Recent Member Spotlights
Did you miss one? Take a look at some of our recent Member Spotlights!
September 2024
Name: Dr. Jennifer Smith
Position and Employer: Vice President, Organization Effectiveness and Training
How long have you been with your employer and/or in your position? 18 months
How long have you been a member of ATD Hawkeye Chapter? 3 months
What is a typical workday like for you? A typical workday is focused on developing programs and curriculum for security officers, leaders, and emergency response personnel that account for compliance and regulatory issues as well as service delivery and leadership development. As the organization moves through its second year of building a learning organization, I spend my days also examining aspects of organizational culture, process improvement, and challenging norms that inhibit the growth and stability of the organization.
What do you enjoy most about ATD Hawkeye Chapter? The ATD Hawkeye chapter affords me the opportunity to connect with other professionals in this domain and develop my own skills, abilities, and awareness.
Name a professional challenge you have experienced and share how ATD Hawkeye has helped you overcome it. The professional challenge I encountered as my organization's only Iowa based leader is isolation. Being able to connect with other talent development focused individuals helps.
What piece of advice related to talent and development has made a significant impact on you and your work? The best advice and mentoring I have been given is to ensure that the desired outcome is clear. Having a clear understanding of the impact and outcome a talent development experience needs to achieve is fundamental to everything that flows from that point. It is such a simple concept, but one that I have used to get derailed or unclear projects back on track repeatedly.
What is your favorite part of the learning and development field? I absolutely love seeing people embrace their awesome. Being able to watch people learn a new concept, or try something they didn't think they could do is incredibly rewarding.
What are your greatest strengths, and what are your current development goals? My greatest strength is my self-awareness. I have been fortunate to have an incredibly diverse personal and professional life that has taught me lessons I carry into every interaction I have. This makes me incredibly open-minded and willing to take risks. I am currently working on my second book on identity development and the impact of trauma and grief, and a Masters in Family Therapy. I am incredibly interested in the impact of trauma on military relationships and how they develop. Working through these processes are the focus of my current development goals.
Who is currently one of your favorite speakers or authors, and why? Susan Cain is who I am currently listening to. She is the author of Quiet and Bittersweet. I tend to fall in love with speakers and authors who are willing to dig into the tougher topics in developing as people.
What are your hobbies or favorite things to do with your team? I love reading, attending arts and culture events, contributing to my community, spending all the time I can in nature with my dogs, love my gym time, and traveling. I serve as a Trustee for Brucemore Historical Site, Vice Chair of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, Adjunct Professor in Leadership for the University of Charleston (WV), Coach and Instructor for The Honor Foundation, Volunteer for All Secure Foundation, Volunteer for the Speaker and DEI committees for EntreFest, and Parent to a 17-year old football and soccer player.
June 2024
Name: Melissa Starks
Position and Employer: Learning & Knowledge Specialist at World Class Industries.
How long have you been with your employer and/or in your position? 2.5 years.
How long have you been a member of ATD Hawkeye Chapter? 5 years.
What is a typical workday like for you? My typical workday varies depending on the projects I'm working on. I typically start my day reviewing emails to prioritize my day, along with reviewing any upcoming training or workshops scheduled. I then move on to updating trainings, collaborating with SMEs or working on my quarterly priorities and end my day following up with team members on emails, asking for feedback on projects or activities I facilitated that day, and adjusting trainings based on feedback.
What do you enjoy most about ATD Hawkeye Chapter? Collaborating with members.
Name a professional challenge you have experienced and share how ATD Hawkeye has helped you overcome it. I spearheaded the development of training modules tailored for our operations floor team members, aimed at enhancing their skill set within their current roles. The objective was to introduce a new position that would effectively mitigate the daily firefighting challenges faced by our supervisors. Recognizing the potential difficultly in maintaining engagement among team members during training, I proactively sought out solutions. Attending a "Train the Trainer" session proved invaluable, equipping me with a wealth of effective tools and techniques to seamlessly integrate into our training sessions, ensuring sustained engagement and knowledge retention among participants.
What piece of advice related to talent and development has made a significant impact on you and your work? Don't be afraid to challenge your SMEs on what outcome they desire to achieve. Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel; you may only need to change a step or two.
What is your favorite part of the learning and development field? Being able to connect with the whole company.
What are your greatest strengths, and what are your current development goals? My greatest strength is listening. My current development goal is to continue the development of our leaders.
What are your hobbies or favorite things to do with your team? My favorite things are to hang out with family, go biking in the summer, play sand volleyball, and take my dog for walks.
October 2022
Name: Marcie Van Note
Position and Employer: Program Director, Business and Leadership Graduate Programs - Mount Mercy University
How long have you been with your employer and/or in your position? Full time for 9 years, I was an adjunct prior to accepting the position full-time
How long have you been a member of ATD Hawkeye Chapter? 15+ years
What is a typical workday like for you? There is no typical day for me, but I spend a lot of time one on one with students solving problems and coaching them. Most of our students have been out of school for a number of years and are coming back to better themselves. As adults they are juggling work, families, caring for parents and classes. Sometimes, they just want someone to listen to them.
What do you enjoy most about ATD Hawkeye Chapter? The collaboration with others who deal with adults who are learning new things. We all have our own style when doing training I like to watch others and learn from them. I also like the networking that happens. I have met so many interesting people over the years, that are still some of my closest friends.
Name a professional challenge you have experienced, and share how ATD Hawkeye has helped you overcome it. I was putting together a leadership development plan and met with some ATD colleagues to see what worked and didn’t work in their program.
What piece of advice related to talent and development has made a significant impact on you and your work? Years ago, even before Hawkeye ATD, I attended a 2-day seminar with Bob Pike as the leader. Bob has several learning laws that he teaches and one of them is “Learning is directly proportional to the fun you have.” Research shows that people learn better in environments that offer humor, pleasure, fun, and joy. Learning can remain serious, because it is but can be fun too.
What is your favorite part of the learning and development field? Helping new trainers discover the exciting world of training and development.
Who is currently one of your favorite speakers or authors, and why? I have mentioned Bob Pike because he has simple techniques that can help every trainer. Elaine Biech who wrote, “The Art and Science of Training” She speaks about great ways trainers can help help trainers understand how adults learn.
What are your hobbies or favorite things to do with your time? I am an avid Green Bay Packers fan and love football. I also enjoy digging in the dirt and camping.
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