John Ambrose
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Corporate Development and Emerging Business
SkillSoft

John Ambrose identifies new strategic opportunities for SkillSoft and oversees the operations of SkillSoft’s Books24x7 and the Leadership Development Channel. Previously, he had served as vice president and general manager of Books24x7, a subsidiary of SkillSoft, and the developer of online Referenceware, which he co-founded. Ambrose has more than 23 years experience in executive, international business development, Web marketing and software marketing roles. Prior to Books24x7, he held executive positions, including CEO of DeltaPoint and vice president of corporate marketing for SystemSoft. He spent 10 years with Phoenix Technologies Ltd., where he co-founded and was vice president of marketing and business development for Phoenix Publishing Systems. Ambrose earned a bachelor's degree from Drexel University and a master's degree from Columbia University.

Cushing Anderson
Program Director, Learning Services
IDC

Cushing Anderson is the Program Director for IDC’s Learning Services research. In this role, Cushing is responsible for managing the research agenda, field research and custom research projects for both corporate learning and performance, and IT education and certification research programs. He has been actively investigating the link between strategic business planning and training in the extended enterprise. He also has extensively researched the value of partner certification programs to software companies, and speaks regularly on certification programs and the value of education to partnership programs. Cushing was named as one of the “top 20 people to watch in corporate training” in 2003 by Lifelong Learning Market Report, and he has been a member of the steering committee for the Technology Learning Group for CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association).

Caroline C. Avey
Learning Strategist
ACS Learning Services

Caroline Avey has more than 15 years of experience in instructional strategy, design and development, working on custom and generic projects for Fortune 500 clients and public agencies. Currently, she is known for her work on developing strategies and practical applications of learning in 3-D virtual worlds and with Web 2.0 learning applications. Avey has experience in designing, developing and facilitating learning for 3-D virtual worlds and Web 2.0 assets.

Virginia Benton
Director, Global Learning
Tyco Electronics

Virginia Benton is an organization development and learning professional with more than 20 years of experience. She has held leadership roles in companies as diverse as Office Depot, U.S. Foodservice and U.S. Bank. Benton is a strategic and visionary executive who has been responsible for creating competitive advantage and award-winning results in multiple industries, including retail, financial services, distribution, manufacturing and academia. In her current position at Tyco Electronics, Benton is responsible for the learning and development strategy for more than 75,000 people in 57 countries.

Bonnie Beresford
Vice President, Client Services
Capital Analytics

Bonnie Beresford, MBA, has extensive experience in the fields of measurement, process improvement, training and performance support. She co-led the effort to transform a client training organization into a performance improvement organization. Beresford’s resulting ROI work and statistical study that isolated the business impact of training earned the client the ASTD Excellence in Practice award and Chief Learning Officer magazine’s Business Impact Award. Over her career, her client base has spanned the manufacturing, retailing and hospitality services industries. Beresford has presented at the ASTD, ISPI and SALT annual conferences as well as at Elliott Masie’s Learning conferences. She serves on the board of the Detroit Zoological Society and is president of the International Society for Performance Improvement – Michigan Chapter.

Dr. Steven Berglas
Executive Coach and Management Consultant

Dr. Steven Berglas draws upon his training in behavioral and psychodynamic psychiatry to design interventions for executives at risk for career burnout. He also works with corporations on executive selection, identifying job candidates resistant to “success depression,” success-induced burnout and self-destructive behavior. Berglas spent more than 30 years on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry, where he also maintained a psychotherapy practice. He has authored four books on the consequences of career success, including Reclaiming The Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout. Berglas holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clark University, a Ph.D. from Duke University, and he completed postdoctoral training in social psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Maryann Billington
Senior Partner, Leadership and Talent Consulting Group, and Global Leader for Executive Education
Korn/Ferry International

Maryann Billington has more than 30 years of experience, spanning business and education. Billington provides consulting, executive coaching and education to scores of organizations across industries. She develops solutions for executive development, organizational transformation and performance improvement. In addition, she designs and facilitates strategy and leadership workshops for leaders and boards of directors that accelerate effective decisions. Prior to her current position, Billington was the chief client officer for Lore International Institute.

