Perspectives 24 - Unleashed
Join us—virtually—on December 5th as we propel people and organizations to grow together.
Meet our Perspectives 2024 speakers
Katie Drummond
Global Editorial Director, WIRED
Katie Drummond focuses on the future of work and how we can work with technology like AI, not against it. As the global editorial director of WIRED, one of the world’s most influential and iconic technology magazines, she leads the content strategy across all platforms and markets. Every day, she oversees groundbreaking, agenda-setting journalism that spans emerging technology, scientific progress, and the successes and pitfalls of the world’s biggest technology companies. In her talks, she shares insider insights into emerging technology and its potential, ensuring your organization thrives now and well into the future.
She has an extensive background in online media, with a specific focus on driving experimentation and groundbreaking digital innovation: During her five-year tenure as the Senior Vice President of Global News & Entertainment at VICE, Katie’s pioneering approach to platforms like TikTok and Twitch generated massive audience growth and won external plaudits, including an Online Journalism Award for VICE News’ original reporting on TikTok. She also oversaw VICE’s ambitious expansion across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and led teams whose work was honored with Emmy, Peabody, and National Press Club awards, among others. Earlier in her career, Drummond held key leadership positions at several high-profile media outlets, including as deputy editor of Bloomberg.com and Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo.
Ron Hovsepian
Executive Chair, Skillsoft
Mr. Hovsepian is currently the Chairman of Skillsoft’s Board of Directors and the Executive Chair and principal executive officer designee and has a wealth of executive leadership and operational experience in the technology and software industries. Ron has served as a Skillsoft Board member since 2018.
From September 2020 to January 2024, Ron served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Indigo Ag, a leader in sustainable agriculture solutions. Prior to Indigo Ag, Ron served as Executive Chair of Skillsoft from 2018 to 2021, and as Executive Partner at Flagship Pioneering, the founding company of Indigo Ag, from 2018 to 2021.
Previously, Ron served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Intralinks, Inc. and President and Chief Executive Officer of Novell, Inc. Before Novell, Ron spent several years in venture capital directly assisting companies at each stage of development, from early ideation through growth phases, while serving as a board member. He started his career at IBM and served in many executive positions over approximately a 16-year period.
He is currently Chairman of the Ansys Board of Directors, on which he has served since 2012.
Ron received a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston College.
Darren Bance
General Manager, Skillsoft Global Knowledge
Darren has more than 25 years of global leadership experience, with a focus on technical education and skilling initiatives within both the public and private sector. He most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer of QA, one of the United Kingdom’s largest providers of IT and digital skills solutions, where he led the rollout of the strategic company vision and handled the day-to-day business operations across a variety of disciplines. Prior to that, he was the Managing Director of the Learning Services division of Capita Group, leading more than 1,000 employees. Previously, he was a Managing Partner at ShiftPoint ME, a digital enablement consultancy, and CEO of Restrata LLC, a security and risk technology subscription business.
Darren holds a degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Wales, Cardiff.
Cari Bohley
Vice President, Talent Management, Peraton
While spending a few months in the financial sector just prior to joining Peraton, Cari has spent much of her career in the government services sector with organizations who support our nation’s most important missions, including SAIC, Engility, CGI and Robbins-Gioia. This has allowed her to develop and hone her skills across multiple HR functions including onboarding, leadership development, performance management, culture, employee engagement, merger and acquisition integration, HR compliance, and learning programs.
Cari holds a BA from Michigan State University in International Relations, an MBA from Wayne State University, and Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, Jim.
Cari Bohley joined Peraton in January 2022 as the Vice President of Talent Management. In her role, she is responsible for learning and leadership development programs, performance management, skills, career development, culture and engagement, and succession planning. Over her career, she has developed and honed her skills across multiple HR functions and HR technology. She has spent the majority of her career in the government services sector with organizations who support our nation’s most important missions.
Cari holds a BA from Michigan State University in International Relations, an MBA from Wayne State University, and is a Project Management Professional (PMP).
