President - Diane Fox

Diane Fox has over 10 years of experience in the Learning and Development field with experience in managing projects and teams to enhance learning and development programs and analyze learning effectiveness. She also has expertise in strategic planning, LMS management and facilitating instructor-led and virtual classroom training.

She is currently the Training Manager at MotorCity Casino Hotel where she oversees a training department that supports the organization in 5 key areas including Compliance, Leadership, Personal Development, Management and Guest Service.

Diane holds a BA Degree in Psychology and Sociology from Concordia University and an MBA from Lawrence Technological University.

Diane achieved her Certified Professional of Learning and Performance (CPLP) through ATD in November 2015. 

President Elect - Esther Jackson

Esther is a Project Manager and Instructional Designer with over 10 years of experience in managing projects and talent development. She has worked in various capacities to provide training and consulting services to various levels of the organizational hierarchy. She has a background in creating training materials, facilitating more than 30 course topics for soft skills and technology courses, presenting at conferences, designing curriculums for professional development, HR analytics, and managing projects based on project management principles. Esther currently works at Innovative Learning Group.

She has a passion for sharing knowledge and providing skill development which she demonstrates in her volunteer work and presentations at national conferences.

Esther holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master of Arts Degree from Wayne State University. She is pursuing her doctoral degree from Walden University.

Past President  - Albina Ortiz  

Albina Ortiz has nearly 20 years of experience in instructional design, human resource development, and labor relations. She currently works for GP Strategies as a Training Project Manager supporting the Rockwell Automation account.

Some of her accomplishments have included: designing, developing, and deploying training materials in the areas of Project Management, Lean Manufacturing, Craft skills, Automation, Leadership Development, and Executive Coaching.

She has performed training needs, course adaptability, and knowledge transfer and deliverance assessments, written case studies and proposals, and developed train-the-trainer participant and instructor guides for various clients in the manufacturing, food and beverage, and Health Care fields.

Albina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Development from Oakland University, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and is currently attending Grand Canyon University to obtain her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership.

 

Vice President of Technology- Johnnie Thayer
After working for many years in the legal field, and frequently finding herself in the position of helping others, Johnnie realized that she really loved the feeling of helping others succeed.

She returned to college to get a degree that will allow her to fulfill her goal of supporting the learning and talent development of others.

She currently works at Sun Communities Inc. as a Learning & Development Coordinator. 

Johnnie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Development/Training and Development from Oakland University.   

Vice President of Finance - Chris Olson
Chris Olson is the Manager of Organizational Development at Chemical Bank. His responsibilities with Chemical Bank include overseeing the leadership development program, talent management curriculum and corporate learning technology solutions.

He brings 17 years of experience in the finance industry, from seven different banking organizations. Eleven of those years were spent focusing specifically on learning and development.

His expertise involves strategic planning, instructional design, LMS management, eLearning authoring, facilitating instructor-led and virtual classroom trainings. Through his professional career, he also brings an eclectic background of performing in national touring indie rock bands, establishing a Third Wave coffee roasting company and providing consulting for Michigan craft breweries.

 Vice President of Marketing and Communications - Tom Petro

Tom Petro is a business development director for Innovative Learning Group. He has 30 years of experience in marketing and business development for complex B2B services, including learning and performance support solutions.

Tom joined ILG after a more than 10-year career at J.D. Power in Troy. Most recently, Tom was the senior director of marketing where he was responsible for B2B product marketing and events. Previously, he was a founding member and senior director of business development for the company’s financial services and insurance division.

Tom joined J.D. Power in 2004 as the director of learning and performance systems from the former Farmington Hills-based Triad Performance Technologies. At Triad, Tom served as the director of business development, where he led the sales of learning projects and long-term relationships to support key client initiatives in the areas of quality, brand management, and systems implementation.