Deanna Brady
Vice President of Sales, Foodservice Division
Hormel Foods

Deanna Brady oversees the North American team responsible for the sales of Hormel products to food service distributors and end users such as restaurants, hotels, hospitals and schools. Since joining the Hormel Foods sales organization in 1986, Brady has been promoted to positions of increased responsibility, including area and regional sales manager. She works closely with senior leadership on talent development initiatives for the division and is an active contributor to the design and delivery of leadership development programs for the Hormel team.

Ronald C. Brant
Men’s National Team Coordinator, Senior and Junior National Teams
USA Gymnastics

Brant has developed champions at all levels, ranging from Junior National champions to World and Olympic medalists. He has managed gymnastics teams to record accomplishments, including two World team silver medal performances in 2001 and 2003, the Olympic team silver medal in 2004 and the Olympic team bronze medal in 2008. Brant was a two-time USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year in 1997 and 1999. He served as head coach for the U.S. Olympic Training Center resident men's gymnastics team from 1990 to 2000. Brant was elected president of the United States Elite Men's Gymnastics Association from 1991 to 1993. He has organized fundraisers for charitable organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Jacque Burandt
Administrative Director
University Health System

Jacque Burandt leads the Center for Learning Excellence at University Health System with responsibility for planning, implementing and evaluating workplace learning for 5,000 employees at 20 sites. She was awarded the 2006 Learning In Practice Gold Award for Creative Alliances and the 2008 Silver Learning Team Award by Chief Learning Officer magazine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in radio-TV-film and a master’s degree in adult and continuing education, both from the University of Texas at Austin. She serves on the refugee resettlement board and on the health care advisory board for Capella University.

Lou Candura
Manager, Sales Training and Development
Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Lou Candura joined Watson Pharmaceuticals in 2005 as a sales representative who quickly achieved success by becoming a two-time Champion’s Club winner in two of Watson’s premier sales divisions. These successes earned Candura the opportunity to be promoted to training manager for Watson’s specialty division in spring 2008. The blend of experiences from selling in the field to coaching sales representatives was an inspiration to implement innovative ideas that were instrumental in the launch of two new products. Additionally, as part of the product launches, Candura developed and customized learning modules, selling scripts, rubrics, workshops and Blackboard distance learning courses that were executed as a part of the team’s blended learning strategy.

Scott Colehour
Solutions Architect and Co-Founder
Allen Interactions

Scott Colehour has been in the e-learning design and development industry for 20 years. Colehour brings many skills to Allen Interactions, some of which include providing high-end consulting and training services to client organizations in such areas as needs analysis, multimedia project planning and management, interaction design, template and model development and model-based production.

Margot Cook
Learning Strategist
SkillSoft

Margot Cook has been with SkillSoft for seven years and has more than 15 years of experience in the learning industry. In her role, Cook consults with clients to develop their learning strategies and to maximize the overall effectiveness of their learning programs. Cook’s clients span multiple industries, including retail, information technology, hospitality, BPO and customer service, manufacturing, financial services and telecommunications. Cook advises her clients on their overall program implementation and measurement, including program design, curriculum planning, competency mapping, marketing and reporting. Cook believes that effective marketing drives support for the program from the C-level down and ensures that each target audience leverages the organization’s learning investment effectively.

Jay Cross
CEO
Internet Time Group

Jay Cross is a champion of informal learning, Web 2.0 and systems thinking. His calling is to help business people improve their performance on the job and satisfaction in life. He has challenged conventional wisdom about how adults learn since designing the first business degree program offered by the University of Phoenix three decades ago. Cross is the author of Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways that Inspire Innovation and Performance. Every day, thousands of people read his blogs, “Internet Time” and “Informal Learning Blog.” Cross is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.

Jocelyn Davis
Executive Vice President, Research and Development
Forum

Jocelyn Davis leads Forum's global research and development function. Her team is responsible for creating and managing Forum’s intellectual property — including original research, learningware and consulting protocols. Davis also provides design advice on client projects, working with clients such as Eli Lilly, GE, Bausch & Lomb, Coca-Cola, Agilent, Microsoft, BankOne, Walt Disney and Nike. In the past decade, Davis’ teams have doubled the size of Forum's library with innovative learning curricula. She co-authored the research reports "Blended Learning Strategy" and "Principles of Workplace Learning" and is co-author of Forum’s forthcoming book, Strategic Speed.

