Will Thalheimer is a learning expert, researcher, instructional designer, business strategist, speaker, and writer. Dr. Thalheimer has worked in the learning-and-performance field since 1985.

He was the project manager for the first commercially-viable computer-based leadership simulation, The Complete Manager. He led the Strategic Management Group’s product line, Leading for Business Results, increasing revenues fourfold. He has trained managers to be leaders at numerous Fortune 500 companies, teaching such topics as leadership, persuasion, conflict resolution, and business strategy. He has led change management efforts and workshops.

In 1998, Dr. Thalheimer founded Work-Learning Research to bridge the gap between research and practice, to compile research on learning, and disseminate research findings to help chief learning officers, instructional designers, trainers, e-learning developers, performance consultants, and learning executives build more effective learning-and-performance interventions and environments.

His clients have included giant multinationals, e-learning companies, government agencies, and institutions of higher learning. Short list: Walgreens, UNUM, Microsoft, MIT, Pfizer, Allen Interactions, Type A Learning Agency, eInstruction, Monitor Group, ADP, Questionmark, Midi Compliance Solutions, Facility Einstein, Defense Intelligence Agency, The eLearning Guild, Rockwell, Raytheon, Boeing, Kodak, AGFA, AMD, PPG, Nabisco, Ericsson, Abbott, Novartis, SMG, and the U.S. Postal Service. His research and writings have led the field in providing practical research-based recommendations through his online publications (www.work-learning.com/catalog), published articles, and his industry-leading blog (www.willatworklearning.com).

Dr. Thalheimer speaks regularly at national and international conferences. His conference presentations always receive numerous evaluation-sheet comments like the following: “This was one of the best presentations I attended—solid information delivered in a style that helped me learn.”

Will holds a BA from the Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from Drexel University, and a PhD in Educational Psychology: Human Learning and Cognition from Columbia University.

Sharon Boller is CEO and president of Bottom-Line Performance (BLP), a learning solutions firm she founded in 1995. Sharon has grown BLP from a single-woman sole proprietorship to a $4M+ company with 34 team members. Under her direction, BLP created the Knowledge Guru learning game platform, which has received numerous industry awards, including a Brandon Hall ‘Gold’ Award for best innovation in gaming and technology (2014). Sharon is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and co-teaches learning game design workshops with Karl Kapp for ATD and eLearning Guild events. Sharon and Karl’s new book, “Play to Learn: Everything You Need to Know About Designing Effective Learning Games,” was released in Spring 2017 by ATD Press. Sharon earned an MS in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University.

Josh Kovalik is the Global Sales Enablement Manager for TE Connectivity (TE), a $13 billion global technology leader and manufacturer of connectivity and sensor products. In his role, Josh leads TE's global, best-in-class sales enablement and training program that is designed to drive the sale of TE products to customers through TE’s channel partners. Prior to TE, Josh worked as a Senior Account Manager at an experience design firm and a B2B marketing agency and has also held positions in marketing communications and planning. Josh holds a Master’s degree in Digital Innovation in Marketing from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Messiah College. Originally from Philadelphia, he now lives in Lancaster, PA with his wife and two kids.

Mr. Musleh provides leadership and strategic direction to the Lilly Marketing Institute (L&D). The Lilly Marketing Institute’s mission is to advance the practice of Marketing around the world and to sustain a culture of high performance -- by building organizational capabilities, aligning systems, and developing processes that enable the business to achieve short and long-term objectives. As such, effective identification, development, maintenance, and delivery of prioritized learning solutions that deliver “Excellence in Workplace Learning” is mission critical.

Prior to taking over leadership of Lilly Marketing Institute, Mr. Musleh spent several decades developing deep training and leadership expertise through a broad range of experiences in the US and Global Sales, Marketing, and Research & Development, in the healthcare, food services, and communications industries. Mr. Musleh and his L&D teams have received numerous awards for learning, marketing excellence, and innovation. Mr. Musleh has also earned individual accolades as an inspirational leader. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Indiana University.

