Education

Elaine Biech, president of ebb associates inc, a strategic implementation, leadership development, and experiential learning consulting firm, has been in the field for thirty years helping organizations work through large-scale change. She has presented at dozens of national and international conferences and has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update, Investors Business Daily, and Fortune Magazine. She is the author and editor of over 50 books including the ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals, ASTD Leadership Handbook, 10 Steps to Successful Training, The Ultimate Trainer, Thriving Through Change, The Business of Consulting, 2nd ed., and Training for Dummies. A long time volunteer for ASTD, she has served on ASTD's National Board of Directors, was the recipient of the 1992 ASTD Torch Award, the 2004 ASTD Volunteer Staff Partnership Award, and the 2006 Gordon Bliss Memorial Award. Elaine was instrumental in compiling the CPLP study guides and has designed five ASTD Certificate Programs. In addition to her work with ASTD, she has served on the Independent Consultants Association's (ICA) Advisory Committee and on the Instructional Systems Association (ISA) board of directors.

Nancy Mikkelsen is passionate about the power of being positive and integrating that concept into everything she does. Nancy has over 25 years of experience in training and development in a variety of organizations ranging from large Fortune 500 companies to not-­‐for-­profit organizations. Her attitude, drive and skill at working at all levels within an organization and her ability to design, develop and deliver training has lead to positive results and a better bottom line. Nancy’s technical background led her to become a strong proponent of using the power of technology to transform learning.  In addition to an engineering degree and extensive graduate work in Adult Education, Nancy has also been certified in a variety of educational tools such as the Kouzes/Posner Leadership Challenge and Career Coaching. She is also affiliated with Harvard Business Publishing delivering their Leadership Direct and Breakthrough Leadership Programs.  Nancy is a National Member of ASTD and also served on several local chapter boards during her career. She also serves on several volunteer community boards. She devotes many hours to local community theater in Allentown both on and off stage.

Julie Patrick is a learning and performance consultant with JP Learning Associates. Julie has been a trainer, facilitator, and instructional designer since 1992. As a former manager of a corporate university, Julie was responsible for new employee orientation, leadership and management, sales, client training, systems, and administrative training programs. She holds numerous certifications, including DDI, AchieveGlobal, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment, and designs and implements training and development solutions that help clients achieve their desired business results. Julie also serves as an in-person and online facilitator for ATD's Master Trainer, Training Certificate, Designing Learning Certificate and Creating New Manager Training Programs Certificate Programs. She also wrote the Infolines "Creating Training Manuals" and "Creative Facilitation Techniques for Training." Julie has a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in organization development.

Robyn Rickenbach is the president of Springboard International. She is an innovative, strategic thinker and an exceptional facilitator. For more than 25 years, she has facilitated collaborative decision making, empowered teams to achieve more, and served as a catalyst to create a positive, long-term impact for organizational teams. Springboard International is a practice of organizational effectiveness, facilitators, and coaches; learn more at www.springboardintl.com.