North Dakota Chapter
Jess Almlie has been involved with ATD since 2015 as a chapter board member, chapter president, and National Advisors for Chapters member. Jess is a learning strategist with more than 25 years of experience across multiple industries. She began her career with facilitation, coordination, design, and leadership roles, and most recently served as vice president, learning experience for WEX Benefits. Now, Jess works as an independent consultant, speaker, and writer passionate about moving the profession of L&D forward. Jess has a BA in organizational communication, an MS in educational leadership, and ATD’s Human Performance Improvement certificate.

Session
Benchmark Your Chapter Using CARE Data | Saturday, May 20, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Fort Worth Mid-Cities Chapter
Samuel Apata is a dedicated instructional designer with more than eight years of experience developing and retaining talent for organizations like T-Mobile, GM Financial, and Starbucks. He holds a graduate degree in instructional systems design from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Samuel is well-versed in helping organizations build effective and scalable learning programs. He is also a regular contributor to the Articulate e-learning community. Samuel currently leads a Special Interest Group (SIG) session on instructional design at ATD Fort Worth Mid-Cities, where he also serves as past president.

Session
Making SIGs Work | May 20, 2:15 p.m - 3:15 p.m.

Nebraska Chapter
Stephanie Blakemore is the director of technology for the ATD Nebraska Chapter. She is an instructional designer for the global headquarters of Home Instead, an Honor Technology company. Her former experiences as a teacher and corporate retail trainer contribute to her skill set. Stephanie is highly adept in the learning design process, technical writing, and several course authoring tools. When taking a break from the work she loves, she might be found camping, gardening, or tending to her backyard flock of chickens.

Session
Build-Your-Own New Member Orientation Workshop May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Florida Suncoast Chapter
Jenn Buckley is a National Advisors for Chapters member, past president of the ATD Florida Suncoast Chapter, current commodore of her sailing club, and has served on several nonprofit boards over the last twenty years. Between assisting in the overhaul of bylaws, creating standard operating procedures (SOPs), and rewriting job descriptions for board positions, she has quite a bit of experience with organizational governance documents across charities, not-for-profits, and corporations.


Session
How Governance Documents Support Your Chapter's Success | May 20, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

San Antonio Chapter
Sam Caballero is a talent development professional providing various learning programs and whole-life coaching support to enhance an employee’s contribution and value proposition in the workplace. A senior advisor for the professional development center of the Air Force Reserve Command and co-creator of Pivotn’s emerging leaders series, Sam is currently the vice president of finance for the ATD San Antonio Chapter. Sam is also an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation.


Session
Show Me the Money! Managing Your Chapter’s Finances | May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Nebraska Chapter
Gina Epperson is the secretary for the ATD Nebraska Chapter. Professionally, Gina is the senior advisor for human resources at First National Bank Omaha (FNBO), serving as the learning and development team liaison for several business units. Before working at FNBO, Gina was in the wireless industry for 16 years, serving in positions leading her to find her passion—L&D. Gina graduated with a business administration degree with a focus in management from Colorado Technical University.


Session
Ditch Your Onboarding and Embrace an Everboarding Strategy | May 20, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m
Offering Training Programs For Your Members | May 20, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m

Mid New Jersey Chapter
Juliet Hart specializes in developing the leadership capabilities of scientists and their organizations. She founded Hart and Chin, a company offering workshops, coaching, and consulting services. She believes that strengthening scientists’ leadership and interpersonal skills will make them more effective leaders, have a larger impact, and create greater value for the organizations they serve.
Previously working as a scientist at Johnson & Johnson, Juliet has seen the impact of her work drive employee engagement, increased collaboration, and stimulate innovation across functions. She has led training on developing leadership and management skills, cross-cultural awareness, presentation pitching, and communications skills. Juliet established her expertise in learning and development through progressive roles within Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. In addition, she has management training from the Yale School of Management and a degree from the City University of New York Hunter College in psychology.

Sessions
Build Your Chapter and Promote Inclusive, Accessible, and Meaningful ATD ( I AM ATD) Experiences through Networking | Saturday, May 20, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Identifying, Submitting, and Using an SOS | Saturday, May 20, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Ready for a Challenge? Take Your Chapter’s DE&I Initiatives to the Next Level | Saturday, May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

West Virginia Chapter
In professional broadcasting, Rob Hoitt worked with major networks and cable news channels before entering the L&D space. Rob combines his inner technology geek, passion for customer service, and love of lifelong learning to create a satisfying learning experience for his learners. Rob is a National Advisors for Chapters member and a proud contributor to the third edition of ATD’s Handbook for Training and Talent Development.

