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Nicole Bent is a revenue‑driven marketing executive with over 15 years of experience across B2B, B2C, and B2G channels. As marketing director at Meridian Knowledge Solutions, she oversees all aspects of marketing—from strategy and branding to demand generation, digital, content, and events—for enterprise commercial clients and federal, state, and local government agencies. Nicole holds an MBA, a Master’s in Marketing, and a Graduate Certificate in Social Media from SNHU, and a Bachelor’s in Marketing Management from Champlain College. Passionate about mentoring emerging professionals and leveraging data to drive growth, she combines strategic vision with hands‑on execution to deliver measurable results. Certified in a variety of credentials, she stays at the forefront of AI‑driven innovations. 

Nicole Bent

Agencies must reskill and upskill existing staff as missions and technologies evolve. A skills-first strategy taps internal talent, boosting agility, morale, and long-term retention—without overreliance on external hiring. The Business Case for Skill-Based Talent Management Workforce Agility & Retention: Rapidly redeploy trained staff to priority projects, reducing burnout and turnover. Cost Savings: Upskilling costs 20–30% less than recruiting new employees, closing gaps faster.Innovation & Loyalty: Investing in careers fosters continuous improvement—employees are more committed when they see growth opportunities. Key Components of a Skills-First Talent Framework Competency Architecture: Define clear skill profiles per role to guide hiring and development. Assessments & Badges: Measure proficiency, reward achievements, and motivate ongoing learning. Skill Gap Analysis: Built-in analytics identify shortfalls so targeted learning paths can close gaps efficiently. Curated Microlearning Library: Thousands of bite-sized courses across government topics deliver training at the point of need. Data & Insights: Dashboards track progress, engagement, and trends, informing content investment and strategy. How Meridian Empowers Skill-Based Talent Management Skill Tagging & Tracking: Auto-tag courses and learner profiles—portfolios update with each completion to highlight high-potential talent. Skill Gap Analysis: Compare workforce skills against profiles, then deploy relevant microlearning to address deficits. Personalized Learning Paths: Dynamic journeys adapt to individual goals and proficiency, mapping clear career milestones. Role-Based Dashboards: Custom views for HR, leadership, and staff surface key metrics for swift, data-driven decisions. By uniting these capabilities, Meridian enables agencies to transition from credential-based hiring to proactive, skill-focused development, thereby strengthening resilience and nurturing retention. Best Practices for Implementation Engage Stakeholders Early: Align HR, managers, and IT on strategic competencies. Pilot Critical Functions: Start with high-impact areas (for example, cybersecurity) to prove value and refine processes. Just-in-Time Learning: Leverage micro-learning “snacks” for on-the-job reinforcement. Measure & Iterate: Monitor proficiency timelines, completion rates, and gap closure—then refine content and paths. Skill-based talent management isn’t just about filling vacancies—it’s about empowering employees, driving innovation, and cultivating loyalty. Meridian’s integrated approach—competency mapping, gap analysis, personalized paths, and microlearning—helps agencies build an agile, committed, future-ready workforce. Ready to see it in action? Stop by our table at ATD Government Workforce to learn more!

Harnessing Skill-Based Talent Management in Government Agencies

Nicole Papaioannou Education Session at ATD25.

Write Better, ID!: Create Content That Compels

Nicole Papaioannou Lugara, PhD, is an L&D strategist and the founder of Your Instructional Designer, a learning and people development agency specializing in social learning and digital strategy.An academic gone rogue, Lugara began her career teaching writing to college students as an adjunct faculty member and writing center consultant. She transitioned to corporate instructional design in 2014, designing personalized adaptive learning experiences and managing a learning design department, before embracing entrepreneurship. As a freelancer and agency owner, Lugara has enjoyed working with clients ranging from Fortune 100 organizations to solopreneurs in a variety of fields, such as aviation, medical and behavioral health, fashion, and consulting. Her work has translated into real transformations: reduction of costly incidents, improved product sales, better earning potential, engaged employees, and happier clients. Her mission is always to make learning that matters—to her clients and their people.

Nicole Papaioannou Lugara

For the last 29 years, it’s been a joy to deliver learning that equips people to perform at their best.I love the art and science of learning. It's a delight creating fun, challenging, effective facilitated, self-paced, and blended learning. My secret sauce is a mix of neuroscience, narratives, and playfulness that produces rich learning journeys. Learners enjoy, engage, and get equipped through exploration, discovery, play, practice, reflection, feedback, and immediate application. I believe serious learning happens when we don’t take ourselves so seriously! It's a blast to design learning learners love and watch them flourish as a result!Ways I contribute...Performance consulting Learning strategy Instructional design  Learner-centered facilitation Change management - strategy and implementationSampling of Results...Currently designing distributed learning. Developing phenomenal blended journeys that surprise, delight, and equip. Choosing media to meet outcomes and create challenging fun experiences for participants and facilitators. Designed a “MasterClass”-style highly engaging and entertaining orientation experience currently being used by a Fortune 50 client to onboard people around the world Crafted an escape-room style orientation for a Fortune 50 client that exceeds new hire expectations, lives up to the brand promise, increases retention and speeds time to productivity Transformed several traditional training events into blended learning journeys that better equip leaders to contribute to business priorities. Focus areas included career and leadership development for underrepresented populations as well as new promotes transitioning to higher career levels  Partnered with a dynamic team to design game-based and real-time immersive simulations coupled with a cohort-based coaching model to prepare thousands of newly promoted executives to lead their organization Areas of Expertise: Career & leadership development | Onboarding | D&I | Relationship Management | Storytelling

Nicole Defalco

Whenever we help a company implement a coaching program or tackle issues with DEI, we understand that organizations are made up of people.

