Building and Maintaining Relationships: The Key to Successful Job Development

Behind every successful job placement is a web of strong relationships. As an Employment Specialist or Job Coach, your impact grows when you know how to collaborate with the right people including beneficiaries, families, Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, Social Security representatives, service providers, and employers.

This interactive session will help you understand the foundations of effective collaboration, identify key players in the employment journey, and practice outreach strategies that open doors. You’ll engage in hands-on activities that help you define your own strengths and those of your organization, build a plan for proactive networking, and foster trust within support teams. Walk away with tangible tools, a renewed sense of connection, and ideas you can put into action right away—all with a smile on your face! 

Kelley Land is a nationally recognized leader in disability policy, workforce development, and public systems transformation, with over 20 years of experience in the human services field. She is the founder and principal of 3Lands Consulting, where she collaborates with nonprofits, government agencies, and healthcare systems to strengthen programs through strategic planning, policy development, grant writing, and training implementation.

Previously, Kelley served as a Senior Technical Assistance Liaison with the Virginia Commonwealth University WIPA National Training Center, providing national guidance on benefits counseling and the Ticket to Work program. She developed and delivered accessible, equity-focused training to service providers across the U.S. and its territories. Earlier in her career, she was a Research Associate at Indiana University’s Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, where she led statewide initiatives to improve benefits access and build organizational capacity through the Indiana BIN Network.

Her expertise includes Medicaid policy, SSI/SSDI navigation, employment services, and transition planning. She has directed large-scale employment programs, authored peer-reviewed publications, and created training curricula for both in-person and virtual platforms. A skilled fundraiser, she has secured significant grant funding and organized successful grassroots campaigns.