Session
Wrangling SMEs for Success | May 20, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

San Diego Chapter
Kimberli is the founder and principal of River Wolf Group, a social impact consulting firm that forges ecosystems where individuals, organizations, and communities thrive. Using the power of trust-based business and nonprofit partnerships, Kimberli helps clients create inclusive and meaningful programs that move the needle on complex economic and social problems facing their communities. Her expertise is derived from local and global executive roles focused on strategy, leadership and talent development, social impact, learning, strategic partnerships, innovation, business growth and operations, and ICT. Kimberli is serving in her first year as a National Advisors for Chapters member.

Session
Build Your Chapter and Promote Inclusive, Accessible, and Meaningful ATD ( I AM ATD) Experiences Through Networking | May 20,

Nebraska Chapter
Michele Michaelis has experience instructing all ages and loves designing courses. Her latest project at Metropolitan Community College involved researching why a small cadre of students chose to drop out of the GED program, resulting in her designing non-educational and educational interventions. Michele joined the ATD Nebraska Chapter board and has been working to improve their member orientation since 2021. Michele has three education-related degrees, including a master’s in learning design and technology from Purdue West Lafayette.

Session
Build Your Own New Member Orientation Workshop | May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Hawaii Chapter
Gwen Navarrete Klapperich is the chief learning consultant at Klapperich International Training Associates. This talent development consulting firm specializes in employee training and development, diversity and inclusion initiatives, performance consulting, and health and safety training. Gwen has more than 20 years of experience in training and development, customer service supervision, and quality assurance initiatives. She has worked in various industries such as retail, call centers, healthcare, government, hospitality, nonprofits, and continuing education. Gwen earned her CPTD® and holds a master’s in education specializing in training and performance improvement from Capella University. She has dedicated her career to helping adult learners reach their professional goals through effective job training.

Session
Build Your Chapter and Promote Inclusive, Accessible, and Meaningful ATD ( I AM ATD) Experiences Through Networking | May 20, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Hawaii Chapter
Julianne Odo is the vice president of finance for the ATD Hawaii Chapter. Professionally, Julianne is a senior organizational effectiveness consultant with Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers and not-for-profit health plans. Building on her previous experience as an equity, inclusion, and diversity consultant, her work focuses on implementing inclusive and equitable system-wide solutions driving effective change, talent planning, performance management, and team effectiveness. Julianne has more than 14 years of experience in the learning and organizational development field; before working in healthcare, Julianne worked in the hospitality, banking, and retail sectors. Her contributions include:

• Leading organization-wide internal cultural rebranding initiatives
• Developing and facilitating programs for various levels of the organization, from frontline staff to the C-suite
• Administering leadership and talent reviews

Julianne has an MBA from the University of Hawaii, a BS in communications from Southern Oregon University, and holds PHR and SHRM-CP certifications.

Session
Just Right: A Small Chapter’s Story Of Digitizing Records And Migrating To A Free Bookkeeping System | May 20, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

New York City Chapter
Rosemary Okoiti is the learning and development manager at Winrock International and the CEO and founder of Rosemary Okoiti Consulting. This company coaches and trains professionals to reinvent themselves into successful entrepreneurs. Rosemary has extensive global experience across three continents covering intercultural business coaching and facilitation, training delivery, design and management of leadership development programs, compliance, and onboarding. She is passionate about helping others start and run their businesses and design and deliver engaging learning solutions that help learners grow to their highest potential while driving the achievement of strategic business goals.

Rosemary has served on the ATD New York City Chapter Board of Directors as the vice president of talent management and is currently a member of the ALC Programs Advisory Committee. She holds a master of education degree and CPTD and CPC certifications.

Session
Ready for a Challenge? Take Your Chapter’s DE&I Initiatives to the Next Level | May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Nebraska Chapter
Debbie Petru is the director of learning and organizational development for Heritage Communities. She brings more than ten years of experience in training design, facilitation, and volunteer leadership experience and more than five years working in DEI advocacy and program management roles. She specializes in identifying and implementing process improvements, contract and speaker negotiation, mentoring, and coaching.

Debbie enjoys arranging and engaging in professional development opportunities that promote better managerial communication, leadership development, psychological safety, inclusivity, and self-awareness as a personal journey. Debbie is a certified Emergenetics and Challenger Sales Coaching trainer and develops innovative teaching tools tailored to adult learning preferences and communication styles. She received her BA in organizational communication from the University of Nebraska Omaha and her MA in managerial communication from Bellevue University.

Session
Making the Most of Your Board Retreats | May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Offering Training Programs For Your Members | May 20, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m

Bay Colonies Chapter
Wendy Picard is a learning experience designer who loves finding innovative solutions for organizations, even if they’re outside the box. She earned her master’s degree in training and development from Roosevelt University. As a lifelong learner, she has earned her D&I certification from Cornell University and positive psychology certification through the University of Pennsylvania and Coursera. Aside from trying to figure out what her brain is doing when she’s not looking, Wendy enjoys letting her geek flag fly, playing board games, and hanging out with her family.

