How long have you been a member of ATDKC, and what keeps you engaged with the community?
I joined ATDKC in 2009, when I changed careers. My new employer offered memberships in both ATD National and the Kansas City Chapter, and I’m glad they did! I’m a lifelong learner, and the opportunities to keep developing—along with the professional relationships I’ve built over the past 17 years—have kept me engaged.
Tell us about your journey in the Talent Development field.
My path to talent development wasn’t a straight line. I started in bookkeeping, then worked in sales and sales management. While my husband was a minister, I taught adults and children at our church and discovered how much I enjoyed helping others learn.
After we left full-time ministry in 1996, my interest in technology led me back to school for a degree in instructional technology. I taught technology at a high school, became its IT director, and later pursued an opportunity in development.
When we moved to Kansas City in 2005, I worked as an executive assistant and IT director while completing my bachelor’s degree in organizational management with a minor in human resources.
In 2009, as the nonprofit where I worked was closing, my manager asked whether I’d considered corporate training. That question helped me find my way into talent development. I wanted to learn everything I could, and I eventually became a talent development manager before retiring in 2024.
ATDKC became an important part of that journey. I started volunteering soon after joining and served as VP of Programs in 2010. I later completed the chapter’s three-year president track, serving as President-Elect, President, and Past-President. I also served as VP of Finance, spent three years as an ATD National Advisor for Chapters, and returned in 2023 as co-director of Certification and Credentialing.
Along the way, I earned a master’s in education with an emphasis in adult learning and became a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD®).
I’ve also had the privilege of speaking and training at ATD’s national conference, with Training magazine, and with other organizations. Two of my articles were published in TD magazine: “Be Good to Yourself” in 2016 and “Tackling a Rewrite with Scrum” in 2020. Retirement hasn’t ended my interest in learning or volunteering with the chapter!
If you could instantly master one new skill, what would it be?
I’d love to learn how to create and launch a podcast!
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2002, and skydiving was on my bucket list. My husband knew how much I wanted to do it and said that if I could raise $2,000 in one month for an MS walk fundraiser, I could jump. I shared the challenge on social media and raised the money in 24 hours! I went skydiving in 2012 and loved every minute.
My husband and I also have three daughters, including identical twins, and eight grandchildren.
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned in your career that you’d like to pass along to others?
Keep learning and growing, dream big, and give back to others. You don’t have to follow a straight path to find work you love.
Do you have any favorite books, tools, or podcasts you’d recommend?
Training Needs Assessment: Methods, Tools, and Techniques by Jean Barbazette has been a vital resource for strategic planning and many kinds of needs assessment. I’ve returned to it so often that its pages are curled and highlighted—and a few have coffee stains!
Learner Experience Design helped me think about design in a more human-centered, goal-oriented way. Its resources on topics such as learner personas and gamification changed how I design training and assess whether training is needed in the first place.
Sententia Gamification helped me understand the difference between gamification and game-based learning. I’m certified through Sententia, and its training showed me how psychology, learning theory, and motivation design can help engage adult learners and support measurable change.
What’s your go-to coffee order (or favorite workday beverage)?
A latte with maple syrup (or honey), cinnamon, and macadamia nut milk, please!
How do you like to recharge outside of work?
Time in nature! Whether I’m traveling, hiking, or taking a relaxing walk, I love getting outside.
Favorite quote:
“Personal development is a lifelong pursuit because life is a work in progress. There will never be a day that will not require dedication, discipline, good judgment, energy, and the feeling that you can improve. Each day offers an opportunity for improvement. Each moment an advance or retreat in the pursuit of your goals.” - Gary Ryan Blair
