NeuroCorps
ABOUT
The NeuroCorps in Business is a pilot program launched by the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation (FCAI) to support neurodivergent self-advocates and leaders who are driving organizational change and advancing neuroinclusion in the workplace. Through this initiative, FCAI serves as an incubator for talented consultants and changemakers, providing them with resources, a collaborative platform, and connections to amplify their impact. The program aims to ground consulting work in evidence-based practice while exploring how FCAI can best support those working to make organizations and the world more neuroinclusive. By bringing together a cohort of exceptional individuals, NeuroCorps aims to foster collaboration in research and teaching, translate insights into scalable change, and build a strong community of neurodivergent leaders who shape the future of inclusive employment.
In 2025, we launch our inaugural cohort of the NeuroCorps program, comprising neurodivergent creators, small business owners, and community leaders who are helping shape the future of inclusive employment and innovation. This cohort will collaborate with Vanderbilt faculty and researchers to explore opportunities for universities and employers to support better neurodivergent entrepreneurs, as well as business and nonprofit owners. This program is designed as a two-way exchange, connecting lived experience and professional expertise with university research and resources.
You can read about the first cohort, and program leads below.
Inaugural NeuroCorps Cohort
Dave Thompson (Top Left): is a strategist, author, and internationally recognized keynote speaker who helps organizations better understand, hire, and support neurodivergent professionals. At Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, he leads efforts to expand neuroinclusion in engineering education and workforce development, drawing on his extensive experience across the global neurodiversity movement.
A two-time TEDx speaker and author of the forthcoming book Brainstorm: Neurodivergent Talent and the Future of Work (Wiley, 2026), Dave has trained and spoken for audiences around the world, from Fortune 500 companies to universities and advocacy groups. He also serves as co-chair of the Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable, a coalition of employers committed to advancing neuroinclusive practices, and as COO of The Neuroverse Initiative.
Dr. Dave Caudel (Top Middle): Dr. Dave Caudel is the associate director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee. Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2009, Caudel is a neurodivergence advocate, speaking to a variety of organizations, including the U.N. and autism conferences internationally. For much of his life, he struggled to find his place in the world, and has had a number of careers, including videographer, soldier in the U.S. Army, journalist, photojournalist, magazine editor, public affairs specialist, truck salesman, and corporate stints from customer service to loss prevention, just to name a few, before deciding to give, “this college thing a try.” He received his Ph.D. in Physics at Vanderbilt University in 2017. He serves on the advisory committee for the Center for Discovery, Innovation, and Development (CDID) at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey, the Vanderbilt University Diversity Council and the All Access Inclusion Network, and is a founding member of the Vanderbilt Autism and Neurodiversity Alliance. His research interests include gamma spectrometers for astrophysics applications and meaningful employment for adults on the spectrum by finding novel, innovative ways to measure their strengths, talents, and passions, then match those to specialized business needs, as well as determining the programs and training needed to maximize success in the workplace.
Dr. Jessica Schonhut-Stasik (Top Right): Dr. Jessica Schonhut‑Stasik is an astrophysicist whose work concentrates on Galactic, investigating how stellar populations and dynamics reveal the history and structure of the Milky Way. At Vanderbilt University, she serves as a postdoctoral scholar and, during her PhD, created the most detailed catalog of Red Giant stars with applications to Galactic archaeology.
In parallel, Dr. Schonhut‑Stasik serves as Director of Communications for the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation (FCAI), where she leads media strategy and multi‑channel engagement, as well as mentoring students and teaching Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering graduate courses. As CEO and President of The Neuroverse Initiative, and as an autistic and ADHD self-advocate, she advances neuroinclusion by building platforms that amplify lived experiences, evidence-based research, and neuroinclusion training for universities and the space science sector.
Dr Teresa Vasquez (Bottom Left): Dr. Teresa Vasquez is an award-winning neurodivergent technologist, educator, and CEO of Repped in Tech, where she helps people who learn, lead, and succeed differently build reputation, influence, and tech skills through her REMLE research framework and The ReppedOS, a personalized operating system for growth. She has taught and mentored more than 2,000 technologists, led curriculum and tech initiatives across Nashville’s ecosystem, and secured multi-year grants to scale inclusive labs, sprints, and apprenticeships, including Hack for the Community supporting 13 nonprofits. Honors include Distinguished Alumni of the Year, Nashville State Community College 2025; Community Leader of the Year Finalist 2023 and 2025; Tech for Good Finalist 2025; Joanne Eckton Excellence Award 2023; Software Engineer of the Year 2023; Software Engineer of the Year Finalist 2022 and 2020; Hands On Nashville Judges’ Choice 2022; Girls in Tech + Nike Mental Health Hackathon Winner 2021; The Black Codes Hackathon Winner 2021; HCA Hackathon Hacker’s Choice 2020 and 2018; LBMC Coding for a Cause Winner 2017; Catalyst Award, Nashville Software School 2018; Honorable Mention, Front-End Software Demo 2017; Cum Laude Graduate and Service Award, Middle Tennessee State University 2007; All Tennessee Academic Team 2006. AuDHD and dyslexic, she uses social media to model practical neuroinclusive practices and what helps ND professionals thrive in tech, and she is a revolutionist who shows up ready to advance conversations that center our community.
Haley Moss (Bottom Middle): Haley Moss is a neurodiversity expert, lawyer, and the author of five books that guide neurodivergent individuals through professional and personal challenges. She is currently a speaker, consultant, and neurodiversity advocate for organizations and corporations that seek her guidance in creating an inclusive workplace and a sought-after commentator on disability rights issues. She has won multiple awards, from Forbes 30 Under 30 to ABA Making a Difference and much more. The first openly autistic lawyer in Florida, Haley’s books include Great Minds Think Differently: Neurodiversity for Lawyers and Other Professionals, The Young Autistic Adult’s Independence Handbook, and Talking The Talk About Autism: How To Share And Tell Your Story. Her articles have appeared in outlets including the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and Fast Company. Haley’s life experiences, advocacy, and dedication guide her to leave the state of inclusion better than she found it.