Session
Things Your Brain Does When You’re Not Looking | May 20, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Houston Chapter
Debbie Richards is a learning architect, self-proclaimed geek, and early adopter of learning technologies. A learning architect ensures a clear vision with a defined roadmap, combining tools, platforms, and content into a form that’s easy to use, scales, and delivers a great user experience. Passionate about working with and mentoring other talent development professionals, Debbie is the past president of the ATD Houston Chapter and a past National Advisors for Chapters member.

Session
Wild Apricot - Tips and Tricks| May 20, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Central Indiana Chapter
Rusty Shields is the owner and chief performance consultant at Develefy Consulting. His passion, energy, and excitement when facilitating business growth is palpable and contagious. As a facilitator and consultant in the learning and development field for the past 18 years, Rusty has worked with corporations and organizations of all sizes worldwide. Rusty has experience designing and delivering customized leadership and business development programs, both virtually and face-to-face. He also has many years of experience designing e-learning and other self-paced training in interactive and engaging ways. Rusty has a master’s in music for vocal performance and choral conducting from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. When he is not facilitating, Rusty continues his passion for the stage, performing in musicals and operas throughout the US and traveling the world while marking places off his bucket list.

Session
Let’s Have FUN: Powerful Activities to Build Your TEAM | May 20, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Nebraska Chapter
Kristi Stewart is serving her seventh year on the ATD Nebraska Board of Directors. Kristi has held various positions on the board and is now serving as president-elect. This year Kristi has been working on improving the processes of the vice president of finance role. Kristi Stewart spent 18 years in education and the last seven at First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) as an instructional designer and the liaison for all required compliance training. As an instructional designer and liaison, Kristi processes information into easily digestible chunks for learners, maintains a consistent calendar to avoid too many trainings in one quarter, and assists various business units in incorporating new tools and technology. Kristi holds a master’s degree in educational technology and has been a member of ATD Nebraska for eight years.

Sessions
Making the Most of Your Board Retreats | May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Finance: What Did I Get Myself Into? | May 20, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Nebraska Chapter
Amber has more than ten years of experience in sales, sales enablement, sales management, and talent development. No matter the industry, she incorporates a learning culture wherever she goes. She is the director of learning and talent for Magnet Medical, past president of ATD Nebraska, and a member of the ALC Programs Advisory Committee. Amber holds a BS in business management and leadership and certification in virtual training design. She was recognized as an emerging training leader by Training magazine in 2019 and earned a Stevie Award for Sales Training/Coaching Program of the Year in 2020.

Session
Ditch Your Onboarding and Embrace an Everboarding Strategy | May 20, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Central Pennsylvania Chapter
Adam White has been an ATD Central Pennsylvania Chapter member since 2006. While a member, he served on the board of directors for five years as vice president of finance, president-elect, president, and past president. In 2022, he joined the National Advisors for Chapters. When not volunteering with ATD, Adam works in an organizational development role with Penn State. He also volunteers with Junior Achievement and coaches field hockey and softball. Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in history education from Shippensburg University and a master’s degree in training and development from Penn State University.

Session
Build Your Chapter and Promote Inclusive, Accessible, and Meaningful ATD ( I AM ATD) Experiences Through Networking | May 20, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Nebraska Chapter
Jenna Wintersteen has been in the learning and development world for more than 10 years. In that time, she has been a senior corporate trainer, learning specialist, and instructional designer. Currently, she is an instructional designer at First National Bank Omaha (FNBO) as part of the HR learning and development team. She enjoys creating content of all kinds but specializes in digital adoption, which allows her to combine her passions for learning and technology. Jenna holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a creative writing concentration from the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Session
Finance: What Did I Get Myself Into | May 20, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Valley of the Sun Chapter
Jason Yerep is currently the senior manager of learning and development at SunPower Corporation. Jason’s background in chemistry, marketing, and language has led him to support corporate learning and talent development across various industries, including consumer products, telecommunications, healthcare, and renewable energy. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, he’s driven to propel individuals and teams forward through learning, specializing in product and process change. Taking advantage of some quarantine study time, he earned his CPTD credential in 2020. He more recently completed the ATD Master Performance Consultant™ Program.

Session
Identifying, Submitting, and Using an SOS | May 20, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Hawkeye Chapter
Jennifer Zach is an experienced executive coach and learning and development partner. For more than 14 years, Jennifer has been a noteworthy contributor to executive coaching and leadership learning and development. You may know her for her contributions to ATD’s international magazine and online blog or as the vice president of programs for the ATD Hawkeye Chapter. In addition to her primary career functions, Jennifer is a Rotary International and Toastmasters member and a true pickleball enthusiast. Jennifer graduated from the world’s first coaching school, Coach U, and holds an integrative somatic trauma therapy certificate.

Session
Sourcing Rockstar Speakers: Programming with a Purpose | May 20, 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.