Karen L. West

Effective training for a revolving door

As a talent development leader, you might be looking for a more curated experience at ATD’s largest annual conference. You are now in a role where instead of designing, training, and facilitating, you are leading a team of L&D professionals. When you plan your ATD25 experience in a few weeks, the sessions that will be best for you are the ones that incorporate the expectations of your leadership role.~Look no further than the Talent Development Leader (TDL) track~The TDL experience is now in its third year of helping TD leaders stay ahead of the curve with curated content, meaningful networking, and solutions tailored to your role. The comprehensive track includes interactive Forum programming, a dedicated networking room, and 10 exclusive concurrent sessions built for leaders just like you. Whether you’re looking to connect with peers, exchange ideas, or explore emerging trends and tools, this is the place to be! For a quick glance at the schedule and offerings, check out the official TDL programming page. Otherwise, here is a breakdown of what to expect at this year’s conference in Washington, DC.Forum Sessions: A Hot TicketATD25 features five exclusive Forum sessions hosted by the ATD Forum, a membership community for senior TD professionals. These interactive sessions use practical tools to ensure attendees can apply insights directly in their organizations. This is where peer insight meets innovation, as you will hear directly from established TD leaders who will provide immediate feedback, tools, and resources to elevate your own leadership and organizational learning function. Insider tip: Because of their hands-on format, demand for these sessions is high (one of the sessions is even being offered twice!). Although we wish everyone could sit in on these sessions, seating is limited. Make sure to arrive early!Sessions:Fueling Growth and Success Through Talent Investments Monday, May 19, at 11:30 a.m.Want Solutions That Work? Do a Deep Dive Monday, May 19, at 1 p.m. & Tuesday, May 20, at 1 p.m.Connect, Collaborate, Share: Unleash Innovative Performance Opportunities With Peer Benchmarking Tuesday, May 20, at 2 p.m.Unlock Your Organization’s Potential Using the Wow Factor Wednesday, May 21, at 9:30 a.m.In the Room Where It Happens (Room 102)The Talent Development Leader Networking Room is your conference home base. Open from Monday to Wednesday, Room 102 offers refreshments, a quiet space to reflect or recharge, and opportunities to engage in both facilitated networking sessions and casual conversations. Personally, the TDL networking room changed my life. It’s where I connected with another professional who held the key to solving a problem in one of my projects. You can read all about that story here, or you can take my word for it: The TDL networking room is the place to be. Room Hours:Monday–Tuesday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.Wednesday: 8–11 a.m.Facilitated Sessions You Don’t Want to MissThese sessions spotlight real-world case studies, hot topics, and tools for today’s TD challenges. (Again, seating is limited, so make sure you plan accordingly.) Session Schedule:The Power of Compassion-Driven Leadership: Insights From Japan with Tadahiro Wakasugi from GLOBIS Corporation, sponsored by GLOBIS Monday, May 19, at 1 p.m.Crafting a Dynamic Onboarding Journey for Executive Leaders with Alissa Weiher and Mackenzie Friday, UCHealth Monday, May 19, at 4:30 p.m.The Science of Great Teams: How to Create a Culture of Psychological Safety with Britt Andreatta Tuesday, May 20, at 11:30 a.m.AI in Action: Real-World Insights From TD Leaders with Markus Bernhardt Tuesday, May 20, at 2 p.m.Improve Your Storytelling – and L&D Results – With “Garlic Press” Questions with Deb Arnold Tuesday, May 20, at 4 p.m.What’s Your Organization’s Conflict Cocktail? A Guided Conversation for L&D Leaders with Karin B. Hurt and David M. Dye Wednesday, May 21, at 8 a.m.*All sessions will occur in Room 102 on Level 1 of the conference center*Invite-Only Experiences for Senior LeadersThe remainder of the TDL programming sessions are invite-only for those participating in ATD’s senior leader communities: ATD Forum, CTDO, and the ATD-Penn GSE Talent Development Executive Certificate. Learn more about ATD’s TD leader communities here.Stay Engaged All Year With ATD Talent Development Leader While the conference is only a few days long, Talent Development Leader is more than just a conference track! As ATD’s professional development brand for people leading learning in their organization, TDL provides you with cutting-edge industry insight, advice from leaders doing the work, budding research, and more. Subscribe to the Talent Development Leader newsletter and get the tools you need to lead the future of learning. Don’t miss out on monthly articles, podcasts, webinars, and special events—such as our current collaboration with Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2025!See You at ATD25!Personally, I am counting the days until the conference starts on May 18. Make the most of your time at ATD25 by fully immersing yourself in the Talent Development Leader Experience. From exclusive sessions to invaluable connections, it’s your launchpad to greater impact and innovation in talent development.