April Caldwell
Sr. Learning Officer, Technology Learning Solutions, World Bank Group
April Caldwell is a Senior Learning Officer and Team Lead for Technology Learning Solutions at the World Bank Group. With advanced degrees in Learning and Development and Public Administration, she specializes in technology-driven learning experiences. April’s is known for inspiring creative technology use and pioneering innovative learning solutions. Her interests span artificial intelligence, social and peer-to-peer learning strategies, and transformative digital learning that push the boundaries of corporate learning. A tech-enthusiast, she actively explores emerging technologies to improve learning practices. April's commitment to mentoring and professional development extends beyond her team, as she engages with industry leaders and seeks continuous growth opportunities. Her ebullient passion for modern learning makes her a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the learning and development field.
Orla Daly
Chief Information Officer, Skillsoft
Orla Daly is the Chief Information Officer at Skillsoft, where she brings her extensive experience delivering large transformation programs and leading IT & Digital organizational transformation through her passion for applying technology to solve business problems and accelerate business growth.
Orla held several IT and business roles at ExxonMobil, based in Europe, prior to joining EMC in Massachusetts, where she demonstrated a successful track record fostering strong business partnerships, evolving the IT operating model, and leading the company’s largest transformation program to enable Go-To-Market strategies.
As part of the Dell EMC merger, Orla led the IT Integration for Sales & Marketing, before heading up Dell’s global IT Marketing organization. Following Dell, Orla joined National Grid, with accountability for the technology strategy and delivery of IT programs and production operations for the US Customer organization. Most recently, she led IT & Digital Organizational Change Management and served as Chief of Staff for the Chief Information & Digital Officer.
Orla earned a B.A. in International Marketing with French and German from Dublin City University, Ireland, and an MSC in IT from Stirling University, Scotland. She currently lives outside Boston, where she likes to make the most of the New England outdoors with her husband and two daughters.
Dave Di Pietro
Senior Learning and Development Consultant, Leidos
Dave Di Pietro has been with Leidos for 16 years, initially working in Talent Acquisition. In 2019, he transitioned to Learning & Development (L&D), where he currently manages Technical Upskilling programs focused on AI and Cyber. Additionally, Dave oversees special L&D projects, helping to drive the growth and development of employees across the organization
Debasis Dutta
Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Solutions, Skillsoft
Debasis Dutta is a pragmatic business leader and an accomplished technology executive. He has held multiple product and engineering leadership roles over his twenty-five year career across the HCM market, the last ten dedicated to the high-growth learning and talent development space.
Debasis Dutta is currently the Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Solutions at Skillsoft where he is responsible for the Leadership & Business, Codecademy Enterprise & Compliance Solutions as well as the Coaching business for Skillsoft. Prior to that, he was the Chief Product Officer of SumTotal Systems where he managed a complex multi-product portfolio and spearheaded several strategic business initiatives to drive customer retention and business growth. He led product and team integrations, managed a portfolio of product P&Ls, and consultatively help sell some of the largest net new deals at SumTotal. Prior to that, he spent well over ten years at Oracle in various leadership roles to build cutting-edge innovative products including two industry first patented AI-powered products.
He is a mission-driven, high-energy leader who loves to nurture an inclusive, empowered and high-performing team to build world-class innovative products and solutions that matter to customers and their business - all aligned with an unwavering commitment to the core values of curiosity, customer obsession and culture of excellence.
He has a Master’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering from Jadavpur University, India and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM).
Gary Flowers
CIO, Transformation and Technology Services, Year Up
Gary Flowers is the CIO, Transformation and Technology Services of Year Up, a nonprofit organization that empowers young adults to reach their potential through education and career opportunities.
With over 29 years of experience in technology and operations, Gary leads the transformation and technology services across the enterprise, including business intelligence, product and design, learning excellence, and enterprise operations.
Gary’s core competencies are executive leadership, digital roadmap creation, enterprise architecture, program management, service delivery, vendor management, and customer relationship management. He leverages these skills to enable business process and innovation, drive increased profit and efficiency, and deliver customer-centric solutions that create value and impact.
Gary is honored to have received the 2023 Florida CIO Corporate Orbie Award and was recognized as one of the 30 most influential business leaders in tech in 2022.
