Beyond his day-to-day work managing billions in client assets, Justin Nelson has built a second focus around expanding job opportunities for neurodiverse individuals. Nelson serves as Managing Director and Head of the Asset Management and Financial Principals Coverage Team at JP Morgan Private Bank in Connecticut, where his group oversees more than $15 billion in assets. That professional standing gives weight to his calls for financial firms to rethink how they hire and manage autistic employees.

Partnering With Advocacy Groups

Nelson channels much of that advocacy through two organizations. He works with Adelphi University’s Bridges Program, which supports high-functioning students on the autism spectrum as they prepare for careers, and with Broad Futures, a nonprofit built around matching neurodiverse candidates with willing employers. “They work with employers to match up people who are neurodiverse,” Nelson says of the group’s approach. “They operate by helping employers get educated and having them run a program for them to help them select candidates.”

Nelson sees this outreach as directly connected to what firms like JP Morgan need. He points to communication as the main barrier neurodiverse candidates face during interviews, even though many display exceptional creative or computational skills once given a fair chance. Traditional hiring processes, built around quick rapport, often screen out that potential before it can be recognized.

Once hired, Justin Nelson JP Morgan says these employees need a different kind of management, one built on specific tasks and a clear explanation of how each piece connects to a larger goal. He describes candidates who thrive within a well-defined structure as some of the strongest performers a team can have.

The hardest moment for most neurodiverse individuals, Nelson notes, comes during the shift from school into a first job. Through his advocacy work and his own management practices at JP Morgan, Nelson argues that firms willing to adjust their hiring and management style stand to gain from an overlooked segment of the talent pool. See this page for more information.

Find more information about Justin Nelson JP Morgan on https://tfn.tufts.edu/blog/news/2011/10/01/member-spotlight-justin-nelson-a98-opening-doors-to-students-at-jp-morgan/