Your Ultimate Guide to the Talent Development Leader Experience at ATD25

For years, corporate training platforms were built to deliver content. Upload the course, assign it to learners, mark completion, and move on. But in 2025, that approach won’t cut it anymore.Learning leaders are expected to do far more than distribute information. You’re being asked to prove business impact, keep pace with skills disruption, and engage busier and more discerning learners than ever. Your role has shifted from administrator to strategist, and the tools you use need to keep up.That’s why the learning management system (LMS) you choose matters. The right platform doesn’t just host courses; it helps you shape a skilled, agile, and future-ready workforce. Here are five features to look for in an LMS to help you deliver on that promise.1. Role-Based Learning PathsOne-size-fits-all training wastes everyone’s time. New hires don’t need the same content as senior leaders. Contractors shouldn’t wade through courses designed for permanent staff. An LMS that supports role-based learning paths lets you design targeted, relevant, and consistent journeys without tripling your workload.For L&D professionals, this means you can stop reinventing the wheel for every team or department. Instead, you’re free to focus on aligning learning to business goals, confident that the system will handle the logistics of assigning the right content to the right people.2. AI-Powered InsightsExecutives aren’t impressed by completion rates. They want to know whether learning programs are helping people ramp faster, perform better, or stay longer. An LMS with AI-driven insights transforms data into a clear picture of how learning drives performance.This is what allows you to walk into the boardroom with confidence. Instead of defending your budget, you’re demonstrating workforce readiness, surfacing skills gaps before they become problems, and showing how learning directly drives performance.3. Mobile and Flexible Learning ExperiencesYour learners are juggling packed calendars and competing priorities. If training doesn’t fit into their reality, it won’t get done. That’s why flexibility matters. An LMS designed for today’s workforce supports learning anytime, anywhere, whether that’s mobile-first modules during a commute, asynchronous courses for distributed teams, or blended options for complex topics.For you, this isn’t just about convenience. It’s about engagement. When learning feels accessible and relevant, learners stick with it. And when they stick with it, your programs deliver the outcomes you’ve promised.4. Seamless Integrations With HR and Business SystemsYou didn’t get into L&D to spend your days managing spreadsheets. Yet for too many teams, manual enrollment and disconnected systems waste time and energy that should be spent on strategy. A modern LMS changes that.When your platform integrates directly with HRIS and CRM systems, enrollment happens automatically, data flows where it needs to, and reporting is streamlined. The result is less administrative overhead, more consistency across the organization, and more space for you to focus on designing programs that actually move the needle.5. Credentialing and Skills Validation“Completed” doesn’t mean “capable.” In an environment where skills gaps can slow productivity and derail growth, leaders need clear visibility into what their workforce can actually do. An LMS that supports credentialing—through digital badges, certificates, or role-specific pathways—gives you that clarity.For learners, these credentials act as milestones that motivate progress and prove value. For organizations, they provide a reliable signal of workforce readiness. For you, they’re evidence that the programs you’ve designed build real, transferable skills that matter in the workplace.The Bottom LineAs an L&D leader, every course you design is an investment in your organization’s future. To do that, you need tools that help you prove impact, scale programs efficiently, and meet learners where they are.The right LMS makes that possible. The right platform becomes the backbone of workforce growth, helping you build skills, demonstrate impact, and position learning as a growth engine.

Karen L. West

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