“Authentic and from the Heart!”
Samantha Craft (aka Marcelle Ciampi) is best known for her prolific writings found in her well-received blog and book, Everyday Aspergers. She is the founder of Spectrum Suite LLC, Lead Job Recruiter and Community Manager for ULTRA Testing (an innovative technology company with a neurodiversity hiring initiative), a professional educator, Selection Committee Chair and Community Achievement Award Recipient at the 2017 ANCA World Autism Festival, and active in autism groups locally and globally.
Sam has served as a volunteer tutor, a spiritual counselor, an advocate for children with exceptional needs, and a voice for individuals on the autism spectrum. Since 2012, she has had the opportunity to converse with 1000s of individuals on the autism spectrum across the globe.
A former schoolteacher, with a Master’s Degree in Education, Sam has been published in peer reviewed journals, been featured in autistic literature, and has completed several graduate-level courses in the field of counseling. Some of her works, especially The Ten Traits, have been translated into multiple languages. Her list of traits for females on the autism spectrum has been shared in counseling offices around the world.
Now Booking Speaking Engagements for 2018 in USA and Internationally
To book Speaking Engagements or Workshop Presentations with Samantha Craft (Marcelle Ciampi), please contact Spectrum Suite’s Community Outreach Manager Calyn Carter at info@myspectrumsuite.com
2017 Engagements
Spring 2017: Chehalis Library, Autism Awareness (WA, USA)
Spring 2017: Westside Olympia Rotary Club, Autism Awareness (WA, USA)
Spring 2017: South Puget Sound Community College Guest Speaker (WA, USA)
Summer 2017: Project Aspie Guest Speaker (via Skype, UK)
Summer 2017: Panelist for Easterseals Thrive honoring the anniversary of the ADA, including topics on independence, pride, support and togetherness, including as ADA relates to education and employment.
Summer 2017: South Sound Olympia Rotary Club, Autism Awareness (WA, USA)
Summer 2017: Shelton Rotary Club, Autism Awareness (WA, USA)
September 2017: Reactor Room Panel Member by Spectrum Fusion (via Skype, Houston, TX)
October 2017: Lions Club, Autism Awareness (WA, USA)
October 2017: Workshop Presenter: Aspergers on Fire, ANCA World Autism Festival (Vancouver, B.C., Canada)
October 2017: Keynote speaker at Autism Women’s Retreat, The Ducere Group (Lacey, WA)
October 2017: Panel Member at 7th annual Southwest Washington Autism Conference (Centralia, WA)
Craft’s 2016 events here including radio appearances.
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What Folks are Saying about Samantha Craft
“Craft takes complex ideas and make them easy for people to understand.”
“Beyond loving and brave.”
“You pulled at my heart strings. I cannot thank you enough for what you are doing for the autistic community.”
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Thank you. You touched me deeply.”
“Samantha Craft is a leading voice and shining example for people with Asperger’s syndrome.”
“Inspirational. Moved me to tears.”
“Authentic and from the heart.”
“I know a lot about autism. I’ve been studying for years, and Craft taught new things I didn’t know!”
“Yours was my favorite! Absolutely loved it!”
Literature
Everyday Aspergers was recently picked up by an independent publishing company in the UK and will soon be available in soft back version worldwide. Sam is a contributing author to a book about Women on the Spectrum (to be published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2018). Sam’s works and writings have been featured in the book Aspien Women, in online magazines, such as Autism Parenting Magazine, The Mighty, Spectrum Women, as well as at various neurodivergent agency sites, including Project Aspie and Different Brains.
Projects
Sam is currently turning her 200-page manuscript, Autism in a Briefcase, into a 10-hour video series about workplace inclusivity, with a focus on universal approaches to workplace well-being and autism spectrum conditions. The video series is based on 2000+ hours of research and Sam’s direct experience with autism hiring initiatives, such as neurodiverse inclusivity approaches to recruitment, interviewing, and workplace culture.
Spectrum Suite LLC will soon launch a sister company Specfield Consulting. Specfield is a consulting firm, founded and run by adults on the autism spectrum, to assist business leaders and neurodivergent individuals with support in workplace inclusivity, including job coaching and one-on-one consultations.
Personal
A mother of three teenage boys (with one adult son on the autism spectrum), Sam resides in the state of Washington,USA, where she enjoys writing, painting, the arts, movies, her work with ULTRA Testing, and spending time with loved ones.
Recent Articles
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-i-became-community-manager-neurodiverse-tech-company-ciampi
Neurotribe Finds Promised Land
Ultra Testing shows that autism in the workplace can be a feature, not a bug
Workshops
Self-Empowerment for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
Join Samantha Craft, an experienced lead job recruiter for an innovative technology company and respected autism educator and author, as she explains the keys to self-empowerment using the KNOW-NOW-NET model Craft created.
As a professional diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and former schoolteacher, Craft offers a unique perspective in this audience-participation workshop, which includes cultural trends, misconceptions and myths, beneficial aptitudes and attributes, barriers to success, concepts of effective self-advocacy, and more. Get ready to move, interact, and gain valuable insights about autism and self-empowerment! During the workshop participants will be introduced to concepts, through a variety of learning methodologies, including group work, independent learning, and interactive participation.
Autism in a Briefcase: Tips on Recruiting and Retaining Untapped Talent
Enter the realm of an untapped talent pool. Take a look at how differences can be better, what an autistic employee can bring to a company, and ways to think outside the box with hiring practices. This session, written and developed by the lead job recruiter for an innovative technology company, introduces autistic traits, challenges, and strengths, and explains how to tap into a talented workforce. Learn the difference between diversity and inclusion in the workplace, the way to design an inclusion plan from the ground up, and how to avoid discriminatory practices and stereotyping. Unlike anything out there, this jam-packed workshop provides all you need to implement innovative, organizational change that will benefit all employees.
Autistic Influencers: Leaders of Tomorrow
Learn from the founder of Spectrum Suite, a dynamic autism community advocate and author, how to build upon your leadership skills and talents. Samantha pulls from her experience of corresponding with 1000s of individuals on the autism spectrum, a late-age diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, parenting a son on the autistic spectrum, living with her autistic partner, screening neurodivergent job seekers, and establishing an autistic support group and company. Explore topics of self-acceptance, self-empowerment, independence, self-advocacy, employment, personal boundaries, self-care, goal setting, leadership, and more. A hands on workshop you won’t find anywhere else, designed for anyone seeking to understand more about themselves, the autistic experience, and ways to give back to future generations.