Tom has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Vice President of Programs and Events - Robin Chapekis

Robin Chapekis, SHRM-SCP, holds an MS in Human Resources and Organizational Development. Currently, she works as an HR Business Partner with Starfish Family Services for the Behavioral Health Services Business unit and has worked in the HR field for more than 10 years. Her main focus area is Organizational Effectiveness; ensuring organizations have a strong Employee Value Proposition. She has developed and delivered training sessions for leaders on Performance Based Management, Selection Techniques, Communication best practices, Employee Engagement and Retention and Total Rewards. Robin has a passion for bringing creative ideas to any training session. She believes that attendees should leave an event having made a connection with someone, validated their professional path, and gained a tool that can be immediately applied on the job.

Vice President of Membership - Michael Haynes

Michael Haynes is a licensed attorney in Michigan and an experienced HR and employee relations professional. His specialty areas are training and development, employment law, and health insurance. He also teaches Employee Benefits courses at Oakland University.

Michael has spent hundreds of hours organizing and delivering trainings and presentations, and has served individual clients in a multitude of legal areas, including labor relations, employment contract negotiation, and benefit brokerage and explanation.

In addition to years of practical experience, Haynes holds academic credentials from Eastern Michigan University (B.S. Public Administration; MSHROD) and Penn State University (J.D.). He also is a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) as credentialed by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.

Vice President of Career Development - Open

Member at Large - Joan Allesee   

Joan Allesee is an instructional designer at Innovative Learning Group. Before joining ILG, Joan was a freelance instructional designer designing e-learning solutions for ILG’s healthcare and government clients. She has created courses on topics such as government credit card policies, industrial hygiene sampling protocols, and patient-care monitoring.

Joan spent 10 years at Kelly Services where she worked as a senior account representative and supervisor at its Austin, Texas, branch office, and as a human resources development manager at the company’s corporate headquarters in Troy. In this role, Joan designed, implemented, and facilitated training initiatives based on client consultation and performance analysis.

Since 2014, Joan has been volunteering at the Oakland Literacy Council in Bloomfield Hills as an instructional designer, tutor, and facilitator

Joan earned a master’s degree in instructional design from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Michigan.

Member at Large - Jamie Irvin

  With a background in education, Jamie is energized by facilitating and helping others learn new information. She is currently the Corporate Training Manager at Olympia Entertainment. In her role, Jamie is responsible for design, development, implementation, delivery and administration of the company training programs for colleagues at various levels throughout the organization. She is passionate about training in innovative ways and is working to incorporate behavioral economics and human centered design into her work. Jamie earned a B.A. of Science in Education from Wayne State University.

Director of Events Management - Kimberly Randall 

 Kimberly Randall is a Human Resources professional and an experienced Learning and Development expert who holds a Master of Arts in Instructional Design from Wayne state University.

 Prior to joining the City of Detroit, Kimberly worked in hospitality, automotive, education and government designing, developing and facilitating training. She is a ten-year veteran at the City of Detroit. Reporting to the Chief Learning Officer, Kimberly currently serves as the Learning and Development Training Manager and supports the Human Resources Director's team collaboration initiatives.

Kimberly manages City training program operations for over 9,000 employees, and designs, develops, and facilitates customized workshops for several City departments including Public Safety and the City Counsel.

Director of Programming and Engagement - Mary Cooney

Mary Cooney, PhD, is founder and CEO of Creativia, a company that helps businesses drive success through cross-generational engagement.  Although she is new to ATD, she spent a large part of her career as a university professor preparing millennials for the workforce. She is originally from Seattle, where she learned theatre techniques that build skills, and confidence simultaneously. Her cornerstone is "generational diversity" that respects - and requires - the exuberance of youth and the experience of age.

ATD Detroit Account Manager - Aubrey Knapp

Aubrey is the account manager at Meeting Coordinators, Inc., the leading association and meeting management firm in Southeast Michigan.

Aubrey previously studied in the communications field and has held positions in the hospitality and meeting industry. Most recently she was an assistant sales manager at Watermark Properties.

Meeting Coordinators, Inc. is proud to manage the daily logistics and administrative activities for our chapter. In addition to ATD Detroit and several other associations, they also manage and coordinate corporate meetings and conferences.