Our Facilitators

Karen Dunham-Sootheran is an Instructional Designer at McGraw-Hill Education Learning Science Platforms (MHE LSP), leveraging innovations in adaptive technology to inform and enhance training and professional development for professionals across a wide variety of fields. She holds a doctorate in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), and a master’s degree in the psychology and neuroscience of learning. Prior to joining MHE LSP, she worked in usability and accessibility at HGSE, where she educated and advised staff and faculty on methods to improve the learning experience through improved pedagogical techniques and the integration of emerging technology resources. She has over 10 years of teaching experience, including graduate level courses on Universal Design for Learning, and on the use of technology in learning.

TESTMark Durgee has a background in management consulting, hospitality, disability services, higher education, and sales serving in roles ranging from coffee-house barista to sales director with multi-million-dollar budgets. One thing that ties his experiences together is a passion for performance improvement through training and coaching.

Over the last 10 years he has honed his competencies in virtual instructor-led classroom delivery and instructional design with a keen focus on building virtual learning cultures. He is driven by measured results.

Mark’s had the honor of working with some of the most talented practitioners, leaders, and change-makers in their respective industries. His client list includes Amazon, 3M, Cisco, Dropbox, Progressive, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Comcast, Cox Communications, National Australia Bank, Ingersoll Rand, GE Healthcare, and many more.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Clark University and a Master of Arts in Human Performance Improvement from Roosevelt University. He’s facilitated courses for the Association for Talent Development (ATD) since 2014 and was among the first recipients of ATD’s Associate Professional in Training and Development (APTD) certification in the fall of 2017.

Mark lives in Mérida, México with his husband, two cats, and an amazingly caring and supportive community of family and friends.

Kathi Edwards is an independent consultant, writer, and facilitator specializing in creating more effective learning environments and strategies. She supports clients in developing learning strategies, designing learning opportunities, and ensuring subject-matter experts (SMEs) have the knowledge and skills they need to facilitate learning. Ultimately, everything she does is focused on those who matter most: the learners. Kathi’s unique expertise in transforming the effectiveness of subject-matter experts who lead learning opportunities is frequently sought by national and international organizations in a variety of fields. In demand as an engaging speaker and facilitator in both corporate and not-for-profit settings, she is a frequent content leader on topics related to learning, learning strategy, and working with and coaching subject-matter experts. In addition to facilitating ATD’s Training Certificate Program, she developed and facilitates, several times per year, the popular three-part webinar series “Essentials of Coaching SMEs to Facilitate Learning,” part of ATD's ongoing “Essentials of...” webinar series. Kathi speaks and writes extensively on learning practice and strategies. She is co-editor and a chapter author for the book “Core Competencies in Association Professional Development, 2nd edition” (ASAE, 2011), and contributed 22 of the ideas in the book “199 Ideas for Enhancing Learning Experiences” (ASAE, 2011). She also served as executive editor of “CAE Study Guide 2015” (ASAE), a comprehensive study resource for those seeking the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential. As part of her ongoing commitment to effective learning regardless of the setting, Kathi is a qualified lead assessor for the American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) Certificate Accreditation Program. The program is based on ASTM E2659-09, Standard Practice for Certificate Programs, which is an American National Standard. Prior to launching her consulting business, Kathi spent 25 years working in a variety of capacities for five distinctly different trade and professional associations. For a majority of that time she was responsible for development, implementation, and evaluation of professional development programs.

Ethan has been designing online instruction for almost 25 years, beginning with work at the PLATO laboratory at the University of Illinois, continuing through positions at Authorware, Macromedia, Microsoft, and as a consultant with a host of top companies in the United States and abroad. As Chief Knowledge Officer at Allen Interactions, a nationally recognized company dedicated to creating the world's best custom e-learning applications, Ethan is responsible for internal and external training and communication regarding Allen Interactions' unique perspective on designing and developing meaningful and memorable e-learning programs. While focused primarily on corporate training, Ethan has comprehensive experience with education and government institutions, having worked extensively in libraries and schools as a full-time consultant with the Lincoln Trail Libraries System in Champaign, Illinois. He is also a licensed secondary mathematics teacher. He is the primary instructor for ASTD's Instructional Design for E-Learning certificate course, and has spoken at conferences and private presentations throughout the world.

