Member Spotlight

Each month we take a moment to recognize a Chapter Member and share a little bit about them.  We hope you find their stories engaging!

April 2025

Name:  Sam Oujiri

Position and Employer:  Learning and Development Specialist at Greenstate Credit Union

How long have you been with your employer and/or in your position?  I have been with GreenState for 10 and a half years. I have been in my current position for 3 and a half years.

How long have you been a member of ATD Hawkeye Chapter?  7 months

What do you enjoy most about ATD Hawkeye Chapter?  I have really enjoyed the networking that I have been able to experience. I love getting to know new people. Especially people who have the same passion for Learning and Development.

Name a professional challenge you have experienced, and share how ATD Hawkeye has helped you overcome it. I have been facilitating the same class for 3 and a half years now. Since that class has been my main focus for a long time, I haven't had many opportunities to explore other strengths of mine. ATD has allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and explore those strengths in a safe environment. I have attended conferences, networking events, learned new systems, learned marketing strategies, spoken in front of dozens of new people, and planned a workshop event (Train the Trainer).

What piece of advice related to talent and development has made a significant impact on you and your work? The audience don't know how the training is supposed to go. Now, this doesn't mean that we shouldn't be prepared. It means that if things don't go as planned, that is okay and it is an opportunity for you to improvise.

What is your favorite part of the learning and development field? I enjoy seeing the light bulb go off in their minds when something I am teaching them clicks. I also really enjoy allowing others be in a safe space, to make mistakes and ask questions. We all started somewhere and I want to be that person that makes them feel comforted when they need it most.

Please share a favorite story related to learning and development. I have virtually trained hundreds of employees at GreenState on a topic that I am very familiar with. In November of 2024 I decided that I wanted to take on the challenge of creating and facilitating a half day Train the Trainer event for our trainers in my department. This was the first time I had done in person training other than team building activities. I worked with another trainer on my team who I don't typically work with to create and facilitate this. I went out of my comfort zone and lead them through classroom management strategies activities. I was very proud of the training that her and I led because it was unfamiliar territory. This was a topic that I was familiar with because I have lived it, but I have never actually had to teach someone those skills, which made an even more fun and challenging training session.

What are your greatest strengths, and what are your current development goals? I would say some of my strengths would be that I am open-minded, authentic and can make others feel at ease around me. I want everyone to bring their whole selves when they are around me. We have all parts of ourselves that we appreciate. We also all have parts of ourselves that we wish we could change. I want others to feel like they can bring all parts of themselves to every interaction with me.

Who is currently one of your favorite speakers or authors, and why? One of my favorite speakers/authors is Simon Sinek. His compassion for others is admirable.

What are your hobbies or favorite things to do with your team? I am a busy body! I am such a social creature and it is hard for me to stay home (can you believe I work from home?) I play volleyball 2 times per week year around, go to live music, hang out with friends, host parties, go hiking, go camping, take my dogs for walks, try new restaurants, and play games with my boyfriend - our favorite thing right now is to go to a breakfast spot and play Dominos.

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