Lisa Donovan
Group Vice President, National Training and Development
Archstone

Lisa Donovan has championed “Commitment to Great,” an enterprisewide strategy for engaging Archstone’s leaders and employees in delivering superior service to drive customer loyalty. She brings a unique perspective to learning and development, with broad experience in the company’s change management, mergers and acquisitions, and technology initiatives. Before joining Archstone, Donovan held a variety of senior positions in the areas of project and program management, product marketing and international marketing and sales. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from the University of Colorado.

Michael E. Echols, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
Bellevue University and Bellevue University's Human Capital Lab

An internationally known thought leader on evaluating and improving ROI on human capital, Dr. Michael E. Echols' three books on the subject are must-reads in CEO, COO and CLO suites around the globe. Named one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals” in the United States by Training Industry Inc., Echols earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Carnegie Mellon University, his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and his Ph.D. from the College of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. His thesis was in operations research and information process.

Terry Erdle
Senior Vice President, Skills Certification
CompTIA

Terry Erdle is responsible for the Computing Technology Industry Association’s (CompTIA) global certifications programs, including product development and delivery, partnership relationships and cooperation with the education and training communities. Before joining CompTIA in 2008, Erdle was the president and chief executive officer of Jones Knowledge Group. He was responsible for consolidating five separate knowledge services businesses into a cohesive group. He also played an active leadership role in the areas of sales, marketing and program development. From 1998 to 2006, Erdle held several senior executive positions at Sun Microsystems Inc. Erdle holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and philosophy from Colorado State University and a Master of Science in computer science from Oxford University.

Christopher R. Hardy, Ph.D.
Strategic Planner, Deputy Director
Defense Acquisition University

Christopher R. Hardy, Ph.D, is the Strategic Planner for the Defense Acquisition University, an award-winning corporate university serving the acquisition workforce. Christopher helps the President set the direction for the university and was a key player in transforming DAU into an award-winning corporate university. Included in this transformation was the successful implementation of many best practices: strategic planning, alignment, centralization of training funding, integration and implementation of enterprise-wide performance measurement tools and business processes and innovations in learning and development. This includes the unique, enterprise-wide, overarching learning strategy known as the Performance Learning Model and a new learning construct—the Engaged Learner. He also has played a significant role in DAU’s rapid rise to national preeminence through his work with other organizations from both public and private sectors. Prior to his current position, he served both in government and in private industry, becoming Vice President, INNOLOG Inc., a Global Supply Chain Logistics Company headquartered in McLean, VA.

Meg Harris
Director, National Accounts-Southeast
Keller Center for Corporate Learning

Meg Harris has been in education most of her adult life. After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, she utilized her strength for helping others as an advocate for the rights of exceptional students in public education. Harris entered the world of proprietary education with Career Education Corp. in admissions. Since joining DeVry University, she has found success in varied positions, most currently in growing business relationships with Fortune 1000 organizations. Harris is working toward her master's in project management at DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management.

Rich Herbst
Vice President, Learning and Leadership Development
TeleTech

Rich Herbst is responsible for the development and delivery of all training programs and initiatives for an organization of 55,000 employees around the globe. He has extensive experience in training, education and leadership development in both the private and public sectors. In the U.S. Navy, Herbst served as an F-14 fighter pilot and flight instructor in the advanced jet training program. At Tulane University, he taught leadership and ethics and was responsible for the Naval Reserve Officer training program. Most recently, prior to joining TeleTech, Herbst was president of Westwood College’s Denver campus. Herbst holds a B.S.E. from Duke University, an MBA from Mississippi State University and a M.S.E. from Tulane University.

Tim Hildreth
Director, Product Marketing and Content Solutions
SkillSoft

Tim Hildreth joined SkillSoft in October 2004 as the senior product marketing manager in charge of a number of SkillPort modules, including the instructor-led training, credentialing and customer publishing modules. In 2006, Hildreth led the team that planned, designed and launched SkillSoft’s KnowledgeCenter product line. Currently Hildreth oversees the content solutions product marketing team, which manages all aspects of content solutions and strategies, including authoring tools, releases and customization strategies for SkillSoft content and the KnowledgeCenters. Most recently, Hildreth’s team oversaw the development of SkillSoft’s newest leadership offering, SkillSoft Leadership Advantage.