Amr ElFass is an entrepreneur, a keynote speaker, and a former senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry. He started his career in sales with Janssen, working in business development, regulatory affairs, marketing, and general management. Amr then joined Abbott as a unit manager to establish the company’s operations office. At Abbott, he headed the sales and marketing team as a division manager, leading a team of senior, middle, and junior managers to achieve corporate goals. He is currently the managing director for 747 Consulting Group.

Amr’s areas of experience include training delivery, sales and marketing management, building teams and organizations, negotiations management, business competitive analysis, product strategic marketing, presentations and communication, interpersonal soft skills, and product design and development. He has an MBA, and he earned the CPLP credential in 2015.

Diane Elkins is the president of Artisan E-Learning, a custom e-learning development company specializing in Articulate Studio, Storyline, Lectora, and Captivate. She has built a reputation as a national e-learning expert by being a frequent speaker at major industry events such as ATD's International Conference & Exposition, ATD TechKnowledge, DevLearn, and Learning Solutions. She is also the co-author of the popular E-Learning Uncovered book series as well as E-Learning Fundamentals: A Practical Guide from ATD Press. She is a past president of the Northeast Florida and Metro DC chapters of ATD.

Lorimer Fauntleroy is the principal of Pinnacle Performance Partners (P3), based in Sarasota, Florida. P3 is a workplace learning and development company specializing in performance-based learning solutions. P3 assists clients in determining whether the cause of a performance gap is a lack of performer knowledge or skills. When it is, P3 creates a performance-based learning solution. P3 has provided on-site services for clients since 1998. Additionally, since 2000, P3 has assisted ATD in various capacities including a number of course redesigns and development, course review and oversight, and course facilitation. Lorimer holds a BA degree in History from the University of Richmond and a MS degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Tennessee.

Vanessa Fludd is a manager in the education department of the Association for Talent Development (ATD).

Helen Fong is a Synchronous Facilitator and Producer for InSync Training, LLC.  With 15+ years of experience in the e-learning field, Helen has had the opportunity to work with many organizations to provide effective synchronous online learning solutions. She has helped transition many traditional trainings into successful and effective online courses. An early adopter of synchronous e-learning, Helen worked for WebEx where she contributed to building WebEx University as a Trainer for seven years. She later moved on to other roles and companies, where she continued to be a passionate advocate for synchronous online solutions. Helen holds a MBA in International Business and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Based in San Francisco, CA, she currently facilitates, produces, and manages projects for InSync Training.

Donald J. Ford is a training and performance improvement consultant specializing in instructional design and process improvement. He has worked in the field of human resource development for twenty years, including training management positions at Southern California Gas Company, Magnavox, Allied-Signal, and Texas Instruments. His consulting clients include Toyota, Nissan, Rockwell International, Samsung Electronics, Orange County Transportation Authority, Glendale Memorial Hospital, and others. For these and other clients, he has developed custom classroom, self-study and web-based training, conducted performance and needs analyses, facilitated groups, managed improvement projects, taught courses, and evaluated results. He teaches graduate courses in human resource development for Antioch University, Los Angeles, and Cal State University Northridge. He has published 35 articles and three books on topics in training, education, and management, including Bottom-Line Training: How to Design and Implement Training Programs that Boost Profits (Gulf Publishing, 1999), In Action: Designing Training Programs (Editor, ASTD, 1996), and The Twain Shall Meet: The Current Study of English in China (McFarland, 1988). Don holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree in history and a doctorate in education, all from UCLA.

Cindy Foster has spent more than 25 years delivering and designing training in telecommunications, education and healthcare. She now spends the majority of her time in the virtual environment. Currently she leads courses in Facilitating Virtual Training, Designing Virtual Training and various supervisory and leadership workshops. Cindy enjoys working with people all over the world who she never would have met if not for the virtual classroom. Building rapport and connections IS possible even when we can’t see each other! She delights in igniting enthusiasm for a collaborative, learner-centered experience in the virtual classroom.

