View From the Chair

Meet veteran DE&I leader and disability advocate Jim Sinocchi.  By now, the business case for workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is clear, and DE&I is increasingly critical for recruiting and retaining workers. A 2020 McKinsey study shows that companies ranking highest in workforce diversity were 36% more profitable in 2019 than those with the least diverse workforces. Seventy-six percent of millennials responding to the 2022 EY US Generation Survey said they’d leave an employer who did not offer DE&I initiatives. But what does DE&I look like from the inside? We asked Jim Sinocchi, who has spent more than 40 years communicating about and advocating for DE&I, with a particular focus on the disability community. How have DE&I issues changed over the years? What’s remained constant? In many ways, DE&I is still trying to find itself. The world is more aware of DE&I issues and benefits, and people are becoming more inclusive in their thinki

I’d like to share some exciting news from my employer that reflects something I’ve been advocating for since I joined the firm. The JPMorgan Chase  Policy Center  recently released a policy brief — “Enhancing Economic Opportunity and Mobility for People with Disabilities through Asset and Income Limit Reforms” — that examines how current asset and income limits on federal benefits for people with disabilities create barriers to labor force participation and accumulating savings. The Policy Center proposes updating and simplifying the asset and income limits for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to expand economic opportunity and mobility for people with disabilities.  From my perspective, these antiquated limits not only inhibit our firm’s ability to recruit and benefit from talent within this community, but they also hamper employers’ efforts as a whole to advance diversity and inclusion while investing in their communities. Simply put, income limits imposed for government benefits e

On March 13, 1964 a 28 year-old woman, Kitty Genovese, was stabbed to death in Kew Gardens, Queens, in New York City.  The New York Times newspaper covered the story and wrote a headline that read:  "38 (people) who saw the murder didn't call the police."  The outrage at the time of this story was that no one helped to stop the murder of this young woman -- not even a phone call was made at the time the crime was committed while Kitty was assaulted.  As I watched what is happening in the Ukraine, the parallel is surreal. In the United States, we are watching a society being destroyed in front of our very eyes on television as Ukrainians are being slaughtered, towns bombed, and families  separated. Although European nations and the United States seem to be helping, it doesn't seem to be enough as the Russian army continues to advance, destroy the country and take the lives of civilians and others.   Although Europe and the United States say they are helping, it doesn&#

  The costs of living with a disability: A conversation with Jim Sinocchi            by Elana Duré                                                                                                  Content and Communications, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management Oct 06, 2021 • People with disabilities encounter a wide range of expenses, from medical and transportation costs to unrealized earnings because of barriers posed by societal limitations. • Jim Sinocchi, Head of Disability Inclusion at JPMorgan Chase, informs us about the challenges people with disabilities face in their daily lives. • From the workplace to public transportation, communities have work left to do in building a more inclusive society for people with disabilities. People with disabilities encounter a wide range of out-of-pocket expenses, including medical expenses and transportation costs. Estimates show that households with an adult who has a work-disability require an average of 28% more income, or an additional $17,690

Jim Sinocchi, JPMorgan Chase's managing director with the Global Office of Disability Inclusion, discusses how a growing understanding of prejudice can change the way we view disability and prepare society for a new generation of leaders. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing struggle for racial equality in America, intersectionality became a powerful tool for addressing prejudice. Coined in 1989 by American lawyer and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality explores how different aspects of a person's identity combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. But while society has focused its attention on a variety of prejudices—including race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity and sexual orientation—one form of discrimination has gotten far less scrutiny: Disability.  The Stark Facts This is a problem I've experienced firsthand: As head of JPMorgan Chase's Global Office of Disability Inclusion, I work to advance opp

  Empowering People with Disabilities to Become Leaders And Drive Inclusion Forward Jim Sinocchi, JPMorgan Chase's managing director with the Global Office of Disability Inclusion, discusses how a growing understanding of prejudice can change the way we view disability and prepare society for a new generation of leaders. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing struggle for racial equality in America, intersectionality became a powerful tool for addressing prejudice. Coined in 1989 by American lawyer and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality explores how different aspects of a person's identity combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. But while society has focused its attention on a variety of prejudices—including race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity and sexual orientation—one form of discrimination has gotten far less scrutiny: Disability.  The Stark Facts This is a problem I've experienced firsthand: As head