Our Facilitators

Dr. Bernadette Costello is the managing partner for BCC Consulting. The foundation of her coaching and consulting practice is “you are exactly where you are supposed to be.” Affirming where you are is the first step in any transformation. Transformation is like looking into a labyrinth: a path for discovery, understanding, and clarity. One way in and one way out—there are no dead ends. That symbolism expresses Bernadette’s approach to coaching, consulting, learning, and the sacred space created with clients to support their journey.

In that journey, Bernadette collaborates with leaders, teams, and organizations so they can get clarity around their goals and develop a clear plan to reach those goals and their full potential. She has worked in the public, nonprofit, and higher education sectors to create learning and development programs for leadership and supervisory development, managing performance, managing change, and a wide variety of professional development topics. She is certified in several assessment tools including Myers Briggs, DiSC, EQi, and Appreciation in the Workplace MBA.

Bernadette has more than 25 years of talent development, coaching, consulting, and leadership experience in human resources and talent development. She is also an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University’s School of Business and Schar School of Policy and Government.

Bernadette has served as president of the Metro DC Chapter of the ATD and as chair of the ATD Leader’s Conference Program Advisory Committee and was a member of ATD’s National Advisors for Chapters. She has served on other professional organizations in leadership and volunteer roles with Virginia Colleges and Universities Personnel Association (CUPA) and the International Personnel Management Association (IPMA). Bernadette received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Southern Illinois University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a doctorate in higher education from George Mason University. She is an ACC-certified coach and an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner and holds a SHRM-SCP certification.

Brandi Croghan is part of the Global Employee Experience & Belonging team at Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Learner-centric and an insightful, powerful facilitator, she is a designer of organizational learning programs with broad experience in:

· Highly specialized pharmaceutical sales
· Product and sales training
· Learning and development
· Employee engagement

Brandi’s experience spans nearly 25 years. Her journey with learning and development began as a business consultant for Bumble and bumble in New York City, deemed the “Harvard of Hair” by the Harvard Business Review. During this time, her passion for innovating to transform something strong into something superb was born. She wishes to inspire positive change by empowering others to embrace diversity, intentionally practice inclusion, and lean into vulnerability.

Brandi has delivered on topics ranging from communication and connection, diversity and inclusion, stress, resilience, change, and general leadership skill building. She is formally trained in public speaking and facilitation with expertise in building and implementing global learning and strategies for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as well as change management.

Brandi holds a Bachelor of Science in family and consumer sciences from Miami University. She also earned the designation of an ATD Master Trainer and received her Change Management certification from Cornell. She is also a certified practitioner of the Insights Discovery Program.

Marya Danihel has more than 20 years' training and consulting experience in business communication, having worked with associates at all levels in organizations such as AT&T, CNN, Genzyme, Deloitte, and Toyota. She is also one of Hemsley Fraser's chief virtual facilitators for the delivery of federal government leadership courses. Her background as a stage, television, and radio performer informs both her on-site and online training. Marya's other projects include editing books on estate planning and university teaching, contributing articles to lifestyle magazines, and writing for New Hampshire Public Television and Radio. Earlier work includes being a staff writer for a regional business magazine and a newspaper copy editor.

With her combined passions for effective communication and relevant workplace learning, Kimberly's focus is always on providing direct, complete, and compelling deliverables.  In the training room, her focus is on supporting each learner in meeting their specific learning goals.  She achieves this, in part, through engaging and interactive learning that is purpose-driven, enjoyable, and immediately applicable as well as sharing real-world examples and stories. As a seasoned employee and organizational development professional with a Masters Degree from the University of Miami, she was among the first in the industry to attain ATD’s CPTD certification and has authored Same Training - Half the Time, and two titles in ATD's best-selling Trainers Workshop series: Customer Service Training and Facilitation Skills Training. Kimberly’s experience extends to city, county, and state government agencies as well as Fortune 500 firms in the US, South America, and Asia.  She has been a contributor to the ATD community both locally and nationally for many years, serving on boards, presenting conference sessions at ICE and ALC, and also volunteering time for ATD initiatives.  You may have seen her in T&D -- now, come learn with her!  Kimberly facilitates ATD's  Instructional Design Certificate, Training Certificate, Essentials of Staying Centered Through Conflict, Fundamentals of Training Design, Training Certificate Plus, Introduction to Training, and Master Instructional Designer Program.

