Recent Member Spotlights
Did you miss one? Take a look at some of our recent Member Spotlights!
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.
September 2022
Name: Melanie K. Hoffner
Position and Employer: CEO & People Development Specialist with Brain Bonanza LLC
How long have you been with your employer and/or in your position? 18 years for both.
How long have you been a member of ATD Hawkeye Chapter? I believe it is 25 years this year.
What piece of advice related to talent and development has made a significant impact on you and your work? When I earned my certification as a Brain-Based Trainer with Eric Jensen in 2004, this became core to my work: “Brain-compatible learning is a research-based, multidisciplinary approach to the question of how our brain learns best. Neuroscience research suggests applications to learning/presenting information in harmony with how the brain learns, to get better results." ~Eric Jensen
What is your favorite part of the learning and development field? Dr. Daniel Amen is a leading psychiatrist, speaker, and author who excels at communicating research about brain and mind health so the average person can understand and apply it. I am currently working on earning certification through his online Amen University.
What are your hobbies or favorite things to do with your time? When not working, I enjoy learning more about the brain and mind (really), and volunteering as President of the Central City Fine Arts Boosters Board as well as with the competitive marching organizations of which my son, Alex, is a member. I also enjoy spending time with my family, being in nature, reading, and writing. I am excited to be a bestselling author with my essay in Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude 2022.
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