Class of 2022

We are proud to induct Steve Allen into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.

Steven W. Allen is a veteran with a service-connected disability who holds a Master’s in Architecture from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). In 2020, he became the President of the national non-profit organization PolicyWorks founded by Susan Daniels and her colleagues, SMD Hall of Famers: Jeanne Argoff and Barbara Butz. Steve lives in Carrabelle, Florida. He volunteers as President of the Crooked River Lighthouse and as an actor and director in a community theater group.

Steven began work with Daniels and Associates (D&A) under the working title of Vice President of Logistics and Support, a catchall title bestowed by Susan. He helped implement Susan’s vision through an exploratory model employing young college graduates with disabilities as career transition ambassadors in California. Susan saw the promise of technology and peer mentoring as well as the potential to increase successful transition to meaningful careers as a game changer for individuals with disabilities.

Steven’s decade-long career with PolicyWorks includes the San Diego State University Interwork Institute “Bridging the Gap from College-to-Careers” program funded through a Kessler Foundation Signature Employment Grant; CareerACCESS, a policy advocacy initiative developed as a collaborative effort led by the World Institute on Disabilities (WID), PolicyWorks, and the National Council of Independent Living (NCIL); Lights! Camera! Access!, a professional development community for individuals with disabilities exploring careers in the media; and finally, five years of intensive technical assistant provision as a project lead for the national Workforce Innovation and Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) supporting State Vocational Rehab Agencies piloting peer mentoring programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

As President of PolicyWorks, Steven seeks to further the promise of Peer Mentoring. He leads and operates the Peer MentoringWorks community of practitioners training hundreds of peer mentors and program coordinators from Alaska to Florida, and California to Maine. The current Peer MentoringWorks library of resources include over 40 training modules and an innovative direct-service Mobile APP downloadable through GooglePlay and the Apple Store. He continues to seek collaborative partners and opportunities to expand the peer mentoring workforce supporting jobseekers with disabilities.