Hilarie Gaylin’s passion is to help people and organizations grow their best selves. Drawing upon over 20 years of experience in facilitation, training, instructional design, coaching, and organizational development, Hilarie specializes in customizing learning and development experiences for her clients.

Before starting her business, Cultivating Greatness, Hilarie worked at the U.S. Senate Office of Education and Training, where she consulted with senior staff in individual senators’ offices on organizational development initiatives and assisted in their implementation. Additionally, she created and facilitated customized strategic planning retreats and team building workshops. Through coaching, mentoring, and advising, she also worked with Senate leaders individually to increase their effectiveness. In her training role, she designed and presented over 35 classes’ worth of material, with an emphasis on developing leaders and increasing their skills.

Hilarie previously served as a training specialist for the Capitol Visitor Center and helped prepare its employees for its historic December 2008 opening. She formerly ran the education and training program and coordinated communication projects at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Clerk’s Office.

Hilarie is a certified executive and personal coach through CTI and is also professionally trained in organizational and relationship systems coaching (ORSC) through CRR Global. She earned an M.Ed. from the George Washington University and a B.A. in English literature from Bryn Mawr College.

Joni  Goodman is a certified Learning Facilitator with Russell Martin and Associates. She is also a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) with over 16 years of learning and development experience in the areas of management development, sales training, mentoring, executive coaching and presentation skills to name a few. Joni is the Director at  Solo Learning, where she brings a plethora of knowledge in not only performance consulting, but she is also a published author in the "The Book of Road Test Training Activities", "ATDs Training Toolkit" application, and "101 Ways to Make Training Active". 

As principal of Barbara Goretsky Consultancy, Barbara provides consultative services to corporate clients in the areas of talent and leadership development, executive coaching, learning programs in HR-related topics, and team development and effectiveness. At her previous position with Northrop Grumman, she was responsible for supporting the corporate leadership development strategy, with particular emphasis on designing, developing, and running Northrop Grumman’s core leadership development programs. Additionally, she designed the CEO’s annual leadership conference, 360-degree feedback processes, coaching and mentoring initiatives, and various competency models.  Barbara holds a BA and an MA from the Pennsylvania State University in journalism and speech communications, and a second master’s degree in human resources from American University. She is also a graduate of UVA’s Executive Education Program on Management Development, TRW’s HR Executive Programs at Cornell University and the University of Michigan, and Northrop Grumman’s HR Leadership Program at UCLA, and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources and an Associate Certified Coach. 

Conrad Gottfredson, PhD, is a senior partner and the chief learning strategist at APPLY Synergies, a consulting firm that specializes in helping learning organizations design, develop, and measure effective learning and performance support strategies to meet the five moments of learning need. Gottfredson has a doctorate in instructional psychology and technology. His strategic work with organizations is informed by more than 30 years of real-world experience. He is a proven leader in helping clients gain and sustain effective performance in the workplace. He has designed, developed, and managed many hundreds of learning and performance solutions addressing the complete scope of delivery systems, strategies, audiences, and settings. These settings have ranged from small to large international corporations, governmental agencies, universities, and religious organizations.

Peggy Greenberg is President of Peggy Greenberg Training and Consulting.  Peggy has over 30 years of experience in staff and organization development.  Prior to starting her own business, Peggy was the Director of the Office of Education and Training for the United States Senate.  Her office was responsible for the training and development of Senate staff in Washington DC and throughout the country. She has also held Director level positions in large health care systems in Washington, DC and Boston.  Since starting her own training and consulting firm, Peggy’s clients have included the Department of Justice, US Senate, Glenridge Healthcare Solutions, K12, and the City Of Alexandria to name a few. Peggy is passionate about the importance of lifelong learning and the value of developing employees to their full potential. Her clients know her as someone that is very skilled at competently assessing needs and designing learning that is both engaging and relevant.  Peggy’s passion for continuous development drives her to always seek new ideas, concepts and methods to enhance her professional skills. In addition to her undergraduate degree in Nursing and graduate degree in Adult and Continuing Education, Peggy is certified to administer a number of tools and programs including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and The Bridges Managing Organizational Transition program. Peggy also is a trained moderator for Harvard Business Publishing’s Breakthrough Leadership Program.

