Good morning, USDLA friends! — We hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and are ready to start a new week.
To celebrate the fruits of our labors at USDLA, we have created a new YouTube channel to showcase the work of our members and sponsors and also share insights about the past, present, and future of distance learning: www.USDLA.tv.
Check out our Playlists:
- About USDLA — “The mission of USDLA is to advocate for and support the development and application of distance learning policy, best practices, and technology across education, business, health, and government,” explains our 2023-2024 president, Chuck Sengstock. In these videos, you’ll learn more about Chuck’s plans for the coming year and discover why our members, sponsors, and presenters come for the national conference — and stay for the community. Watch the videos featuring Chuck, first-time attendees at our 2023 National Conference, Vendors and Sponsors, and more!
- Meet our Sponsors — The dramatic growth of the distance learning industry makes our market attractive to a host of technology, content, and service providers. Many of those providers are giving something back to the distance education community by stepping up to sponsor the Association. Their generosity is vital to supporting the work of USDLA. Learn all about Padlet, Anatomage, Yamaha, and more here.
- Distance Learning Roundtable — Join us monthly to learn about the future of online education in this powerful podcast series hosted by Pat Cassella, executive director of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), and Dean Hoke, managing partner Edu Alliance. In Season 1, you’ll meet Freedom Writers founder Erin Gruwell, Gamification guru Monical Cornetti, and Elliott Masie — the man who coined the phrase e-learning. Don’t miss it!
- Learning: Your Strategic Tool for Success with Dr. Bill Ryan — Educator, entrepreneur, and USDLA Board Member Dr. Bill explains: “Our mission is to provide organizations the tools and techniques that develop high-performing people in the workflow using learning and performance solutions strategically to improve engagement and drive retention targeting people, processes, and platforms that impact the business culture. Join Bill Ryan as he shares ideas you can use to develop, engage, and retain your workforce using learning strategically. Watch here!
- USDLA Award Winners — As the premier organization promoting distance learning, USDLA recognizes “the best of the best” with its individual and organizational awards. Open to members and non-members; nominations are typically submitted in January, judged by committees of peers, and then awarded at a festive banquet each spring as a highlight of USDLA’s National Conference. Click here to watch.
- Since 1987: USDLA Through the Years — The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) is the premier professional membership organization designed to Advocate and Support the needs of Distance Education leaders. USDLA’s resources support the Distance Education Professional Community, which serves education, business, health, and government. Founded in 1987, USDLA is the first nonprofit distance-learning association to advocate for and support distance-learning research and development across education, business, health, and government. Watch these videos to learn more about USDLA through the years.
- Do you have an idea for a new Playlist? Send us an email: hgibbs@usdla.org
Free Friday Webinar Series, Sept. 8: “Where to Start with IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) — Understanding the Challenges & Opportunities!” with Rosemary Okoiti and Juliet C. Hart. Learn more below and click here to register: usdla.org/webinars.
Also on the horizon: National Distance Learning Week is Nov. 6-10. Click here for more information.
We’ll be back in touch on Thursday with our weekly USDLA Brief. Until then, all the best to you and yours! — USDLA Communications Committee
Webinar — Friday, September 8, 1-2 pm: Where to Start with IDEAs — Understanding the Challenges & Opportunities!
Presenters: Rosemary Okoiti and Juliet C. Hart
About the Webinar: IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) is a complicated and challenging topic for anyone. Nevertheless, it’s not a reason not to start the conversations around it. But where to start? This session is to support learning professionals to get comfortable with the idea of discomfort. Allowing for a brave space to hear your thoughts, challenges, and needs of others is critical to letting IDEAs flourish. Come and participate in this important discussion and share with us your experiences so you can support your learners.
About the presenters:
Rosemary Okoiti is the Learning & Development Manager at Winrock International. She is also the founder and CEO of Rosemary Okoiti Consulting, a company that coaches and trains professionals to take the leap to reinvent themselves into successful entrepreneurs. She has extensive global experience in three continents covering intercultural business coaching & facilitation; training delivery, design and management of Leadership development programs, compliance and on-boarding. She is passionate about helping you start & run your own successful business as well as designing and delivering engaging learning solutions that help learners grow to their highest potential while driving achievement of strategic business goals. Rosemary’s global exposure through talent development as well as her personal experiences have driven her passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leading to her involvement in advocating for it. She has co-facilitated DE&I workshops and coaching sessions to over 12 ATD Chapters as well as for-profit organizations in the past two years. She co-created the DEI Community of Champions for ATD Chapters. She served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Talent Development New York City (ATD NYC) chapter as the Vice President of Talent Management from 2019 to 2021. She is currently a member of the ALC Programs Advisory Committee 2022-2023. Rosemary holds a Masters of Education in Entrepreneurship Development from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelors of Education in Economics & Business from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She is a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and a Certified Professional Coach (CPC).
Juliet C. Hart specializes in developing the leadership capabilities of scientists and their organizations. She is the founder of Hart & Chin, a company that offers workshops, coaching, and consulting services. Juliet believes that strengthening the leadership and interpersonal skills of scientists will make them more effective leaders, who will have a larger impact and create greater value for the organizations they serve. Previously working as a scientist and with scientists at Johnson & Johnson, she has seen the impact of her work drive employee engagement, increase collaboration, and stimulate innovation across functions. She has lead trainings on developing leadership & management skills, cross-cultural awareness, presentation pitching, & communications skills. Juliet established her expertise in learning and development through progressive roles within pharmaceutical giants such as Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. In addition, she has obtained management training from the Yale School of Management. She began her journey in drug discovery as a laboratory scientist at small to mid-sized biotech companies and at Janssen (J&J) in San Diego, CA. Juliet earned her Bachelor’s degree from the City University of New York – Hunter College in psychology. There she conducted research in biopsychology as a National Institutes of Health – Scholar Fellow, published papers, contributed to the National Academy of Sciences, and presented at international conferences. As a native of Brooklyn, NY and working in the sciences, she has experienced the complexities of living and working in culturally diverse environments and relates her experiences in her work.