Ted Hoff
Vice President, Center for Learning and Development
IBM Corp.

Ted Hoff has responsibility for leadership development and succession planning across IBM to ensure it has the leaders it needs now and in the future. This responsibility encompasses assessing, developing, recruiting and selecting leaders for all business and technical leadership roles. Prior to joining IBM, Hoff was president of Leadership Development Inc., a management education and business consulting firm that he founded in 1998. He has authored several Harvard Business Review articles, case studies and a textbook on marketing analysis. Hoff holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, graduating as a Baker Scholar, and a bachelor’s degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Sharon Claffey Kaliouby
Senior Vice President, Learning Solutions
Enterprise Ireland

Sharon Claffey Kaliouby has more than 13 years of experience in corporate learning and development, as well as e-services. Previously, Kaliouby was the director of e-services for Thomson (now Thomson Reuters) Corp.’s Center of Excellence. Currently, her key responsibilities include the identification of solutions for the Irish e-learning sector and to proactively explore business opportunities for Irish companies.  Since joining Enterprise Ireland, Kaliouby has launched the Irish Learning Alliance (ILA) and supports the ILA Elite research project. She received her master’s degree in mass communications from Emerson College and has a bachelor’s degree in communications studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Norm Kamikow
President and Editor in Chief
MediaTec Publishing Inc.

Norm Kamikow is president and editor in chief of MediaTec Publishing Inc., which publishes Chief Learning Officer magazine,Talent Management magazine, Diversity Executive magazine and Certification magazine, along with targeted supplements, special reports and electronic newsletters for each publication. Chief Learning Officer was named "Best New Publication" by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). Norm also received the 2005 Innovation Award from Media Business Magazine, which honored him as Top Publisher of the Year.

Norm has more than 30 years of magazine and direct marketing publishing experience. Since beginning his career with Seventeen magazine, Norm has worked either directly or as a consultant to many consumer and business-to-business magazines. With a specialty in new magazine development, he has played a key role in the launch of OMNI magazine, SPIN magazine, Game Players magazine, CD-ROM Today, Internet World and Web Week. He contributed to the redesign of such magazines as Financial World and CD-ROM World. As president/CEO of Decks Inc., he worked with several major publishing companies to develop revenue resources from alternative media. This client base included BusinessWeek, Fortune, Money Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, The Journal of the American Dental Association and Dun & Bradstreet reports. Norm is a recipient of the Tempo Award from the Direct Marketing Association and is a biographee of Marquis Who's Who in the Midwest and Who's Who in Advertising and the Media.

Mark Kass, Ph.D.
Vice President, Strategic and Academic Alliances
Apollo Group Inc.

Dr. Mark Kass has an extensive background in management and leadership training. With a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Missouri, his interests lie in creating and sustaining cultures of corporate innovation. His work focuses on assisting companies to nurture innovative environments based upon a respect for their core competencies, organizational cultures, capabilities and improved methods of communication with employees. Kass has served as a faculty member and doctoral mentor at University of Phoenix since 2004. His current research focus is on developing operational strategies to facilitate change management in diverse corporate settings with an emphasis on market selection strategies for international businesses.

Dr. Beverly Kaye
Founder and CEO
Career Systems International

Dr. Beverly Kaye is an internationally recognized authority on career issues and retention and engagement in the workplace. She was named a legend by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), and she has worked with a host of organizations to establish cutting-edge, award-winning talent development solutions. Her first book, Up Is Not the Only Way is considered a classic, and she is also the co-author of Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay and Love It Don’t Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work. She holds a doctorate degree from UCLA and completed graduate work at the Sloan School of Management at MIT.

Brian P. Klapper
President and Founding Partner
The Klapper Institute

Brian Klapper is president and founding partner of The Klapper Institute and an internationally recognized expert in business process transformation. He has worked with a variety of global companies in financial services, consumer products, manufacturing, food service, utilities, retail, and health care. His experience spans the value chain, as well as all customer touch points. Klapper currently is working on new book titled Transformation, which details his research and provides insights on business process transformation. He co-authored a chapter in Redesigning Healthcare Delivery that has become an industry standard. Klapper holds an MBA from The Wharton Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

Louise Korver-Swanson
Global Head, Enterprise Executive Development
EMC Corp.

