Paying Tribute To LX Designers Who Share Their Expertise (2023 Edition)
Creating memorable and meaningful learning experiences is no small feat. You need to strike the right balance between achieving the objectives, fostering an emotional connection, and making every element resonate with your audience. So, we're shining the spotlight on eLearning pros who help us avoid common LX development pitfalls and set an example for designers across the globe, whether they actively create eLearning programs, support organizations that need to enrich their L&D initiatives, or craft content with pointers and invaluable resources. In no particular order, here are the top LX designer trailblazers who share their expertise, experience, and insider know-how with the L&D community.
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Learning Experience Designer Thought Leaders To Check Out
Danielle Hart
Danielle Hart has a long career in internet and multimedia-related industries and is currently the director of Marketing at SweetRush Inc., a company of which she has been part for almost 20 years. She has a passion for the field of learning which she expresses by taking on various roles, such as instructional writer, project manager, and solution architect, among others.
Mirjam Neelen
Mirjam Neelen is currently the head of Global Learning Design and Learning Sciences for Novartis. Her ultimate goal is to drive change in the Learning and Development industry by shifting its focus to research and evidence-based data. She has extensive experience in needs analysis, learning strategy design and development, and she has worked as a counselor for many businesses, designing and implementing innovative learning experiences.
Dr. Irene T. Boland
Dr. Irene T. Boland is the director of Learning Strategy for Salience Learning, an L&D firm that offers diverse and science-based solutions to the business world. She partners with individuals and businesses to develop processes and learning strategies that promote the importance of learning and talent development and management. Dr. Boland is an expert in boosting performance, maximizing the use of resources, and increasing efficiency in businesses. She holds a PhD in Instructional Design.
Clark Quinn
Clark Quinn is the director of Quinnovation, an independent learning experience design strategy consultancy, and co-organizer of The Learning Development Accelerator, an online community that brings L&D professionals together. Through his endeavors, Dr. Quinn utilized evidence-based practices to help companies "work smarter." He is an internationally known consultant, speaker, and author, who integrates a deep understanding of cognition with broad experience in technology to improve organizational execution, innovation, and performance.
Cara North
Cara North is the founder and chief learning consultant of The Learning Camel, an Instructional Design and eLearning consulting business. She has been working as a learning experience designer for almost a decade in higher education, business, and consulting settings. She is passionate about building engaging eLearning experiences and facilitating VILT and ILT. You will find her sharing her knowledge on learning experience design in conferences and in the Boise State University where she is an adjunct professor.
Cathy Moore
Cathy Moore is an established thought leader in the industry of learning experience design with decades of experience. Her mission is to eliminate irrelevant corporate training through action mapping, a visual method of analyzing problems and offering actionable solutions. The hands-on toolkits she has designed have supported numerous organizations, such as Ikea, Amazon, and the National Health Service.
Lori Niles-Hofmann
Lori Niles-Hofmann is a senior learning strategist with over 25 years of experience and currently a board member of the UK-based award-winning authoring platform Elucidat. She specializes in large-scale digital learning transformations and is passionate about helping companies navigate change. Additionally, she has developed numerous data-based methodologies and frameworks that help L&D teams transform their services.
Megan Torrance
Megan Torrance is the CEO of Torrance Learning and a specialist in eLearning, webcasting, and online training design and delivery. She has over 20 years of experience working with companies to optimize processes, implement change, and provide learning experiences. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Communication and an MBA, and an eCornell facilitator in the Women's Executive Leadership curriculum.
Susan Stetson-Tiligadas
Susan Stetson-Tiligadas is the Director of Online Education at The American College of Greece and has taught there since 2006. Some of her key areas of interest are the achievement-goal theory and its link to learner motivation, creating learning outcomes, and the eclectic nature of Instructional Design. She has a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for online learning.
Jonah Goldstein
Jonah Goldstein is the director of International Operations for Texageres, an agency providing learning solutions to retailer teams. As an L&D executive, he focuses on helping teams identify their needs, offering training opportunities, and measuring the effects of learning on employee performance. He is also passionate about sharing his knowledge and insights with the global Learning and Development community.
Will Thalheimer
As a principal for TiER1 Performance, Will Thalheimer works with multi-capability teams to help them improve their business, operational, and learning strategies. He has led the research-to-practice movement for more than 20 years, developing innovative learning evaluation methodologies. He is also the co-organizer of the LDA (Learning Development Accelerator) online community of professionals.
Nyla Spooner
Nyla Spooner aims to create strategic learning experiences that focus on the learner. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge with new Instructional Designers and eLearning developers through her online community and classes. Nyla is the co-founder and learning experience designer at Design for Humanity, a collective that promotes inclusive education for a better world.
Ruth Clark
Dr. Ruth Colvin-Clark is an established thought leader in Instructional Design and technical training with almost 40 years of experience. She is the owner and president of Clark Training & Consulting, a company that provides workshops, seminars, online and offline classes aimed at workforce L&D professionals. She is also a keynote speaker and author of seven books and many articles.
Connie Malamed
Connie Malamed is the founder and chief mentor of Mastering Instructional Design, a diverse international online community of people who want to improve their Instructional Design skills. Connie is a recognized learning experience designer who specializes in visual design and workshop facilitation. She is a keynote speaker, author, and publisher of the eLearning Coach website which offers free resources and articles to ID enthusiasts.
Dr. Page Chen
Dr. Page Chen is the chief experience officer for Learning Pool and is passionate about the design and delivery of learning experiences that drive great results. She offers consults to Fortune 500 companies, organizations, and universities to help them create digital learning solutions that exceed their expectations. She has spent over a decade researching how the combination of strategy and technology can support learner mastery.
Are You An eLearning Thought Leader Who Would Like To Be Featured On A Future List?
We'd like to congratulate all of the learning experience design experts featured on this list who are passionate about the eLearning field. If you'd like to be considered for our next eLearning Trailblazers List, our Editorial team would love to hear from you. We'll publish more niche-specific thought leader lists in the near future, like eLearning gamifiers and leadership developers. We'd also like to invite you to guest post on our eLearning Industry platform to share your insider expertise. Last but not least, you can also download our guide to explore submission tips and other essential info.
