ATD Blog
Published Fri Apr 14 2023
The Association for Talent Development (ATD) mourns the passing of one of its past board members whose service continues to influence the industry today. Carlene Reinhart, the 1990 Gordon M. Bliss Memorial Award winner, worked passionately to increase the field’s professionalism and women’s leadership roles.
She co-authored Effective Human Resources Development with Neal Chalofsky, because as Chalofsky explained, “She was determined to improve the performance of HRD professionals.”
She served on the (then) ASTD board from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1992 to 1994 when she was treasurer. “In addition to the Gordon M. Bliss Award, Carlene was the recipient of the Women’s Network Leadership Award and ASTD’s Torch Award,” said Tony Bingham, ATD’s president and CEO. She also chaired ASTD’s awards committee, served on two conference design committees, and chaired the Journal Advisory Board. “We’re grateful for Carlene’s volunteer service to ASTD that spanned many years,” Bingham noted.
“Carlene was generous with her knowledge, her time, and her insights,” said Judy Estrin. “She listened, she pivoted when necessary, and she was a diplomat internally and externally. I had the honor of observing her XEROX team in Virginia and Los Angeles, which allowed me to see her management of others up close. She was always able to push people to do their best without being overbearing while providing creative and innovative solutions to her organization.”
Her value to the ATD board did not go unnoticed. “She was always up on and sometimes ahead on the training field back when we were leading ASTD. She was a great designer and problem solver,” according to Dave Jamieson, president at NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, who was president of the ASTD board during Reinhart’s second term.
Former ASTD board president Donna McNamara remembered, “During her time with ASTD, Carlene was a magnate. She initiated action, reached out and engaged others, created energy and excitement, shared her broad smile and hearty laugh, and sparked discussions by being willing to disagree.”
She embodied a life of service. As a founding member of Childhelp USA’s East Coast Region, Reinhart worked to combat child abuse as a volunteer manager and trustee of Have a Heart Homes, Inc. She also served on an advisory board at American University and was a conference speaker for ASTD and The International Federation of Training and Development Organization (IFTDO).
“She shared her time without hesitation,” Estrin explained. “She loved the way the profession was moving more and more to the forefront. She loved service and how, as an L&D professional, she could apply her skills to organizations like the Woodlands Group—a think tank focused on individual, organizational, and societal transformation—tackling complex learning and social issues in communities across the US.”
Reinhart spent more than 14 years at Xerox, managing both US and international training support organizations. She moved on to organization planning & design before creating her own consulting firm, CLR Associates, Inc.
“Carlene was always pushing the envelope,” Pat McLagan explained. “She loved her various ATD roles and continued learning about the field, organization evolution, and advances in ways of unleashing people through her active membership for more than 30 years in the Woodlands Group. Learning and development was a big part of her life.”
As her friends reminisced about her life and legacy, they all agreed on one thing: “She was constantly learning, always thinking about inclusivity, and passionate about the advancement of women and minorities in professional roles,” Estrin explained.
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