ATD Blog
Member Story: My mission is Helping Others
ATD member Ann Claeson shares how more than seven years of membership have supported her professional growth and helped her make a meaningful impact within her organization.
Published Wed Oct 07 2026
Get to know the talented and diverse ATD member community through a monthly member story.
Ann Claeson is a Sr. Learning Programs Specialist and has been an ATD member for 7+ years.
Tell us a little bit about yourself including why you work in talent development:
Honestly, I never sought out a role in talent or learning development, it just fell into my lap at work when an opportunity arose. I began as a training coordinator and enjoyed working up to my current role administering our leadership programs and learning management system.
What is a professional goal you are proud of accomplishing in the last year?
I completed building and assigning a multi-year, 71 course initiative that was pushed out to our cloud team providing them with very specific training for their roles.
How do you stay motivated and find meaning in your work?
My mission in life is helping others in any way I can. In this role, it is incredibly rewarding to see our stakeholders’ satisfaction after completing special projects and to know their teams gained the knowledge needed to excel in their roles.
What is your favorite thing about ATD membership?
ATD has such a sense of community with members helping other members by sharing knowledge and encouraging.
How has your work positively affected your organization?
Advising on setting up and implementing role-based training has strengthened employee capabilities, improved onboarding, and helped provide better alignment with business needs.
Do you have any advice for people looking to further their talent development careers?
Build strong relationships with all departments and stakeholders, seek opportunities to help develop training that addresses real performance needs, have a high focus on strategy, stay on top of trends and research, and be a lifelong learner.
What is a business book that has recently inspired you?
Atomic Habits by James Clear has helped both professionally and personally by learning how micro choices in daily life really help me maximize my time for tasks and goals. I especially like the habit-stacking tactic.
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