Haley Moss (Bottom Middle): is a neurodiversity expert, lawyer, and the author of five books that guide neurodivergent individuals through professional and personal challenges. She is currently a speaker, consultant, and neurodiversity advocate for organizations and corporations that seek her guidance in creating an inclusive workplace and a sought-after commentator on disability rights issues. She has won multiple awards, from Forbes 30 Under 30 to ABA Making a Difference and much more. The first openly autistic lawyer in Florida, Haley’s books include Great Minds Think Differently: Neurodiversity for Lawyers and Other Professionals, The Young Autistic Adult’s Independence Handbook, and Talking The Talk About Autism: How To Share And Tell Your Story. Her articles have appeared in outlets including the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and Fast Company. Haley’s life experiences, advocacy, and dedication guide her to leave the state of inclusion better than she found it.
Margaux Joffee CPACC, BCCS (Bottom Right): Margaux Joffe is a Board Certified Cognitive Specialist and the founder of Minds of All Kinds, a platform for neurodivergent changemakers to learn, connect, and lead. Named to the Forbes Accessibility 100 list, she partners with organizations to build neuroinclusive workplaces and supports neurodivergent professionals through her ADHD Navigators program and community initiatives. A former award-winning producer, she launched the tech industry’s first Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group at Yahoo and founded the Kaleidoscope Society for women with ADHD. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of People with Disabilities, and is the author of “Empower All Minds: Cognitive Accessibility Ethics,” a chapter in forthcoming anthology Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech (Taylor & Francis, 2026).
Project Leads
Dr Keivan G. Stassun (Left): After earning A.B. degrees in physics and astronomy from UC Berkeley, and the PhD in astrophysics from the University of Wisconsin, Stassun was a NASA Hubble postdoctoral fellow before joining the Vanderbilt faculty in 2003. A recipient of a CAREER award from NSF and a Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, Stassun’s research on stars and exoplanets has appeared in more than 500 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is a co-investigator for the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission and chairs the executive committee of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. From 2004 to 2015, he served as founding director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program, which has become one of the nation’s top producers of PhDs to underrepresented minorities in the physical sciences. To date, he has mentored 30 PhD dissertations in astronomy and astrophysics and placed more than 20 PhDs into academic research careers. He has served on the federal Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee, the NSF Committee for Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, is a recipient of the American Physical Society’s Nicholson Medal for Human Outreach, and is an elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, American Astronomical Society, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has served as an expert witness to the US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology. For the past ten years, Stassun has served as founding director of the Vanderbilt Initiative in Data-intensive Astrophysics. In 2017, Stassun launched the Center for Autism & Innovation, focused on advancing science and engineering through the engagement and advancement of individuals with autism. The Center has become permanently endowed by a $10 million gift from Frist Family Foundation. Most recently, Stassun was selected for a $1 million HHMI Professor award, was named Mentor of the Year by the AAAS, was honored by the White House with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering Mentoring, and served on the National Academies’ Decadal Steering Committee for Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Dr. Tim Vogus (Right): Nationally recognized for his teaching abilities and his research on making health care delivery safer and workplaces more inclusive of neurodiversity, Tim Vogus teaches a class on leading teams and organizations that is among the most popular at Owen.
Professor Vogus was named one of the 50 most influential business professors of 2013 and earlier named one of the Top 40 Business School Professors under 40 by PoetsandQuants.com in 2011. He was the recipient of the Owen Graduate School of Management Research Productivity Award in 2013 and the Research Impact Award in 2022. His teaching has been recognized with the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Health Care Management Division of the Academy of Management in 2019, the James A. Webb Jr. Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2007 and 2013; he was a finalist for the Webb award on 13 other occasions, and a Dean’s Award for Teaching Innovation in 2018. He previously taught Organizational Behavior at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, and in 2002-2003, he received the Gerald and Lillian Dykstra Fellowship for Teaching Excellence.
Professor Vogus is the Faculty Director of the Leadership Development Program and the Deputy Director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. He serves as an Associate Editor of Health Care Management Review and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Service Management. He previously served as the Division Chair for the Health Care Management Division of the Academy of Management. He is also a founding and continuing member of the Blue Ribbon Panel that developed Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Score and was a member National Academy of Science/National Research Council panel on Strengthening Safety Culture in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry. Professor Vogus’ research has been published or is forthcoming in an array of top autism (Autism), health services (Health Affairs, Health Services Research, Medical Care, Medical Care Research and Review), industrial relations (ILR Review), management (Academy of Management Annals, Academy of Management Review, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Journal of Management), medical (Annals of Emergency Medicine), nursing (Journal of Nursing Administration), and social work (Children and Youth Services Review) journals. With Ariel Avgar, he co-edited The Evolving Healthcare Landscape: How Employees, Organizations, and Institutions Adapt and Innovate for Cornell University/ILR Press.
Professor Vogus teaches Leading Teams and Organizations within the MBA core curriculum.
Professor Vogus' research specifies how to create and sustain highly reliable (i.e., nearly error-free) performance by strengthening safety culture and habituating mindful organizing – a set of behaviors by which collectives detect and correct errors and unexpected events. He is especially interested in these dynamics in health care settings and their effects on care quality, the incidence of medical error, patient experience, and frontline caregiver outcomes. More recently, he has turned his research to creating and sustaining workplace cultures that are more supportive and inclusive of neurodiversity as well as technologies that can help employers rethink existing practices inimical to neurodiversity (e.g., job interviews, feedback and performance reviews).