How I got Here

My entry into Learning and Development (L&D) was a bit of an accident. While working as a salesperson at a title company, I noticed how technology was transforming the real estate industry. Property listings had moved online and Realtors® were starting to create their own marketing materials. Many were struggling to adapt to these changes.

During my visits to their offices, I found myself coaching Realtors® on establishing their online presence, using tools like Microsoft Office to enhance their marketing efforts, and managing their customer databases through online CRM systems. Recognizing this growing need, my company appointed me as a full-time corporate trainer, aligning my passion for helping others with their own business goals.

I fell in love with training. I enjoyed seeing the look in someone’s face as they grasped a challenging concept, knowing I helped them get there. In pursuit of further knowledge, I returned to school in 2009 to study instructional design and organizational performance improvement. Realizing that my skills were transferable and valuable, I also began consulting across various industries, including technology, travel, sportswear, healthcare, the armed forces and even some governmental organizations.

I graduated in 2011 from Boise State University with a Master of Science, focusing on Instructional and Performance Technology. My experience and education have equipped me with a strong understanding of adult learning theory, instructional design, and performance consulting. I excel in identifying learning gaps and creating effective solutions to bridge them.

My Philosophy

Return on Investment

Many in training prioritize engaging content, equating successful instruction with learner enjoyment. While engagement is essential, it's just one aspect of effective learning. My focus is on creating engaging content that also delivers measurable results.

I celebrate when my learners are excited, but I also consider key questions:

  • Did they absorb and retain the information?

  • Did they apply their new skills in their jobs?

  • Did their performance improve?

  • Did the training provide a return on investment for the organization?

  • Did the organization achieve goals set before the training began?

Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels

To evaluate the success of a course, I use the Donald Kirkpatrick evaluation model, which consists of four levels that help organizations verify if training goals have been met.

The four levels include:

  1. Reaction - Participants' thoughts and feelings about the training (satisfaction, often measured through feedback forms).

  2. Learning - The increase in knowledge, skills, and changes in attitudes, assessed during the training through demonstrations or tests.

  3. Behavior - The application of knowledge and skills on the job, evaluated 3-6 months after training through observation of job performance.

  4. Results - The overall outcomes of the training, which can include monetary gains or improvements in performance.

ADDIE

My focus is identifying training needs: What do learners know? What do they need to learn? What is the training goal—improved performance, adherence to guidelines, increased morale, or something else? How will we measure success?

These questions must be addressed before design. I follow ADDIE principles in instructional design, which provide a systematic training development approach. The phases of ADDIE are:

  1. Analysis: Identify the learning problem, goals, objectives, learner needs, and existing knowledge.

  2. Design: Plan how the course will be structured.

  3. Development: Create the content and learning materials based on the design.

  4. Implementation: Launch the learning asset(s).

  5. Evaluation: This includes formative evaluation throughout each stage and summative evaluation, which happens at the end, and consists of tests and feedback opportunities from users.

Although ADDIE is a systematic process, I tend to move back and forth between steps as needed, which makes it more agile. For example, there are times when design and evaluation are happening simultaneously for different parts of a project.

“Her experience and creativity was leveraged by the company to create a very successful training program that will be used by all of Nike IT.”

— Jason Atwood, CEO Expert Gaming

The Personal Stuff

I live in the small town of Ashland, Oregon with my husband Joe, and our daughters Mara and Grace. We have a crazy black lab, Emma, and two cats, Desmond and Skye. Okay, I’ll admit it, we also have chickens. And a bearded dragon.

My free time is rare, but if I do luck into some “me” time, it’s usually spent traveling, reading. playing on my VR headset, or doing something outdoorsy.

I was born and raised in Ashland then left for many years, returning just a few years ago. You may have heard of our famous Shakespeare Festival which runs 9 months out of the year. If you haven’t, you are probably like me and don’t see what all the hype is about. Ashland is a beautiful little city though, with lots of great restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques.

Right in the heart of town sits our crown jewel, Lithia Park, which was designed by John McLaren. He is also known for designing San Fransisco’s Golden Gate Park. Lithia has duck ponds, a Japanese garden, playground, swimming hole, bandshell, and winter ice skating rink.  It also boasts 93 acres of walking, running, and mountain-biking trails.

You can see my family and beautiful Lithia Park.