Louise Korver-Swanson leads the global executive development center of excellence for this rapidly growing global technology company. Executive development at EMC provides assessment, coaching and development for EMC’s 300 senior high potentials and vice president or higher executives. Korver-Swanson is well-known as an innovator in executive development and has implemented cutting-edge strategies for executive talent identification, transformational change management, succession planning and globalization. As a valued partner and coach to executive and operating leadership, she brings an exceptional breadth of experience to EMC, cultivated over 20 years through every facet of organizational development.

Alec Levenson, Ph.D.
Research Partner
Bellevue University, Human Capital Lab

Dr. Alec Levenson is a research scientist at the Center for Effective Organizations, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. Levenson’s research and consulting work help optimize job performance through organization design, job design and human capital analytics. He has more than 10 years of experience working with leading companies, including Capital One, Chevron, Cisco Systems, PepsiCo, Pfizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Royal Bank of Canada. His research has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, CNN, U.S. News and World Report, the Los Angeles Times and Fox News. Levenson received his B.A. in economics and Chinese language from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University.

Justin Lombardo
Vice President, Learning Institute, and Chief Learning Officer
Children’s Medical Center of Dallas

Justin Lombardo is currently vice president, Learning Institute, and chief learning officer of Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. He was recruited to this role in January 2010 to create the Children’s Learning Institute, which will be responsible for aligning and optimizing the organization’s investment in education and training to help advance the strategic goals of the medical center. Lombardo will lead all the clinical and non-clinical education and training for the medical center. Prior to joining Children’s, Lombardo served for nine years as chief learning executive at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. There he developed the NM Academy, which was responsible for the organization’s learning initiatives. Prior to this, Lombardo spent 15 years at Motorola University, where he managed various training and education functions globally and was one of the founding directors. Lombardo has also worked in higher education administration.

Alan A. Malinchak
Vice President and Chief Learning Officer
ManTech International

Alan Malinchak leads ManTech University’s enterprise education and training and alliance partnerships with academic universities and training and education vendors. Malinchak has more than 35 years of leadership, management, administrative and investigative experience with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gray Hawk Systems, ManTech International and several academic institutions. Areas of expertise include establishment of a corporate university, professional leadership development, strategic change initiatives, project and organizational management, needs assessment, program audits, alternative dispute resolution, and executive education, coaching and mentoring. Malinchak served in the U.S. Navy. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in business administration from Northcentral University.

Renee Moorefield, Ph.D., MCC
Founder, Partner & CEO
Wisdom Works

Renee Moorefield founded Wisdom Works on the belief that business leaders hold the key to a global shift in human consciousness. They are most effective when they explore strategies aimed healthy profits, healthy people and a healthy world. An established speaker and writer, Moorefield has addressed international conferences and co-wrote the book Driven by Wellth: The 7 Essentials for Healthy, Sustainable Results in 21st Century Business & Leadership. Her degrees reflect the core principles of Wisdom Works: She holds a doctorate degree in spirituality, with a focus on integral leadership, a master's in business and human relations and a bachelor's in physiology and health education.

Jennifer A. Moss, Ph.D.
Director, Human Capital Lab
Bellevue University

Dr. Jennifer Moss coordinates research efforts and establishes and cultivates relationships with corporate clients and research participants. She is also charged with authoring publications in the area of human capital management. Moss has a rich background in teaching leadership, organizational behavior and management. She is an assistant professor at Bellevue University and has published many papers and made several presentations on these topics. Moss earned her bachelor's degree in business education, a master's degree in leadership education, a second master's degree in educational psychology: quantitative and qualitative methods in education, and a Ph.D. in leadership studies from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Tom Murray
Senior Consultant
Lane4 Management Group Ltd

Tom Murray is a Senior Consultant at Lane4, a management consultancy specializing in organizational performance, leadership development and executive coaching. He is a two-time Olympian in the sport of rowing, having competed in both the Atlanta and Sydney games. Murray also is a 1999 World Champion. In addition to being a graduate of Cornell University, he also has a master’s degree in finance from Boston College. He brings a deep understanding of high performance from his experience as an athlete and his work as an athletic and business coach. Murray uses an enthusiastic, dynamic approach to deliver senior leadership development programs.