Elly is married, has one son, and lives in Carmel, Indiana.

Ms. Rials has served as AHE’s director of education since 2014, having started as education manager in 2011. She has an extensive background in healthcare education and training including instructional design, process engineering and the implementation and development of learning strategies and modalities. Ms. Rials has worked for organizations such as The New York Presbyterian Hospital, Provident Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital (Chicago), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Aetna Healthcare.

Ms. Rials is a Six-Sigma Green Belt with a Master’s of Sciences degree in Instructional Design and Technology; her undergraduate degree is in Marketing and Management. She is an avid Bears, Bulls and Cubs fan and loves to travel to warm, sunny locations, preferably locations with a beach and palm trees!

Cynthia Hinman is the Lead Client Trainer at the California Independent System Operator Corporation. With more than 18 years in the electric industry, Hinman has in-depth experience supporting industry participants in market design, customer service, and training. Currently, her specific focus areas are financial settlements training and e-Learning for new market participants. In addition, Hinman has a solid foundation leading diverse teams in developing complex training programs that span a wide range of engineering and economic disciplines.

Hinman is a Certified Instructional Designer and Trainer. She has a BA from The Ohio State University and a Master’s Degree in Business from the University of Phoenix.

Christa Music Nimmer is a Senior Project Manager at Bottom-Line Performance. In this role, she manages some of BLP's largest and most complex curriculums and projects with numerous Fortune 500 companies, helping them achieve business goals like reducing costs and launching new products, processes, and departments. Christa enjoys partnering with her clients and teammates to create learning experiences that drive results, and making sure the process to get there is manageable, organized, on schedule, and in budget. She has worked in many roles at BLP in the last nine years, giving her the ability to see project development work from different perspectives. She is currently pursuing certification as a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner through the Project Management Institute, and always working to create efficiencies to benefit both clients and the BLP team.

Jennifer is Vice President of Client Services at Bottom-Line Performance where she oversees all client project work and cross-functional project teams. She’s an award-winning instructional designer who’s passionate about helping her clients meet real business needs through engaging, practical learning solutions. Jennifer has transformed BLP’s processes over the years to ensure that they are agile enough to meet the needs of clients and complex learning solutions. She has a masters’ degree in Adult Education.

Laura Fletcher is the Instructional Design Manager at Bottom-Line Performance, where she designs learning solutions and leads a team of talented instructional designers. Laura is passionate about training and development, and stays current on industry trends and best practices to design award-winning courses, curricula, and product launches for global clients. She has a M.Ed. in Human Resource Development from the University of Illinois.

Amanda is a Senior Project Manager at Bottom-Line Performance. Her role allows her to touch nearly every aspect of a client project from planning and design to development and implementation. Amanda's passion is building strong relationships with her clients. Her goal in every project is to add value for her clients and ensure that the results exceed expectations. Amanda has spent nearly 20 years in adult education, with a focus on healthcare and life sciences. She studied Project Management at Boston University's Corporate Education Group.

Travis Spalding is a manager in Global Learning & Development and has been with Cummins since 2017. He has held similar L&D roles with other major companies such as UPS, Humana, and Yum Brands. Travis is certified in Kirkpatrick Evaluation and has experience in measuring learning initiatives. He has a Master’s in HR Education and a Doctorate in Leadership Education.

Leanne joined BLP in 2003 and was the first official employee hired. Leanne has held numerous roles in the company, adapting to BLP’s growth needs over the last 15 years. She currently serves as the Vice President of Client Relations for BLP, and is an officer of the company, partnering with others on the Senior Leadership team to make BLP the success it is today.

Leanne has over 25 years of instructional design and development experience. She is a highly skilled writer, project manager, account manager, and instructional designer as well as an outstanding facilitator. She has spoken at the local and international level for eLearning Guild, ATD, Training Magazine, LTEN, Q1, and several BLP clients’ global sales and marketing conferences. Leanne has served on the board of directors for the Central Indiana chapter of ATD in the roles of Vice President and President.