Dr. M. Shawn Fogle
Senior Human Resource Manager, US Department of Energy, Office of Talent Management
Dr. Fogle is the Learning Management Systems Program Manager for the Department of Energy. In this role, he serves as the focal point for learning management systems operations and is responsible for leading the full-spectrum analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of technological solutions in support of the Department’s LMS, as outlined by the Chief Human Capital Officer and Chief Learning Officer’s strategic human capital plan. He also supports the training and development of 36,000 federal and contractor employees across 83 organizations, while implementing innovative training solutions.
Prior to joining Energy, Shawn served as Vice President of Global Talent and Learning Development for Citibank. He successfully designed and launched a “Fold the Map” partnership network for
73 Global Country Heads leading operations in 82 countries across 5 regions, and was a driving force behind standardizing talent development strategies while eradicating duplicative workforce development activities across Citibank’s training portfolio.
Dr. Fogle is also a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant and holds various degrees in workforce education and development, business management, and organizational development. He is passionate about personal growth and continued development and sees that as our passport to a fulfilling life and successful career.
Christina Fung
Senior Vice President, Global Head of Artificial Intelligence Enablement, CGI
Christina is an executive in CGI, one of the largest IT and business consulting firms in the world. She has more than 25 years of financial services and IT experiences and has held various management and executive positions throughout her career. She has led different large-scale business, technology and organization transformation initiatives and has built successful alliances with different technology partners. She is currently the CGI Global Head of Artificial Intelligence Enablement, supporting CGI teams across 40 countries to deliver value-driven AI solutions to their clients and working collaboratively with global lawmakers and regulators in creating ethical and responsible framework.
She is a regular speaker at various AI events and is passionate about AI for Good, where building an inclusive society that advancing businesses and communities by using AI responsibly.
She is the current Executive Sponsor of Women of CGI Canada and CGI Toronto DE&I Council. She is a Board member for Skills for Change and an Industry Council member for NPower, which are the non profit organizations to support young adults and immigrants.
Matthew Glitzer
Chief Revenue Officer, Skillsoft
Matthew Glitzer is currently the Chief Revenue Officer at Skillsoft. He most recently served as Vice President, Security Sales, IBM Americas where he was responsible for all Security related products and services. Previously, Matt served as Vice President, IBM’s Integrated Security Business Unit - Asia Pacific, where he was responsible for Security Software sales and Services and was a member of IBM’s regional Senior Leadership Team. In Matt’s prior roles in Greater China for IBM, he was a member of the Global Technology Services leadership team holding the positions of General Manager, Global Technology Services, Hong Kong and Head of Client Management and Offerings. In these roles he had country and regional P&L responsibility for all managed service clients, as well as technology solutioning, consulting and go-to-market offerings. Before joining IBM in 2005, he was vice president of Field Alliances for SAP America.
Chasity Green
Senior Manager of Leadership and Development, Asurion
Chasity Green is a Senior Manager of Leadership and Development at Asurion. Her work centers around creating leadership development programs that impact cross functional teams across the enterprise. During her 5+ years at Asurion she has created and curated multiple programs and resources to support leaders at differing points of their leadership journeys. Her focus has always been on meeting people where they are to support them in where they want to go.
As an Industrial Engineering graduate of Mississippi State University, Chasity began her career in the manufacturing industry. Upon finding a passion for people and development, Chasity went on to further her education by obtaining her Master’s Degree in Operations Management with a certification in Human Resource Management from the University of Arkansas. In 2019, Chasity became an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. For 20+ years she has leveraged her education and experience to lead and develop high performing teams.
John R. Heyman
Senior Director, Learning Enablement, Unisys
As the Senior Director of Learning Enablement at Unisys, John manages all activity related to Unisys University programs and training content; this includes not only the delivery of programs and content but, where necessary, the development of custom training. The custom training at Unisys is typically created to support custom proprietary solutions, but some courses are created to support internal programs and processes. John also partners with the Legal Department to make the required compliance content available to Unisys associates; that content is deployed through Percipio Compliance. John is responsible for vendor partnerships including the Percipio, Professional Services and Compliance contracts with Skillsoft. Finally, John is responsible for the financial management of the UU budget and tasked with maximizing the benefits Unisys gets from the funding provided to UU by the business units.