Butler Newman
Division Director and Principal Consultant
RWD Technologies

Butler Newman is a leader in RWD’s Organizational Performance & Learning practice and has more than 22 years of experience developing and managing high-impact learning organizations. During the past 10 years, he has served as senior vice president of advisory services for Corporate University Xchange, vice president of execution capability for Conner Partners, vice president of learning solutions of Accelera Corp. and vice president of e-learning and performance support for RWD Technologies. Newman is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion program, completing his nuclear engineering certification. He also has completed coursework toward an MBA at the University of Maryland.

Jonny Parkes
Chariman, Irish Learning Alliance
Enterprise Ireland

Jonny Parkes is the former CEO of Electric Paper, one of Ireland’s foremost e-learning companies and has more than 15 years experience in the interactive learning industry. One of Parkes’ current roles is to manage a $2.5 million industry-led research project on behalf of the Irish Learning Alliance (ILA). The project is developing tools and technologies for developing next-generation e-learning solutions, combining elements of social networking, mobile computing and the Semantic Web. Parkes has an MBA from the Open University Business School in the U.K. and a degree in micro-electronic engineering from Trinity College Dublin.

Dr. E. Ted Prince
CEO and Founder
Perth Leadership Institute

Dr. E. Ted Prince is CEO and founder of the Perth Leadership Institute, a research-based company that provides business-acumen-focused leadership development programs to senior executives in large corporations worldwide. Prince is an expert in the area of leadership and financial performance and the development of formal assessment instruments for assessing and developing business acumen. Prince is the architect of the Perth Leadership Outcome Model, based on extensive field research with senior executives. Prince holds a bachelor’s honors degree in languages and political science from The University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Mike Prokopeak
Vice President, Editorial Director
MediaTec Publishing Inc.

Mike Prokopeak is editorial director of MediaTec Publishing Inc. Mike directs content for the CLO Symposium live conference series, the CLO Breakfast Club programs and all MediaTec magazines, as well as the e-Seminar series, research initiatives and special projects.

Mike brings a wide range of experience in journalism, publishing, and marketing along with a proven track record of editorial achievement to MediaTec. After joining Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine in Flagstaff (Ariz.) as a reporter, he worked his way up to editor in chief, eventually taking on general manager responsibilities for the magazine and its sister publication, Flagstaff Live, both owned by Pulitzer Newspapers Inc. He directed the editorial, design, advertising, and events departments and successfully led a complete redesign of the publications. Mike has also worked with leading educational publishing companies, including Houghton Mifflin Company and the Great Books Foundation. A former teacher and Peace Corps volunteer, Mike brings in-depth experience in continuing education and training to MediaTec.

Clark Quinn, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Quinnovation

Clark Quinn, Ph.D., has been innovating for business, education, government and the nonprofit sectors for more than 30 years. He integrates creativity, cognitive science and technology to deliver engaging and effective strategies and solutions to learning, knowledge and performance needs. Quinn has led the design of award-winning online content, educational computer games and Web sites, as well as intelligent learning, mobile and performance support systems. He has served as an executive in online and e-learning initiatives and has an international reputation as a scholar and presenter. He works on behalf of clients through Quinnovation.

Rebecca Lea Ray, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Global Talent Management and Development, Global Human Resources
MasterCard Worldwide

Rebecca L. Ray, Ph.D., leads the global team responsible for employee training and development under the banner of MasterCard University. She also is responsible for management and leadership development, executive coaching and mentoring, organizational development, employee engagement, performance management and succession management for MasterCard Worldwide. Previously, Ray held positions at Comcast, American Skandia, Prudential and Merrill Lynch. She serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for Training and Chief Learning Officer magazines and on the Advisory Board for the Executive Program in Work-Based Learning Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a doctorate from New York University, where she taught as an adjunct professor for many years.

Teresa Roche
Vice President and Chief Learning Officer
Agilent Technologies

Teresa Roche is the lead architect and portfolio manager for Agilent’s leadership development solutions. Roche has a passion for collaboration and learning and is interested in how individuals and organizations interpret an evolving and complex environment in order to take effective action. Previously, she was vice president of human resources at Grass Valley Group in California and has worked at Hewlett-Packard in several executive positions. Roche has a doctoral degree in educational technology, a master’s in counseling and personnel services and a bachelor’s in education and interpersonal and public communications, all from Purdue University.

