Chaitanya Manchanda (he/him/his) is a Cybersecurity Professional and Disability ERG Leader at Discover Financial Services. Chaitanya spent most of his career in IT Infrastructure and Risk Management, before moving to Cybersecurity. Growing up, Chaitanya faced unique challenges and experiences that evolved his perspectives advocating for better accessibility, both in the workplace and community. Chaitanya’s DE&I involvement goes back to his alma mater University of Windsor, Canada, where he was a Diversity Ambassador, creating awareness campaigns for various DE&I segments. At Discover, Chaitanya started a disability-empowerment Employee Resource Group (ERG) and is currently one of the leaders helping drive the company’s disability inclusion strategy. As an Accessibility evangelist, Chaitanya is very passionate about developing accessible experiences through universal design practices and removing systematic barriers to inclusion.
Chaitanya is a 2017 Fellow of the ADA25 Advancing Leadership Institute and is actively involved in advocacy efforts & representing the deaf/hard-of-hearing community. Chaitanya briefly served on the board of Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium (CCAC) in 2019 and was on the executive board of Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Lincoln Park Chapter as a treasurer, from 2014-2016. Chaitanya enjoys volunteering for several social causes in the city of Chicago, and occasionally does speaking engagements centered around disability inclusion topics. Chaitanya lives in Chicago with his wife, Neeti. In his spare time, Chaitanya enjoys traveling, outdoor adventures, exploring new cultures and connecting with new people. Chaitanya is currently working towards completing his MBA degree from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, in May 2023.