Power Women 2020: Brooke Goodspeed

Photo by Tessa Marie Images

Founder of GETincluded.

The birth of her second child 10 years ago thrust Brooke Goodspeed into the world of advocacy. Her son, Oliver, was born with Down syndrome and later diagnosed with autism, as well. Realizing that employment opportunities would be among the biggest challenges for Oliver, Godspeed and her husband, Jon, launched GETincluded. The nonprofit is behind Narberth’s GET Cafe, which employs over 30 people and offers competitive integrated employment. For many on staff at GET Cafe, it’s their first paid job. Wages are well above the state minimum and include tips, so employees understand competitive salaries and learn to value their skills accordingly. “They’re really getting a lot of skills through employment here,” says Goodspeed. “They’re learning how to engage with coworkers and do all the things that we might take for granted in a traditional job.”

GETincluded is looking to partner with other businesses to create an employment pipeline and pioneer a model that can be used beyond Narberth. “Our goal is to be recognized in every state, and we really want to drive our mission to a national level,” she says.

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An oncology nurse practitioner at Penn, Godspeed is now pursuing a doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania focused on the intertwining fields of autism and employment. “This feels like my life’s work,” she says.

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