This is more than an event - it's an experience designed to energize, inspire, and connect you to the future of L&D.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

TRACKS & SESSIONS

SPONSORSHIP

embracing the transformative innovations shaping our future

our future

Under the theme, Foundations of the Future, this year's conference celebrates the timeless principles of learning and leadership while inspiring new approaches to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world. 

Amazing Venue - the southern exchange

Every detail has been designed to create an unforgettable experience.

breakout sessions designed for you

Choose from custom-created tracks to attend sessions that align with your goals.

meet your people - naturally

Genuine, easy ways to connect so you'll walk away with new ideas and new allies.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Keith Keating is a workforce futurist, design thinking practitioner, keynote speaker, Chief Learning Officer, and problem solver. With a Doctorate in Education, he focuses on adult learning theory and performance improvement. His mission is to empower individuals to take control of their future by unlocking their inherent capabilities, advocating for transferable skills, championing lifelong learning, and pioneering innovative approaches to skill diversification.

Crystal Kadakia is an organizational culture change expert, two-time TEDx speaker, international keynote speaker, and author. With a background in chemical engineering, she began her career in a Fortune 100 consumer products company. She now focuses on initiatives that enhance human potential and support planetary sustainability. Her work includes organizational consulting, revolutionizing learning initiatives, and delivering impactful keynotes on digital well-being and diversity and inclusion. Crystal's interdisciplinary approach bridges existing perspectives to create new worldviews, aiming to maximize essentialism, alchemy, and life in her endeavors. 

 
EXPLORE OUR DYNAMIC TRACKS AND PRESENTERS!
 

Career Development

Talent Development

People Operations

L&D Leaders

Instructional Designers

Consultants

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Yes, And I’m Exhausted: Using Improv to Reset Leadership Capacity - Courtney L. Teague

This high-energy session uses foundational improv techniques to help leaders recognize and reset patterns that lead to burnout and capacity fatigue. Participants will engage in movement-based reflection, complete a personal Capacity Snapshot, and walk away with a ready-to-use conversation guide to immediately support themselves and their teams.

Level Up Your Learning Game: How to Train Gen Z with Play, Purpose & Progress - Tonia Morris

Get ready to reimagine workplace learning for Gen Z! This high-energy session explores how to engage the newest generation of talent through gamified learning, purpose-driven development, and real-time feedback. Walk away with fresh strategies to create training experiences Gen Z won’t ignore.

Create Your Own Succession Plan Through Learning Journey Design - Tony Ballard

In this workshop, participants will learn how to take control of their careers through self-directed learning, identifying skill gaps, curating learning experiences, and proactively building expertise focused on intentional growth and strategic positioning for future success.

Strategy. Skills. Results: the (not so) Secret Formula - Trish Thorne

Join the journey and get the formula of how a progressive leadership team understood the unmistakable alignment between associate skill development and the impact on positive business results.

TALENT DEVELOPMENT

Onboarding for a Brave New World - Dave Sayers

A strong onboarding process boosts retention, with 46% of new hires staying past their first year due to a positive experience. Ready to refresh your onboarding or start from scratch? Join this interactive session to uncover key strategies and tools to develop actionable steps to improve onboarding at your organization.

Present with Impact: Influence and Engage Every Audience - Wayne Coleman, MBA, CMF

Speaking in front of groups is the number one fear of adults. Learn ways to overcome your apprehensions and recall your presentation points. Wayne will share dozens of tips from his 40 years of experience training speakers and trainers, demonstrating many simple, effective delivery techniques that add conviction to your presentations.

Unlocking the Power of Data: Using Learning Analytics to Enhance Performance and Impact - Brandy Ford

The session will delve into essential topics within learning analytics, such as gathering data, its analysis, and how to interpret the results. Whether you want to refine existing evaluation approaches or adopt new methods, this session provides essential knowledge for showing how learning contributes to organizational success.

How to Build a Capability-Driven Strategy That Actually Works - Alan Dale & Graham Smith

L&D leaders know that capabilities—not just content—should be at the heart of every learning program. But how do you actually integrate capabilities into your entire learning strategy to drive performance and business outcomes?

PEOPLE OPERATIONS

Start With Skills - Fostering Smarter Hiring & Talent Development - Sheri Foster

Defining key skills for job success is a crucial skill L&D professionals can help organizations develop. Learning the steps to enable skills-based hiring lays the foundation for skills-based talent management, building a dynamic, agile workforce ready for future challenges.

Bridging the Gap: Uniting HR and L&D through Professional Development - Anthony P. Howard

Looking to break silos and level up your impact? This session will give you real-world strategies to align personal growth with organizational purpose—while building stronger connections across HR and L&D. Join us to reimagine what intentional, inclusive development can look like in today’s workplace.