How Coaching Helps Overcome the Most Common Hurdle to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Intrepid and EY created “Teach With Charisma,” an online course that is showing better results than the in-person version for a tough-to-teach soft skill.

Making the Change: EY Takes a Popular In-Person Course Online

In leadership, there’s a belief that often goes unspoken—people can’t be trusted to solve their own problems. This mindset isn’t limited to people working in junior roles; it’s prevalent even at the highest levels of leadership. We tend to think that only through our intervention can others succeed. But what if that perspective is fundamentally flawed? What if, instead of positioning ourselves as problem-solvers, we understood our roles as coaches or trusted guides who enable others to unlock their potential?Breaking the “Fix-Them” HabitLeaders are conditioned to solve problems. It’s in our job descriptions, and we often receive praise when we consistently address issues and solve problems. But when it comes to coaching, this “fix-it” mentality can do more harm than good. The challenge is that people are not processes to be solved. We aren’t broken machines needing repair; we’re complex, capable individuals who can navigate our own challenges. Yet, the impulse to jump in with advice or solutions often overshadows our belief in other people’s abilities.This approach doesn’t just chip away at the confidence of the people we lead—it reinforces a false narrative that they’re incapable of resolving their own issues. It’s a subtle form of disempowerment that can stifle growth and innovation. When we’re always the ones solving problems, we unintentionally teach people to rely on us instead of building their capacity to think and act independently.Flipping the ScriptAn InsideOut Approach (TM) to coaching flips the script. Instead of considering ourselves to be the experts with all the answers, we show up as facilitators of self-discovery. This method involves asking the right questions—questions that encourage people to reflect, explore, and come up with their own solutions.When we coach this way, we’re affirming our belief in the person’s ability to handle their own challenges. It’s not just about what they know; it’s about helping them draw from their experiences, values, and insights to find the right path forward. This approach fosters confidence, ownership, and accountability—qualities essential for genuine growth.Tips to Remember People Are Capable1. Pause Before You Advise: When someone comes to you with an issue, a challenge, or a complaint, before jumping in with advice, take a moment to pause. Ask yourself, “What does this person already know about their situation?” This simple shift can help you move from fixing to guiding.2. Ask, Don’t Tell: Just at the point when you think someone needs your sage advice, try turning your advice into questions. Instead of saying, “You should do this,” try asking, “What do you think you should try?” This empowers the individual and encourages deeper thinking. Besides, you will be surprised how often the person says exactly what you are thinking.3. Trust the Process: Give this method a genuine try before dismissing the merits of it. Believe that the person has what it takes to figure things out. Their approach might differ from yours, and that’s okay. We are all different therefore doing it your way might not turn out exactly as it did when you tried it for a variety of reasons. Trust that the journey of discovery is just as important as the outcome.By challenging our own assumptions and adopting an InsideOut Approach (TM) to coaching, we create environments where people feel trusted, capable, and empowered to take control of their own success.

Trusting People to Solve Their Own Problems

Sharon M. Ravitch is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Sharon has published eight books: Leadership Mindsets for Adaptive Change: The Flux 5 (with Liza Herzog, Routledge, 2023); Flux Leadership: Real-Time Inquiry for Humanizing Educational Change (with Chloe Kannan, Teachers College Press, 2022); Critical Leadership Praxis: Leading Educational and Social Change (with Katie Pak, Teachers College Press, 2021); Applied Research for Sustainable Change: A Guide for Education Leaders (with Nicole Carl, Harvard Education Press, 2019); Qualitative Research: Bridging the Conceptual, Theoretical, and Methodological (with Nicole Carl, Sage, 2016/2021); Reason and Rigor: How Conceptual Frameworks Guide Research (with Matthew Riggan, Sage, 2012/2017); School Counseling Principles: Diversity and Multiculturalism (American School Counselor Association Press, 2006); and Matters of Interpretation: Reciprocal Transformation in Therapeutic and Developmental Relationships with Youth (with Michael Nakkula, Jossey-Bass, 1998).Sharon earned two master’s degrees from Harvard University in human development and psychology and education, mentored by Carol Gilligan, PhD, and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in an interdisciplinary program that integrates across the fields of anthropology and education. In 2021, she was selected as a faculty recipient of the Recognition of Outstanding Service Award to honor her dedication to providing a nurturing and supportive environment for students, staff, and faculty.

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