Rob Ryder
Vice President, Learning and Leadership Development
Centura Health

Rob Ryder is vice president of learning and leadership development for Centura Health, headquartered in Denver, Colo. Centura Health employs 14,000 associates and includes 11 hospitals, as well as home care operations and senior residential care facilities throughout Colorado. Prior to his current role, Ryder was chief administrative officer with Penrose-St. Francis Health Services and the administrator of Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo. His work in the areas of worksite health promotion and building a healthy work culture has been published by the American Hospital Association and the Society for Prospective Medicine. He has presented and consulted throughout the country in the fields of health promotion, corporate health services and worksite culture development. He holds certifications and credentials in leadership development, personality assessment, process improvement/statistical process control and executive coaching, and holds degrees in music and psychology from Stanford University.

Marko Satarain
Director, Talent Management
Gap Inc.

Marko Satarain is responsible for the development, engagement and retention strategy for the executive ranks at Gap Inc. This includes identifying emerging trends with global thought leaders to reveal ways to engage and keep great leaders. Previously, Satarain led the college recruiting strategy for all brands and functions at Gap Inc. He’s been with the company for 11 years and had other roles in HR, IT and within Banana Republic. Prior to that, he managed subfunctions in HR at AAA. He also served in the U.S. Navy. Marko received his B.S. from San Francisco State University. He returned years later and received his M.A. in instructional design.

Valerie Schumacher
Global Leadership and Talent Domain Lead
Cargill Inc.

Valerie Schumacher joined Cargill in 1995. She currently leads Cargill’s global policy and program harmonization efforts across the leadership and talent area. Her focus includes talent management, career planning, learning and development, performance management and employee engagement. Schumacher also has managed the leadership development portfolio within Cargill’s learning and development department. Additionally, she was responsible for providing leadership development solutions globally to varying levels of leaders, including several programs within Cargill’s Leadership Academy. Prior to that, she helped implement shared service structures in Cargill’s finance and human resource functions. Schumacher received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Dakota State University.

Roland Smith, Ph.D.
Senior Faculty Member and Lead Researcher
Center for Creative Leadership

Dr. Roland Smith is a senior faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). His work at the center includes facilitating the Leadership at the Peak program and other custom programs, serving as a member of the global organizational leadership development practice group, and serving as the lead researcher for the Senior Executive Research Initiative and also for the Global Institute for Talent Sustainability. Prior to joining the faculty at CCL, Smith was co-founder and president of a national consulting firm focused on addressing organizational performance and talent management. Smith received his bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in instructional/performance technology from Boise State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Idaho.

Mike Stacy
Senior Vice President, Learning and Performance Solutions
Aptara

Mike Stacy leads Aptara’s global learning and performance group. He joined the company in November 2006 and has more than 20 years of experience in the field. Prior to Aptara, Stacy was part of the executive team at Primedia, where he developed innovative learning delivery and documentation solutions, growing revenue to $75 million and leading a team of 125 sales and support personnel. Stacy also led sales efforts at Ninth House Networks, an e-learning company, growing its customer base by 300 percent. Prior to that, Stacy held senior management roles at Thomson Learning and Crisp Learning.

Sue VanderHeyden
Director, Organization Effectiveness and Learning and Development
Capella University

Sue VanderHeyden is a human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience in the HR/OE field. She is committed to driving strong organizational and employee growth and success through creative and pragmatic solutions. At Capella University, VanderHeyden is focused on generating positive results for her clients in the areas of change management, leadership and employee development, talent management, employee engagement and building a strong OE/L&D team to serve the organization. VanderHeyden earned her master’s degree in human resource development from the University of St. Thomas and an undergraduate degree in public administration/human resources from Winona State University.

Peter Vidmar
Chairman
USA Gymnastics

Peter Vidmar is a powerful and entertaining speaker at corporate meetings and trade shows. With more than two decades of experience, Vidmar has helped people throughout the country realize and fulfill their own potential. Vidmar is the highest-scoring American gymnast in Olympic history. He is one of only three athletes inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame twice — first as an individual, then as a member of the 1984 USA men’s gymnastics team. Vidmar continues to contribute to the Olympic movement today. He is the chairman of the board of USA Gymnastics. For many years, Vidmar has also worked as the gymnastics commentator for CBS Sports and ESPN. He is the author of Risk, Originality, and Virtuosity: The Keys to a Perfect 10.