Nate Hurto
Global Vice President, Solution Go-to-Market, SAP SuccessFactors
In his role as the Global Vice President, Solution Go-to-Market, Nate is responsible for applying solution and industry specific strategies to guide SAP SuccessFactors go-to-market initiatives. Key responsibilities include development of sales strategy; incubation and development of new solutions and market initiatives; scaling and amplification of global programs through regional alignment. This team of Chief Experts provides internal and external thought leadership to elevate SAP SuccessFactors solutions, technologies and partners in market share, improving the companies and the lives of the customers we serve. In this position, Nate builds on 20 years in corporate learning and human capital technologies.
Joellen Jarrett
Chief Learning Officer and Division Director for Organizational Effectiveness, Small Business Administration
Joellen Jarrett accepted her role as the Small Business Administration’s first Chief Learning Officer and Division Director for Organizational Effectiveness in August of 2015. This position has given her the opportunity to pursue her passion for promoting organizational health, fostering engagement, and building high performance teams. Joellen directs the agency’s strategic talent and organization development with a current focus on tech talent development and organizational change. She also oversees onboarding, performance management, awards and recognition, EAP/work life, telework and remote work programs for SBA. Joellen’s federal career spans more than 35 years and began in August 1986 with her entry into active duty in the U.S. Air Force. Her federal civilian service includes assignments with the Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Interior. A lifelong learner, Joellen is currently working on her doctorate degree in business administration with University of Maryland, Global Campus.
Gina Johnson O’Reilly
Director of Learning and Development, NTT DATA
Gina Johnson is the Director of Learning and Development for NTT DATA in North America. NTT DATA is a trusted global innovator in IT and business services, with headquarters in Tokyo. They offer consulting, industry solutions, business process services, IT modernization, and managed services, helping clients transform into the digital future. NTT DATA is committed to its clients' long-term success and serves them in over 50 countries with global reach and local client attention.
After leaving a career in sports journalism, Gina shifted her focus to Information Technology and became a Platinum consultant in SAP. She worked with clients in various industries and traveled around the world. Over time, she led SAP Canada Education Services, became a partner in boutique consulting firm Learn2Perform, designed SAP's largest external learning management system for the state of Pennsylvania, and ultimately became the Chief Learning Officer of Optimal Solutions, which was later acquired by NTT DATA. When she is not tapping away on her laptop, Gina also teaches water acclimation and survival skills to children for the British Swim School of North Texas.
Chris Lee
Vice President of Global Talent Development, Dell Technologies
Chris Lee is the Vice President of Global Talent Development for Dell Technologies. In this role, he is responsible for leading the learning organization that designs and globally delivers professional and leadership development solutions as well as key talent programs to Dell team members and leaders. He has spent the last 12 years with Dell in a variety of positions during times of significant growth, M&A, and transformation efforts. These include HR Business Partner and Org. Development Strategist roles across several of Dell’s businesses and functions like Sales, Services, Telecom, and Corporate. He has also held Executive and leadership roles responsible for employee listening, operations, and talent management, including the areas of performance, career, and succession planning within the Talent COE.
Chris is a graduate of Dell’s HR Rotation Program (HRRP) in 2015. Prior to joining the rotation program he graduated from Cornell University with a Master's in Industrial Labor Relations in 2012 and from Ithaca College with a Bachelor's degree in 2010. He has been a member of both the Ithaca College Board of Trustees and Alumni Board of Directors. Chris resides with his wife, daughter, and son in Austin, Texas.
Asha Palmer
Senior Vice President, Compliance Solutions, Skillsoft
Asha Palmer is Skillsoft’s senior vice president of compliance solutions. Throughout her career, Asha has developed, enhanced, and optimized effective ethics and compliance programs for hundreds of companies worldwide. Her passion and expertise are in program development and enhancement, training and engagement, anti-bribery and corruption, risk assessments, and making compliance fun (dare we say it!). Asha pushes compliance out of the box. As a former Assistant United States Attorney and litigator, Asha is extremely passionate about making training and engagement stick and be meaningfully embedded in and with business and its leaders.