JD Dillon is the world’s foremost expert on frontline learning and enablement. He is also one of the most prolific authors and speakers in the workplace learning community. For 20 years, JD has worked in operations and talent development with some of the world’s most dynamic organizations, including Disney, Kaplan and AMC.

JD is now Chief Learning Architect with Axonify, where he builds technology, content and services that enable frontline employees around the world do their best work every day.

JD is also the founder of LearnGeek, a corporate advising and education services firm.

You can find JD on Twitter via @JD_Dillon or online at axonify.com and learngeek.co.

Marcella DiMaggio is a facilitator at ATD. As a learning and development professional, she has extensive experience in virtual production, facilitation, instructional design, needs analysis, and evaluation. Marcella offers her analysis, enthusiasm, and creativity to provide an optimal learning experience.

As a facilitator, Marcella’s experience includes training, facilitation, project management, instructional design, evaluation, and needs analysis. Customized classes include train the trainer, facilitation skills, adult learning, and presentation skills. She is an enthusiastic trainer and creative facilitator skilled at interactive training programs, guiding learners to successful outcomes. Topics include customer excellence, stereotypes, time management, giving and receiving feedback, consulting skills, and meeting management.

Marcella excels as a professional development facilitator and technical/healthcare IT instructor. She facilitates virtual instruction using adult learning methodology to appeal to diverse learning styles. As a learning partner, she develops relationships with diverse teams to align learning solutions with organizational objectives and priorities. She’s analyzed learning needs and evaluated educational techniques, alternative methods of blended learning, scheduling, and implementation of curriculum. A specialty is identifying the performance need and designing targeted learning content. As a creative and engaging facilitator, her thrill is seeing the learner succeed!

Marcella has a master’s degree in education from West Chester University and is passionate about learning in both academic and business environments. She is committed to lifelong learning, mentoring, and developing others daily. She is a virtual learning coach for elementary-level students, providing guidance and mentoring to promote confidence and a love for learning. She received a Learning & Organizational Change Management Excellence award from a major healthcare IT organization. Marcella’s personal pursuits are volunteering, gardening, and reading.

Michael Dorsey Sr., DMin, currently serves as the chief learning officer for the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS). In this role, he provides executive leadership to all the learning operations within the agency of more than 6,500 employees serving more than 1 million citizens of the state. Since his days as a national champion in collegiate speech, Mike has been captivating audiences with his engaging and dynamic style. For the past 20 years, he has been driven by a desire to help individuals discover and develop their traits that lead to professional and personal success. He takes joy in using words to motivate and empower others.

As a professional trainer, speaker, and consultant, Mike has worked in leadership development, curriculum and training design, DEI, and coaching for companies such as Walmart, Target, PwC, Monster Worldwide, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and Lockheed Martin. He is just as comfortable working with frontline staff as he is with C-level executives.

He is a graduate of Cedarville University, the Ohio State University, and Faith International University. In 2013, he was part of NBC’s hit TV show The Biggest Loser. He’s also appeared on The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and The Tom Joyner Morning Show and been featured in People Magazine and US Weekly. In his spare time, Mike enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife Chavalle’ and their son, Michael Jr. They reside in Baltimore, Maryland.

Jared Douglas is an internal ATD Facilitator. He uses a learner-centric approach to create an engaging, inclusive environment in his sessions. As a consultant, Jared has worked with organizations across various industries, including advertising, transportation, finance, technology, and consumer goods. He helps clients develop and execute in-person, digital, and blended learning initiatives.