Greg Weldon
Training Advisor, Global Human Resources and Development
Tyco Electronics

Greg Weldon is a training advisor in Tyco Electronics’ Technical Training Center of Excellence. Weldon is responsible for e-learning technologies and strategic planning for the global sales organization’s continuing education.

R. John Welsh, Jr.
Vice President
Allen Interactions

R. John Welsh Jr. is responsible for leading the business development effort and driving the performance and innovation for Allen Interactions. As an accomplished senior executive with more than 20 years of expertise with designing organizational performance, Welsh has worked with hundreds of Fortune 500 organizations delivering behavior-changing strategic consulting services. With his extensive experience solving complex issues with C-level executives, he has achieved a successful track record of exceeding corporate revenue and profit goals. In addition to earning a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from St. John's University, Welsh holds master's degrees in business administration and international management from the University of St. Thomas, and he is currently working toward his Ph.D. in organizational leadership at Capella University.

Judy Whitcomb, SPHR
Assistant Vice President, Learning and Organizational Development
Classic Residence by Hyatt

Judy Whitcomb brings more than 20 years of experience in the transportation, financial services, employee benefits and health care industries, including more than 15 in human resources. She brings a unique perspective to the learning and organizational development field, with experience leading operations, marketing and sales functions. She is a certified Gallup Strengths coach and has taught human resources certification courses. Whitcomb previously held positions at United Airlines, United Airlines Credit Union (now Alliant Credit Union) and ComPsych Corp. She received her bachelor’s degree from DePaul University, her MBA from Roosevelt University in Chicago, and has completed a number of executive marketing program courses at Northwestern University.

Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti
Vice President, University Strategic Relations
University of Phoenix

Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti is the university liaison with corporations and leads the Knowledge Network, the university center of excellence on the working learner. She has authored numerous books and papers on the future of higher education. Wilen-Daugenti’s most recent book is .edu: Technology and Learning Environments in Higher Education. In addition, she wrote a seven-book series on women and international business. Wilen-Daugenti was named San Francisco Woman of the Year in 2002. She has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University and an adjunct professor with graduate and doctoral programs. Previously, Wilen-Daugenti was the higher education practice lead for Cisco Systems’ strategy organization. She holds an MBA and a doctoral degree in international business.

David Wilkins
Executive Director of Product Marketing
Learn.com

David Wilkins has been a thought leader in the online community and corporate e-learning industries for more than 15 years. Through frequent speaking sessions at industry conferences as well as numerous articles and white papers, Wilkins has had a significant impact on helping formulate innovative approaches to solving common workplace challenges, such as employee productivity; performance, recruiting and retention; and corporate communications. In his current role at Learn.com, Wilkins is responsible for product strategy and the communication of Learn.com’s vision and direction.

Jason Zeman
Associate Director, Sales Training and Development
Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Jason Zeman is passionate about designing, orchestrating and executing sales training and development programs that are congruent with his department's mission statement: “Developing Leaders One Person at a Time.” Zeman has more than eight years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry as a sales representative, training manager and, most recently, associate director. He has led key projects that have changed the culture of Watson Pharmaceuticals’ branded business. Zeman is now focused on envisioning and implementing innovative ways to leverage Watson’s blended learning technology with the marketing department’s promotional plan and the training department’s development curriculum. Currently, Zeman is pursuing a MBA in executive pharmaceutical marketing from St. Joseph's University.

Amy J. Zuckerman
Senior Implementation Services Manager
Harvard Business Publishing

Amy J. Zuckerman designs and delivers management and leadership programs that earn measurable results for Harvard Business Publishing clients. She has 18 years of experience in blending e-learning, facilitation, articles, case studies and simulations as part of organizational learning interventions. Prior to her current role, Zuckerman was a performance consultant at both The Gallup Organization and DigitalThink/Convergys Corp. Zuckerman earned her M.A. in organization development from the University of San Francisco. She graduated with highest honors from Mount Holyoke College.