Steven Potts
Global Head of Talent Management & Learning, DieboldNixdorf
Steven Potts is DieboldNixdorf’s Global Head of Talent Management & Learning with over 20 years of experience in leadership development, learning, talent and performance management, career development, and learning technologies. Steven has worked in tech start-ups as well as Fortune 500 companies across many industries with the goal being to unleash the talent that lives in us all. Hailing from Cleveland, OH, originally, Steven now resides in Atlanta, GA, and obtained his BA in Strategic Communication from The Ohio State University and his MEd in Human Resources & Organization Development from the University of Georgia.
Apratim Purakayastha (AP)
GM, Talent Development Solutions, Skillsoft
As Skillsoft’s GM, Talent Development Solutions, AP is responsible for the overall strategy and product roadmaps for the entire Skillsoft portfolio. In addition, he is responsible for engineering, cloud operations, and support for Skillsoft enterprise learning platforms. He is also responsible for the digital and IT infrastructure across all areas in the Skillsoft group of companies. AP has held this role since 2016.
AP has extensive experience supporting rapidly growing technology companies, including as General Manager and SVP at SevOne, where he was responsible for the on-demand / SaaS business segment. He also served as Group President at ACI Worldwide and ran the on-demand payments division. AP started as a research staff member at IBM and became a Director of Software at IBM.
AP currently serves on the board of William Clarence Education, a K-12 education company. He has previously served on the board of Nuvepro, a cloud learning company. AP holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Duke University, M.S. in Computer Science from Washington State University, and a B.S. in Computer Science from Jadavpur University in India.
LaTasha Rice
LMS Architect, Rollins, Inc.
LaTasha brings a wealth of experience and over 20+ years of corporate training and facilitation and LMS administration from companies such as Cox Enterprises, Autotrader.com, New York Stock Exchange, Gentiva Healthcare Services, and Volt Power. LaTasha began her career in systems at Manheim on loan to Cox Enterprises to help implement the company’s first Learning Management System, SumTotal. After engaging in this process for several months, LaTasha soon realized she had a passion for behind-the-scenes wizardry of LMS configuration as well as client facing consulting, training coordination, support and customer service. LaTasha currently serves as the Learning Management System Architect for Rollins Inc, parent company of the Orkin Brand and 12 other Pest Control and Wildlife Brands, Domestic and International where she is responsible for Strategy, LMS Functionality, Content Management and Tool Engagement to support the initiatives and objectives of all the Brands.
LaTasha attended high school in Atlanta GA and is a graduate of Emory University. In her spare time, she volunteers as a Girl Scouts Troop Leader for Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, has served on the Principal Advisory Council for Dekalb County School System and facilitates life skills to children in underserved communities. Other hobbies include facilitating and coordinating wellness workshops.
She is the proud mother of a Generation Z daughter (born 1995 to 2009) and Generation Alpha daughter (born 2010 to 2024), so her family life is always full of excitement, discoveries, challenges, and love.
Leena-Maija Rinne
Vice President of Skillsoft Coaching, Skillsoft
Leena Rinne is the Vice President of Skillsoft Coaching. In her role, Leena is responsible for the strategy, management, and delivery of Skillsoft Coaching solutions through the full product lifecycle. She is responsible for the vision and strategic direction, as well as for defining and prioritizing the product roadmap and coordinating the go-to-market strategy. Leena is deeply passionate about the role of coaching as it relates to personal transformation and delivering organizational results. As a consultant, keynote speaker and best-selling author, Leena has worked with hundreds of leadership teams to drive success through transformative learning experiences.
Matthew Roberts
Technical Knowledge Management Lead, Philips, North America
Drawing on more than 30 years of consulting and leadership experience, Matthew is passionate about improving the quality of life for all people through health technology, innovation, and sustainability. At the heart of his approach is his belief that the opportunity to improve healthcare for patients and everyone we interact with is a privilege.
