Exploring Talent Development Careers
In-Person Chapter Meeting
In honor of National Explore Your Career Options week, we invite you to join us for a panel presentation tailored for new and seasoned professionals seeking to broaden their Talent Development career horizons or enhance their current paths. Panelists represent a variety of talent development roles and industries. They will share their journey, discuss how they built their careers, choices they made, and why.
Whether you're looking to pivot into a new role or deepen your expertise in your current career trajectory, this discussion offers invaluable insights, networking opportunities, and practical strategies to navigate your journey. Don't miss this chance to connect with fellow ATD members and uncover new pathways to success in talent development.
Following the panel discussion, we will provide attendees with dinner and the opportunity to network.
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM CT
Location: Tractor Supply Company, 5401 Virginia Way, Brentwood, TN 37023
Members: FREE
Non-Members: $20
Non-Member Students: $5
Panelists:
Luke Benfield is an L&D senior manager at Evernorth, a Cigna Group company. Luke's team oversees enterprise-wide instructional design and technical writing content that supports specialty pharmacy operations, in addition to learning data and analytics across the L&D function. An instructional designer by trade, Luke has developed content for higher education, non-profit, and corporate audiences for almost two decades. He has a Camtasia certification and specializes in educational technologies. Luke is an ATD Nashville past president and has a long history serving the chapter.
Tianna Lucas has nearly two decades of diverse experience spanning healthcare and corporate settings and currently serves as the Director of Organizational Development at CoreCivic. Tianna's career journey, from pharmaceutical sales to HR and leadership roles, culminates in a passion for driving strategic solutions that foster employee growth and company success. Recognized for initiatives like a customized Leadership Development Program and recipient of accolades such as the W.E. Upjohn Award, Tianna's commitment lies in cultivating a culture of coaching, development, and positive impact. She holds a B.S. in Biology, Chemistry, and Behavioral Science from Trevecca and an MBA from Lipscomb University.
Allison Sindelir, SPHR, serves as a Talent and Leadership Development Program Manager at Tractor Supply Company. She is responsible for Career and Leadership Development for Team Members in Tractor’s over 2200 Stores. Allison began her L&D Career in Quito, Ecuador, teaching English to business professionals. She is fluent in Spanish and has used her language skills to facilitate in Spanish over the years. Prior to TSC, Allison was the Field Learning Manager at McDonald’s Corporation. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC, an M.A. in Missiology from Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, and a master’s Certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching from the University of Texas-Dallas.
Drew Smith is the training director at Quore, a hotel operations software company in Franklin. As one of the first employees, Drew championed the self-guided learning strategy for Quore customers by creating, and now maintaining, the online knowledge base and e-learning courses. He is also passionate about the new hire onboarding experience—he launched “Quorientation” and since has successfully onboarded 13 cohorts. Over the years Drew has worked in various customer service and training roles. He holds a degree in journalism from East Tennessee State University.
Ty Wheeler, MBA, currently serves as a Learning Experience Designer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she uses her instructional design skills to capture the attention of adult learners to help them develop in their roles and organizations. Ty began her career as a graphic designer, working in the publishing arena for 15 years, before pivoting to talent development. Ty also gained corporate experience during her educational pursuits at Regions Bank, Verizon, and Dell. She holds a B.S. in Organizational Leadership from Bethel University and an M.S. in Instructional Design and MBA Certificate from Trevecca.
Moderator:
Karen Baird is an experienced marcomm professional with over 20 years of service in diverse industries including nonprofit, publishing, higher education, and healthcare. She developed her passion and interest in organizational development through her work at MIT where she honed skills in change management via performance management and digital transformation projects. Karen earned her B.A. in English from Columbia College, South Carolina and an M.A. in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College, Boston.
