ATD St. Louis Member Spotlight! 

Featuring: Terry Foraker

Role: Instructional Designer

Company: Edward Jones

What attracted you to the field of Talent Development?

The combination of helping others learn and develop, and the opportunity to do creative work. I'm an insatiable learner, and knowing that the work I do is enabling others to learn is thrilling!

What part of your work are you most passionate about right now and why?

So much is changing in our firm, both structurally/organizationally, and in terms of new systems and technologies. It's enough to make your head spin, but at the same time my colleagues and I are helping move the firm into the future. I especially love learning about the technologies we are adopting to help us do our work more efficiently and effectively – especially our content management system and the use of generative AI as a tool to help us create deliverables that are useful for our learners.

What inspired you to join ATD, and how has your membership benefited you?

I had been an occasional attendee at some of the webinars and had attended three of the annual Learn conferences (and been on the planning committee for last year's). This year, I decided to make it official. Through my membership, I have access to a variety of local events and have been introduced to fellow professionals in the talent development field. The energy they bring is electrifying!

What advice would you give to other ATD members looking to advance their careers?

Take advantage of every opportunity to grow and build your skillset and toolset. Whether it's a certification, a new technology, or a leadership opportunity – dive right in, and don't automatically rule yourself out as unqualified or by saying "that's not me"; the more you expose yourself to and take on, the more it will become you in time. And not only will you provide more value, you will also experience more zest in your daily work!

What is your favorite quote, book, or podcast?

Whatever book I'm reading at the time! In the instructional design field, I've found Map It by Cathy Moore and The Modern Learning Ecosystem by J.D. Dillon to be the most useful. From a professional development standpoint, I've just finished reading Becoming Better by Ryan Gottfredson, and it is a game changer – focusing on elevating one's "being" side by improving our internal operating systems. We tend to focus on the "doing" side by building knowledge and skills, while it's the "being" side that either sets or removes limits on how far we can go with our knowledge and skills.