Leading the North American learning function for Momentum Worldwide, a global experiential advertising agency, Jared was responsible for the full-cycle learning experience. This included needs analysis, development and sourcing of content, curriculum building, logistics and coordination of learning programs, and evaluating for effectiveness. He built a variety of courses, facilitated open enrollment, and bespoke team workshops, and contributed to various projects such as launching an employee experience brand, starting an internal podcast, conducting a manager experience analysis, and redesigning the performance management process.

Jared has facilitated on a range of topics including communication skills, collaboration, relationship building, brainstorming, client mapping, time management, and presentation skills. He is certified in Insights Discovery, a psychometric tool based in Jungian psychology. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University and M.S. in I/O Psychology from Baruch College. Jared is fascinated by psychological perspectives and enjoys connecting theoretical content with practical and relevant applications in day-to-day activities.

Winnie DuBois has worked in customer experience during her entire career. She started in hospitality, leading the team of guest service agents in Yellowstone National Park, then pivoted to teaching adults and children how to ski in Breckenridge, Colorado. Next, she took on a role at the library; for the past 10 years, she has led a team of library specialists, serving as supervisor, resource specialist, project manager, coach, and trainer for staff and patrons. She also assisted a failing start-up brewery business to recover into profitability by curating and executing tap room and community events.

The common thread through all these endeavors is Winnie’s ability to share her knowledge, experience, and expertise with others. Her consistent focus at work has been helping people to improve and grow, no matter the platform or product. To enhance her efforts and be more effective, she earned the credential of APTD from the Association for Talent Development in 2021 and is now working as a Talent Development Consultant for Colorado Library Consortium. 

Winnie has a degree in history from Hillsdale College. She is an active member of the Junior League of Denver, where she chaired the Leadership Institute, a 10-month intensive leadership development program, for three years,. She is passionate about people and leadership development. She also fully embraces the outdoor lifestyle Colorado offers and spends as much time outside with her family as possible.

Kathi Edwards is an independent consultant, writer, and facilitator specializing in creating effective learning environments and strategies. She is passionate about all aspects of learning, from developing and implementing high-level strategy to ensuring SMEs have the knowledge and skills they need to facilitate learning effectively in all modalities. Everything she does is focused on those who matter most: the learners.

Kathi's unique expertise in transforming the effectiveness of SMEs who lead learning opportunities is sought internationally in a variety of fields. In demand as an engaging speaker and facilitator, she has been a frequent content leader for ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership and the Association for Talent Development (ATD) on topics related to effective learning and working with and coaching SMEs. Currently facilitating ATD’s Training & Facilitation Certificate program, she also developed and facilitated the three-part webinar Essentials of Coaching SMEs to Facilitate Learning, part of ATD’s ongoing Essentials of.... webinar series.

As part of her ongoing commitment to effective learning regardless of the setting, Kathi is a qualified lead assessor for the ANSI National Accreditation Board’s Certificate Accreditation Program. Kathi speaks and writes extensively about learning practice and strategies. She is co-editor and a chapter author for the book Core Competencies in Association Professional Development, 2nd edition, and contributed 22 of the ideas in the book 199 Ideas for Enhancing Learning Experiences. She also served as executive editor of CAE Study Guide 2020, a comprehensive study resource for those seeking the Certified Association Executive credential.

Prior to launching her consulting business in 2003, Kathi spent 25 years working in various capacities. For most of that time, she was responsible for development, implementation, and evaluation of professional development programs.

Ahmed Elghatas is an experienced corporate training head and emotional intelligence facilitator in the healthcare and retail sectors. He works for the largest pharmacy chain retailer in the Middle East and North Africa, collaborating with healthcare practitioners, retail leaders, marketing specialists, IT specialists, and human resources professionals.

Ahmed is a dedicated retail professional committed to setting world-class standards in retail, healthcare, and omnichannel business models. He has more than 12 years of experience in retail, healthcare, and contact centers and excels in human resources and learning and development. He holds SHRM-SCP accreditation and certifications in learning and performance (CPTD) and project management professional (PMP). In addition, he is SHL accredited for the British Psychological Society (BPS) Level 2 (personality) qualification.