Directing AI: Using Theatre Techniques to Find Your Authentic Voice - J. Noble

This session introduces a unique approach: applying theatrical techniques to AI interactions. You'll learn how playwrights develop distinct character voices and how directors use strategic questioning to shape performances. Apply these proven methods to transform AI outputs into content that reflects your voice and sounds real.

Progressive EQ: Transforming Emotional Intelligence Development - Gloriana Teh

Despite the prevalence of EQ training, leaders still struggle to apply these skills consistently. Progressive EQ offers a developmental framework that transforms how emotional intelligence is taught and internalized, providing L&D professionals with effective strategies to create lasting behavioral change in leadership.

L&D LEADERS

Partnership Systems: Shifting from Rigid Hierarchy to Shared Leadership - Anastacia F. Johnson

What if leadership wasn’t about climbing the ladder but building bridges? This high-energy session explores how partnership systems can unlock collaboration, engagement, and innovation by decentralizing leadership and shifting power. Come ready to move, reflect, and reimagine leadership.

When Training Isn’t the Answer: What to Do Instead - Ramien Pierre

You know training isn’t always the answer—but how do you say that to stakeholders? This session gives you a framework and scripts to confidently redirect requests toward better OD solutions.

Keeping Leadership Human in the Age of AI - Brandon Smith

As AI transforms how we work, strong leadership still depends on timeless human traits. Learn how to approach future-ready leadership development without losing the fundamentals.

Human-Centered Leadership Across Generations: Leveraging Technology for Engagement and Re-Recruitment - Crystal Fife

Learn how to lead and engage a multigenerational workforce using human-centered leadership, re-recruitment strategies, and tech-enabled talent development. Walk away with practical tools and a real-world plan to boost retention and impact in your organization.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNERS

The ROI of Learning: Using Productivity Metrics to Prove Training Effectiveness - Katherine Nobles & Emma Browning

Learn how to measure the real impact of your L&D programs on productivity. This session will equip you with practical strategies to link training to tangible performance improvements. Discover how to track, assess, and demonstrate learning’s business value using meaningful productivity metrics.

Facilitation Fireworks: How to Ignite Participation & Make Learning Stick - Brandon Robertson

Why This Session? Whether you’re a trainer, speaker, or team leader, your ability to engage your audience is the key to impact. Let’s ditch the dull lectures and create experiences that captivate, educate, and elevate! Ready to level up your facilitation game? Join me and we'll make learning fun, fast, and unforgettable!"

A Combined Approach to Learner-Centered Design for Engagement and Success - Jacqueline Stephen, Chantia Daniels, & Charlotte Whitehead

Join us for an engaging session on combining instructional design models and frameworks to create learner-centered experiences that boost engagement and success. Explore how these models can be integrated to design flexible, inclusive, and impactful learning experiences. Attendees will gain practical tools and strategies for their own projects.

Designing Tomorrow: Embracing Trends, Tech, and Transformation in L&D - Demetrice Bryant

Stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving learning landscape. Explore how emerging instructional design trends and responsible AI can future-proof your L&D strategy and elevate your impact.

CONSULTANTS

Closing the Credibility Gap - John Buschiazzo

A lack of credibility with the business is holding you back. What can you do? Join us for this interactive workshop to explore how to build credibility and make your team "sticky" during uncertain times. Stop being the team to lose $ and people first.

Implementing Performance Consulting Within Your Learning Organization - Glen Hasling

Have you ever had a training request that you knew wouldn't fix the issues? If so, learn some front-end performance consulting assessment strategies that will help you and your organization reduce wasted time, money, and resources.

Leading Change with Confidence: Empowering People Through Uncertainty - Nicole Ghosten

Discover practical strategies to lead through change with confidence. This session will show L&D professionals how to empower people, build resilience, and turn uncertainty into growth. Walk away with tools to drive impactful, people-centered transformation in any organization.

If You Don't Get Culture, Culture Will Get You - Christian Höferle

Culture will always show up—whether you’re ready or not. In this eye-opening session, discover how ignoring cultural dynamics can erode team performance and revenue, and learn practical ways to integrate Cultural Intelligence (CQ) into leadership and talent strategies before misalignment costs you.

Put Your brand in front of atlanta's professionals: sponsor atd ace 2025!

From corporate leaders and HR professionals to entrepreneurs and consultants, this event brings together a diverse group of decision makers and industry influencers.

Why sponsor?

• Unmatched brand exposure – Get your business in front of hundreds of engaged professionals from a variety of industries.

• Direct connections – Build relationships with attendees who are actively looking for solutions, services, and partnerships.
• Community engagement – Show your commitment to professional growth and innovation in Atlanta's thriving business scene.
• Custom sponsorship packages – From event signage to interactive experiences, we'll tailor an opportunity that fits your brand's goal.