding house in Orono. 2000 - 2003
• Landlord of my eight unit apartment building in Lewiston. 2004 - present
• Landlord of my five unit farm house in Turner. 2009 - present

Unique comedian 2006 - present

• Over 50 performances, some of them are:
  • Comedy Connection in Portland, ME
  • Comedy Connection in Boston, MA
  • The Funny Bone in Pittsburgh PA
  • Mount Ida College Newton, MA
  • And more

Management Experience 1988 - present

• Advertising for, and management of, my Personal Assistants including hiring and dismissing employees and keeping payroll records.

COMPUTER SKILLS

IBM compatible computers:

• Web site design and updates - using Microsoft FrontPage for Bill Picard.com
• InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 - Editing video including vhf tapes and putting them on DVD's
• Special Equipment - Pathfinder, Liberator, Touch Talker, Light Talker (talking keyboards)
• Word processing - Microsoft Word, Excel, Corel WordPerfect
• Presentation program - Microsoft PowerPoint
• Internet - Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, E-mail

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Center for Community Inclusion, University of Maine, May, 1998 - June 2001

• Lecturing at Maine schools, university classes, keynotes, conferences, workshops, and assemblies.
• Database management of website, Opportunities to Completion (OTC): Post secondary Education for people with disabilities, project.
• Maintained website for Opportunity to Completion On line Disability Information System: ODIS.
• Maintained discussion group on campus FirstClass email system.
• Surveyed UM buildings for accessibility problems.
• Participated in a interview using my talking (Liberator) keyboard in a video called Breaking ground (which sold all over the country) about the challenges and obstacles students with disabilities encounter in college.
• Research on home ownership for people with disabilities

Practicum, UNUM Life Insurance Company of America, Portland, Maine Jun. - Aug. 1997

• Reviewed selected policies and practices at UNUM.
• Assessed challenges and included recommendations on enhancements.
• Promoted ideas to make their company more diverse and adaptable to employees with disabilities.

Panelist at the Diversity Summit in Portland, ME, September 23, 1997

• Requested by Sandy Bishop (Manager of Diversity, UNUM Life Ins Co of America).
• Consisted of representatives from higher education, business and state and local government.
• Talked about my experiences of living, working and studying in Maine, what challenges I had to face and what things I would like to see different that would allow people with disabilities to be more productive citizens of our communities.
• Worked with Alfond Arena Management to get fair seating for people with disabilities.

ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• National Honor Society
• Alpha Phi Omega-Fraternity
• The Union Board
• Friends of the University of Maine Women's Basketball

INTERESTS HOBBIES

• I enjoy listening to music, watching the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots and going to comedy shows
• To busy for hobbies

REFERENCES

• Available upon request