Ahmed is skilled in designing and delivering a variety of programs, covering topics like strategy execution, technical and self-development, retail fundamentals, management and leadership, versatile communication, customer care, modern selling models, and conflict management. He has an extensive experience of more than 2,500 hours in learning delivery, utilizing various methods such as classroom, online, and blended learning to ensure effective knowledge transfer.

Ahmed leverages his Emotional Intelligence Assessor and Facilitator certification from Six Seconds, the emotional intelligence network, to work closely with teams and enhance their performance, supporting them in achieving success in their personal and professional lives.

Ahmed graduated from Cairo University in Egypt with a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences. He is passionate about unlocking and leveraging people’s potential to help others in their communities.

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.

William Everhart is an authoring tools trainer at E-Learning Uncovered, helping people get up and running with eLearning. William’s favorite thing in life is to see the lightbulb go off over someone’s head—helping them finally grasp a concept or software technique that has eluded them for so long. An Adobe certified instructor, William was previously the director of training at Lodestone Digital and a contributing author at Lynda.com and Pluralsight. Through classroom training, one-on-one coaching, and online programs, he has helped people learn Articulate Storyline, TechSmith Camtasia, video production, audio editing, and graphics creation.

Nader Fayad is a corporate trainer, an emotional intelligence coach, and a facilitator, who believes in people’s potential. Before working at the largest pharmacy chain retailer in the Middle East and North Africa where he devotes his time to people development, Nader served in the healthcare sector as a pharmacist focusing on how people can make a difference within their community and the world. He has also worked with healthcare practitioners, retail leaders, marketing specialists, IT specialists, and human resources professionals.

His experience includes designing and delivering strategy execution programs and technical and self-development programs such as retail fundamentals, customer service, management and leadership, and soft-skills programs.

Nader is APTD® certified and an expert in emotional intelligence coaching and facilitation. He has delivered topics that focus on versatile communication, customer care, value-added selling, resolving conflicts, and business data analytics. He uses his Emotional Intelligence Assessor and Facilitator certification from sixseconds, the emotional intelligence network, to work closely with teams to improve their performance and work on life success.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences from Assiut University in Egypt and is passionate about unlocking and leveraging people’s potential to help others in their communities.

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.

Silvia Furniel is passionate about providing a fun, innovative, and interactive learning environment in her workshops.

An enthusiastic, energetic, results-oriented training professional, Silvia is experienced in instructional design and training program development. She brings more than 12 years of experience in designing, implementing, and delivering learning and training in face-to-face and virtual settings for clients of different markets.

Silvia has a master’s degree in communications and education from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and holds three certifications: Certification of Facilitators in the Management of Dynamics for Groups (Gerza, México), Coaching Play, and Change Management Practitioner.

Besides training, Silvia loves technology, voiceover projects, networking, traveling, dancing, and having fun with her family and friends. She is from the Dominican Republic.

Mustafa Galal is an international learning, development, and coaching consultant. His diversified experience includes strategy, change management, key performance indicators (KPI), leadership, and strategic performance management.

Over the past 15 years, Mustafa has designed, developed, and delivered developmental solutions to governmental entities, regional and multinational organizations in healthcare, retail, banking, education, and military industries using active deep learning methodologies, experiential learning, and gamification.

Mustafa seeks to add true value to partners and organizations by contributing to their growth and driving productivity and profitability as a trusted strategic business partner.

Mustafa is a certified advanced change management instructor from Prosci and leads a nation-wide project qualifying government leaders on change management methodologies. He is also a certified associate coach from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a certified strength coach, and a former board member of the ICF Saudi Chapter.

Mustafa has hands-on experience in consulting projects such as strategy cascading, KPIs development, and change initiatives for culture transformation and organizational excellence. Through learning facilitation and coaching, he helps develop the professional workforce and motivated employees who can achieve maximum productivity for fast-growing and sustainable business.

Haitham is the founder and principal of kandəkə tech. He has more than 23 years of experience in technology leadership and learning technology solutions architecture and implementations. Haitham offers an array of skills in consulting, team leadership, implementing new initiatives, and people-centric technology design.

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". 

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.