Matthew joined Philips in 2011 as the National Network Engineer, leading customer engagements and consulting with hospital leadership and IT stakeholders to enhance the ability to bridge the way for integrating patient monitoring and the highest level of patient safety possible.
In 2017, Matthew’s responsibilities expanded to include designing new value-added services for the North American Services and Solutions Delivery teams. In 2018, he was appointed Senior Manager of North America's Solution Design Team. At the beginning of this year, Matthew was appointed to his current role as the Technical Knowledge Management Lead for Hospital Patient Monitoring within the Workforce Innovation Office.
Before joining Philips, Matthew held leadership and consulting roles in a broad spectrum of companies across the United States, including Cisco, Healthcare Services Corp., Citrix, State Farm, and Duke Energy.
Matthew is eternally grateful for the many lessons and determination he learned while serving in the United States Marine Corps. Matthew is married and has one child, attending her junior year at the University of Tennessee.
Quote: “Every day, I wake up and know that everything I do at work will positively impact someone's life, just as Philips helped and continues to help improve not only my life but billions of lives worldwide!”
Patti Rowe
Director of Learning and Development, The City and County of Denver
Patti Rowe is a dynamic Human Resources leader with a breadth of experience creating and implementing development opportunities for thousands of employees at Fortune 500 companies, government jobs, and everything in between.
As the Director of Learning and Development for the City and County of Denver, Patti leads the designand production of customized educational programs and initiatives citywide, including integration of the new leadership model and organizational effectiveness consulting. She also leads the performance management process for city department and agencies, and the implementation of metric-driven goals training, including coaching and advising city leaders.
Prior to joining the city, Patti was the Vice President of Learning and Organization Development at WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone, a cable and telecommunications company. Patti drove corporate wide learning, leadership development, and designed the company's new performance management system. She also led key organizational effectiveness and learning and development initiatives, including a 12-month Leadership Development program.
Patti has worked as an HR Manager and consultant. She has held several roles in Human Resources leadership, including Intelligent Hiring with Bristol-Meyers Squibb, at NewsTalk Television, Jones Intercable, Syntex Chemicals, and United Airlines.
Patti earned a master’s degree in counseling and Human Resource Management from the University of North Texas. She is a certified coach, certified Enneagram trainer, is certified to facilitate Changing from the Inside out (Neuroscience) and has received certification in Prosci Change Management. She is also experienced in popular training programs such as Crucial Conversations and iLoveFeedback.
In her free time, Patti enjoys working out, baking amazing gluten-free goodies, and spending time with her daughters.
Heber Sambucetti
Vice President, Technology Consulting Professional Services, Skillsoft
Heber is a seasoned learning and talent development executive skilled at transforming the talent development landscape for industry-leading organizations. He has a proven track record of significantly improving workforce capabilities and effectiveness with a special focus on the future of work. He started his career at Accenture, where he worked for 21 years in various roles. During that time he launched the Specialization@Scale program with MIT, revolutionizing how skill measurement is captured with AI & ML and partnered with the World Economic Forum for Walmart and Unilever to perform gap assessments and build the framework for a Future Skills Pilot. While at Kyndryl he deployed a complex, multi-platform Professional Services Automation solution to deliver best-in-class global talent strategies. At Skillsoft Heber is responsible for their newly developed services in Skills and Talent Lifecycle Transformation for clients.
Ryan Samia
Sr. Manager of Talent and Leadership Development, Tractor Supply
Ryan currently serves as the Sr. Manager of Talent and Leadership Development for Tractor Supply Company’s Store Support Center. He is responsible for designing, delivering, and evaluating impactful programs to support over 1300 Team Members and leaders across the corporate/shared services. Ryan is a dynamic facilitator, thought-provoking coach, positive change catalyst, and results-oriented consultant who strives to empower individual contributors, leaders, teams, and organizations to be at their best and drive positive change. Ryan holds a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of West Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of the Philippines. Ryan is also Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) from Co-Active Training Institute. Prior to Tractor, Ryan worked in the healthcare industry and has 10 years of progressive experience in leadership development, employee engagement and experience, and coaching.
