Thank you to everyone who filled out and submitted a GV ASTD survey prior to the holiday networking event. Over sixty people participated. Congratulations to Kristen Hadcock, who won the one year GV ASTD membership, effective on her next renewal date.

Over thirty five GV ASTD members and guests attended the annual Holiday Networking event on November 15  at Pomodoros on University Avenue to share good food, drink, and camaraderie. Congratulations to the three lucky attendees who had their names drawn at the event’s drawing. Pat Black and Mary Ness each won a copy of Stephen M. R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust. Britt Lui won a course seat with a retail value of $200 from New Horizons Computer Learning Center of Syracuse and Rochester.

written by Jim Darby

Kelli Loveless, Co-President of the GV ASTD Chapter, recently earned the coveted Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) credential from the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) Certification Institute. The CPLP™ designation affirms that Kelli demonstrates the knowledge and skills to be a top performer in managing the learning function.

"I'm honored to earn this credential," says Kelli, Manager of Learning & Development at ESL Federal Credit Union. "It's a rigorous process involving nine areas of expertise. When you earn a CPLP™ you can be sure you have the range of knowledge to lead and succeed in the workplace learning and performance field," she says.

"It's particularly gratifying that three members of my team also achieved their CPLP credential because it signifies that we have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide value to our employer, colleagues, and clients," she adds.

Three of Kelli’s direct reports at ESL Federal Credit Union all of whom are ASTD members earned CPLP™ certifications in the following areas of expertise:

• Yvette Charleton, Training & Performance Specialist, in Delivering Training
• Jim Darby, Instructional Design, in Designing Learning
• Julie Demo, Training & Development Specialist, in Delivering Training

ESL encourages its employees to continuously enhance their professional skills by pursuing professional certifications both for their own career development and for the good of ESL and its members. One of the key performance goals in 2012 for Kelli and her team was to achieve the CPLP™ certification from ASTD to enhance the quality of ESL’s learning interventions. "While we're thrilled to earn our CPLP credentials, we recognize this achievement is part of the larger journey of continuous learning and improvement both personally and professionally," says Kelli.

"As the association dedicated to the workplace learning and performance profession, ASTD is at the forefront providing information on the critical skills and abilities that practitioners must have to succeed in the field," says Tony Bingham, President of the ASTD Certification Institute. "The CPLP™ credential was built to provide workplace learning professionals a tool with which to increase their knowledge, competence, and confidence while proving their value to employers," he says.

Learn More about How to Earn Your CPLP™ from Kelli and Her Team

The GV ASTD chapter will mark the CPLP™ achievements of Kelli and her team by hosting an informal discussion at the Pittsford Farms Dairy, 44 N Main St Pittsford, NY 14534, on Thurs., Nov. 15 from 7:30-9:00 a.m. Learn more about earning a CPLP™ certification from local people who have just completed the process. Kelli and her team will invite your questions and share their experiences over coffee and donuts. Be sure to join us! And even if you've already earned your CPLP™, come and network with other chapter members.

More information about the CPLP™ program may also be found at http://www.astd.org/Certification.aspx. Additional questions should be directed to: certification@astd.org.

written by Jim Darby

It was a success! We experienced a great turnout at our first morning professional development session, held on July 11th, at Pittsford Dairy.  The 7:30 a.m. timeframe was deemed positive by all attendees and will definitely be considered for future events.

The event began with 15 minutes of casual networking and chatting over coffee. Once we were full of caffeine (and treats), Jennifer Benson conducted an introduction activity followed by a facilitated conversation using pre-defined discussion points.

Thanks to all that attended and participated in the event.  Special thanks to Jennifer Benson for organizing and facilitating a great professional development and networking opportunity!

Thank you to the GV ASTD members who participated in the elections and approved the board of directors for the term July, 2012 - June 2013. The officers are:

Suzanne Choma and Kelli Loveless, Co-presidents
Becky Ezell, Vice President, Membership
Jennifer Benson, Vice President, Professional Development
Chrystie Barker, Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Hannah Morgan, Vice President, Talent Liaison
Tom Stone, Vice President, Technology & Social Media
Phil Minarik, Vice President, Finance
Bob Whipple, Vice President, Special Events & National Liaison

To learn more about the incoming board of directors, please click here.

Check out the new photo galleries from May and June program events! Both events were well-attended and the feedback was very positive. If you were not able to attend, check out the photos for what you missed -- and we hope to see you at GV ASTD events in the near future!

This week ASTD re-launched their website with a fresh new design and many new features. Of particular interest are the new Communities of Practice section, which bring together a range of resources in particular areas of interest to Learning and Development professionals. Check it all out at http://www.astd.org/

GV ASTD is excited to announce our newest member benefit: a more active Jobs page on the GV ASTD website that will share employment announcements.

Our intent is to be able to connect the training and development talent in the Genesee Valley area with employers.  To make this happen, we will be sharing leads and opportunities.

As the Talent Liaison, my role will be to disperse and promote employment opportunities in the region on our website. 

The opportunities will encompass everything in the training and development area including: curriculum development, organizational development, and of course, training.

We will be reaching out to area employers to make them aware of our potential talent pool and encourage them to share their openings and opportunities with GV ASTD.  Additionally, as members of GV ASTD, if your organization or an organization you know has opportunities, please, share them with the Talent Liaison and I will communicate them to the greater audience.

We look forward to making this a valuable resource for tapping into the hidden job market and adding value to the Rochester area.

If you currently know of or have job openings, email the full job description and/or link with the contact information to hannah.morgan@gvastd.org.

If you have suggestions or ideas on how we can make this a rewarding and rich resource, please contact me at hannah.morgan@gvastd.org or 585.727.0246.

GV ASTD met on March 8 for a very interesting and engaging session by member Bob Whipple, The Trust Ambassador, on how to help executives stop playing "whack-a-mole" and start leading. As always, Bob got participants to think, see outside the box, and explore ideas outside of their reality -- and was entertaining to boot.

He started with asking the audience "what's so different today for leaders than just a few years ago?  Globalization, cell phones...bottom line, as a leader, "you're always on." So then, more importantly, what is the role of GV ASTD members who support and advise leaders? The group's answer was "To see reality; to view things differently."

To learn more about what happened at the session, check out Bob' Freese's blog post.

The St. John Fisher College Organizational Learning and Human Resource Development Masters Program invites GV ASTD members to its next professional workshop on Saturday March 24, from 9:00 am to Noon in the COP Conference Room (2^nd Floor – Campus Center/Haffey Hall) at St. John Fisher College.  Admission is complimentary. The presenter is distinguished professor and researcher Dr. Martha Gephart.  Martha is an Associate Professor in the Department of Organization and Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York City.  Her presentation on Saturday March 24 is entitled "Leveraging Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategically.  The session will focus on: Leveraging strategic organizational learning for performance and change; exploring what is "strategic organizational learning"; how are organizations leveraging learning to meet strategic challenges; how knowledge sharing occurs through networks and communities; and reviewing several real-life case examples to help the group understand and apply the concepts of strategic organizational learning and the use of networks and communities to leverage learning and performance.

         Please note, this next session will again be held in the COP (Council of Presidents) Conference Room, in the Haffey Building/Campus Center.  This room is located ONE FLOOR above the Student Dining area (which is also one floor above the Wilson Formal Lounge, where many of our sessions last year were held.  Find Student Dining, see the stairs, go up one floor, bear left,  and you will see signs for the COP Room). 

        Please RSVP to DrSethRSilver@aol.com  if you will be attending, so we can plan the room and breakfast refreshments accordingly.  Also, feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues and anyone in your network interested in HR, HRD, and management.  Thank you.