Barbara Greenstein, principal of Human Resource Prescriptions, is a performance improvement specialist providing proven and creative ways to improve human performance in the workplace. By identifying issues and opportunities for improvement, she helps organizations large and small meet their planned goals. Barbara is highly regarded for her facilitation and instructional design skills. With over 20 years of experience in the training and development field, her mission is to help clients put the systems in place that will help them manage effectively in today's changing business environment while ensuring optimal performance and job satisfaction for all employees. Prior to becoming an external consultant, Barbara's corporate experience included training and instructional design for Burger King Corporation, Pizza Hut, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS). She completed her undergraduate work in consumer affairs and management at Florida International University and received a master's degree in human resource development, as well as graduate certificates in instructional design and total quality management (TQM) from Marymount University. Barbara is an adjunct professor for the master's program in human resources at Chapman University in San Diego. She has also served as a facilitator for the University of San Diego's master's program in executive leadership program. In addition, she is a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT), a certification awarded through the International Society of Performance Improvement (ISPI) and the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). Barbara is past president of the San Diego chapter of ASTD and an active member of ISPI.

A seasoned training and development executive, Brent Gwisdalla is the architect of countless learning experiences. For over 21 years, he has worked in all phases of instructional design, curriculum development, e-Learning and blended training solutions using almost every media imaginable along the way. Prior to joining Allen Interactions as an instructor, Mr. Gwisdalla created the Gwisdalla Group, an instructional design consultancy in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Mr. Gwisdalla has also served in key leadership positions with Honeywell, VIACK Corporation, KnowlegeNet and Educational Discoveries. An insatiable learner himself, Mr. Gwisdalla is fascinated by brain science, human development and behavioral psychology.

Jonathan Halls is an author, trainer, and coach. He wrote Rapid Video Development for Trainers (ATD Press, 2012) and was a contributing author to Speak More (River Grove Books, 2012) and the ASTD Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Training & Development, 2nd Edition (ATD Press, 2014). He is author of the ATD Infoline, “Memory & Cognition in Learning” (ATD Press, 2014) and has written numerous articles for TD magazine. Jonathan is an ATD BEST Awards reviewer and has sat on the advisory committees for the ATD International Conference & Exposition and TechKnowledge. The former BBC learning executive now runs workshops in media, communication, leadership, and creativity. He is on faculty at George Washington University and facilitates ATD’s Master Trainer Program, Training Certificate and Rapid Video for Learning Professionals Certificate program. Jonathan has been training, speaking, and coaching for 25 years in more than 20 countries. He describes his work as “at the intersection of media, communication, learning, leadership, and innovation.”

Gail Heidenhain, president of Delphin and board chair of the International Association for Accelerated Learning Practitioners (IAALP), the professional organization for accelerated learning, has been consulting with organizations around the world to design and implement strategies that enhance and accelerate the learning process. Her focus has been on the people side of the business—developing effective global leaders, high performing teams, and the intercultural competency and personal effectiveness to help companies thrive in the global marketplace. Gail has also trained and certified over two thousand facilitators in accelerated learning globally since 1985. She co-developed the highly successful accelerated learning design technology employed throughout much of Europe to design and facilitate learning in a variety of contexts and organizations. She spearheaded the DGSL (German Society of Accelerated Learning) three tier certification program that was implemented in 1991. She was the expert adviser in the development of a research project to test the effectiveness of accelerated learning at the University of Munich in 1992 that was sponsored by Siemens. Building on the success in Germany, Gail initiated the creation of standards in AL certification and accreditation in the U.S. She has served on the boards of the North American Simulation and Gaming Association (NASAGA) and the Organizational Change Alliance (OCA) as well as on the conference committees of ASTD and the National Staff Development Council (NSDC).