Annie Scogin
Director of Organizational Development and Learning, Denver Health and Hospital
Annie Scogin is a seasoned expert in Leadership and Workforce Development who focuses on upskilling and career development. With over a decade focusing on adult learners, Annie has created high potential programs, leadership programs, built a Work Force Development Center that focuses on upskilling and reskilling low wage earners with the goal of retaining employees and placing them in open positions within the organization. Annie’s passion for creating a culture of continuous improvement and growth for all team member informs all of her decision making. Outside of work, Annie enjoys community service, hiking, and cooking, as well as spending time with her 7 year old son and husband.
Tara Tapley
Director, Professional Services, Solution Design, Skillsoft
Tara joined Skillsoft in 2009 as a Learning Consultant, bringing years of leadership and management experience to the role from the Hospitality - Customer Service and Sales industry. Tara’s experience has centered around driving organizational excellence through learning, talent development and strategic planning. Tara’s career with Skillsoft has scaled across Customer Success and Professional Services, which has led Tara to be viewed as a strategic ally when consulting with clients to deliver learning programs throughout their organization. She is passionate about helping customers design services that inspire success and bring value to customer initiatives.
Fátima Terry
Deputy Director, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Fátima Terry serves as the Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Digital Service (DS) in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). In this role, Fátima is responsible for recruiting and developing an expanded team of technology, innovation, and service delivery leaders to meet the myriad of missions needs across USDA. Prior to USDA, Fátima served two tours with the US Digital Service (USDS), and during one tour as acting Chief Learning Officer for the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Management and Operations Division – Human Capital (OMB-MOD-HC) team. Across her career, Fátima has worked for or partnered with at least 10 other federal agencies in the areas of technology delivery, product development, leadership, human capital, organizational design, technical education and Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM), apprenticeships, advanced manufacturing credentialing and more.Fátima is also an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Federal Internal Coaching Training Program Graduate and coaches a range of executive and non-executive clients. She holds an M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, as well as a B.A. in Psychology from New Jersey City University. Fátima is a first-generation immigrant born in Peru and the first female in her family to receive an advanced degree. Outside of work, her unique experiences have ignited her passion for participating on minority or disadvantaged serving boards and volunteer with organizations that progress these communities.
Donald Turner
Principal, HR Talent Development, SAIC
Donald W. Turner is a professional in the field of Talent Development, with a specialized focus on upskilling and learning management systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Pittsburgh.
Prior to joining SAIC, Donald’s career in government contracting began with organizational training, where he played a pivotal role in the talent development of two small sized companies, Solers Inc. and Halfaker and Associates.
Currently, as part of the SAIC HR Talent Development team, Donald co-leads an upskilling initiative that is a prime enterprise objective. This critical program encompasses the development of skill taxonomies, the identification of skill gaps, and the assessment of workforce proficiency across five business groups. These initiatives efforts are central to ensuring that SAIC not only meets but exceeds contract requirements and growth through a well-equipped and agile workforce.
Michael Wynn
Senior Vice President, Academy Innovations and Learning Technology Executive, Bank of America
Mike Wynn is a Senior Vice President, Innovations and Learning Technology Executive for The Academy. In this role, he is responsible for delivering innovations and managing the technology roadmap to increase synergies and reduce inconsistencies between individual learning programs offered by the Academy. He is also responsible for solving common learning challenges and creating a holistic, high tech and high touch employee learning experience to foster career growth and development.
Mike joined Bank of America in 2005. During his 16 year career he held several roles within the Consumer channel which include Financial Center Manager, Market Training Leader, Consumer Market Manager and Associate Readiness Manager. As a Readiness Manager, he had responsibility for driving employee readiness, client satisfaction, and sales performance for all Financial Centers in South Carolina.
As a part of his current responsibilities, he manages a team behind the scenes to bring innovative solutions to the Bank. Those solutions include the use of Virtual Reality, which is designed to increase employee engagement and learning retention using state of the art technology. Additionaly, his team also develops AI Bot Conversation simulations and systems simulators. His team specializes in interactive learning solution design to help improve the overall learning experience by combining dynamic graphics and audio to deliver memorable content. He resides in Waxhaw, North Carolina.