ATD Puget Sound Chapter upcoming events

Seattle Networking Interest Group (June 04, 2026)

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Seattle Networking Interest Group

Our Networking Interest Group meets virtually the first Thursday of every month for connection, conversation and conviviality! Whether you’re a current member or curious about becoming one, these structured gatherings are intentionally designed to help you:

Meet talent development professionals from across the Puget Sound region
Discover new ways to get involved with our Chapter
Get the most value out of an ATD Puget Sound Membership
Engage with Chapter Leaders
Experience and learn fun virtual connection building activities you can use at work

Whether you’re an experienced trainer, facilitator, coach, instructional designer, consultant, or aspiring to work in one of the many fields of L&D, these meetings give you the chance to learn from and with others, feel more connected to the industry and get inspired to be an active member of the ATD Puget Sound community.

Can’t join us for the full 90 minutes? No problem! This is your open invitation to a virtual open house: anyone can "Zoom" by, whenever, and for however long you can stay.

Pre-registration is required to have the Zoom log in information sent. Also, there is no real time assistance available for this program.

Skills in the Age of AI: Why Your Capability Framework Isn’t Built for What's Coming (June 10, 2026)

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Join fellow ATD Puget Sound members for an interactive, in-person experience focused on building capability-led organizations and making competency frameworks work in practice. The session will be co-facilitated by ATD Puget Sound’s President, Sherry Johnson Metz, who will guide opening and closing conversations to help participants connect, share perspectives, and ground the experience in the realities of our local L&D community and the challenges you’re navigating today.

At the heart of the session, Acorn’s President, Keith Metcalfe, will lead a dynamic workshop exploring the shift toward capability-led organizations — why so many competency initiatives struggle to gain traction, and what actually makes them stick.

Grounded in industry research and practical experience, the session will unpack the organizational and political dynamics that often get in the way, and offer actionable approaches for gaining alignment, engaging managers, and driving meaningful development conversations. This is a content-focused session designed to provide value, not a product pitch.

This experience is intentionally interactive throughout. You’ll have time to exchange ideas with peers, reflect on what you’re hearing, and identify how to apply new insights in your own organization — leaving not just with new knowledge, but with practical next steps shaped by both expert perspective and community dialogue.

Keith Metcalfe, President of Acorn, will lead the working session on what it takes to build a skills infrastructure that can keep pace. That means moving from static competency models to dynamic skills visibility, understanding how to map AI fluency as a real capability rather than a vague aspiration, and connecting development to performance outcomes in a way that leadership will actually act on, and how this is being implemented at Acorn. He'll also address what gets in the way: the organizational dynamics, the political friction, and the false starts that most organizations hit before they find traction.

This experience is intentionally interactive throughout. You’ll have time to exchange ideas with peers, reflect on what you’re hearing, and identify how to apply new insights in your own organization. We want you leaving not just with new knowledge, but with practical next steps shaped by both expert perspective and community dialogue.

About Acorn: Acorn is a performance enablement learning platform that helps organizations build the skills infrastructure needed to develop, evidence, and act on capability (including AI fluency) at the pace the modern workplace requires. Learn more at www.acorn.works.

Sherry Johnson Metz currently serves as the President of the ATDps Chapter. Sherry is the Founder & CEO of Lead Forward Consulting, where she partners with organizations to transform overwhelmed managers into intentional leaders. Sherry offers training, coaching, design and facilitation services, and talent development programs on essential skills and mindsets for empowering leaders and teams. With over 20 years in corporate and HR leadership, she helps companies build a culture of everyday leadership development, where learning is practical, ongoing, and directly tied to business outcomes.

ATD Capabilities - Learning Sciences, Technology Application, Communication, Lifelong Learning, Talent Strategy & Management, Performance Improvement, Future Readiness

Registration:

Pre-Registration - Pre-registration is mandatory.

Walk in - Walk ins are subject to space availability. The fee will be $45.

We are not able to issue refunds after the Friday prior to the meeting. Substitutions are encouraged.

Member Orientation & Networking (June 17, 2026)

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Join Us for the ATD Puget Sound Member Orientation! Whether you’re new to ATD or simply want a fresh look at all your membership has to offer, our virtual orientation is the perfect place to connect. Meet fellow members, or those considering membership, expand your network, and explore the benefits, services, and resources available to help you grow in your talent development journey. Come with questions, leave with inspiration—and get even more out of your membership.

Pre-registration is required to have the Zoom log in information sent. We are required to keep track of attendance. Also, there is no real time assistance available for this program.

ATD26 RECAP: Key Takeaways & Conversations (AI in HR SIG) (June 18, 2026)

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

DATE CHANGE

Attended ATD 2026 in LA? Couldn't make it but want to know what everyone's talking about? Join Puget Sound ATD for an interactive recap of this year's annual conference.

This member gathering brings together L&D professionals from across the region to share standout sessions, emerging trends, and practical ideas from ATD26. Whether you walked the expo floor, attended sessions or followed along from home, this is your chance to hear multiple perspectives, swap notes with colleagues, and explore how the latest thinking in talent development applies right here in the Pacific Northwest.

What to expect:

Member-led highlights from ATD26 sessions and keynotes
Open discussion on trends shaping our field
Networking with fellow Puget Sound L&D and talent professionals
Come ready to share, listen, and connect. Bring your conference notes — and your questions.

What you'll leave with:

Actionable strategies and frameworks shared at ATD26 sessions and keynotes
Concrete tools and resources you can bring back to your team immediately
Fresh perspectives on the trends shaping L&D in 2026 — and what they mean for your work

Dr. Tammy Wang

holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and has over 20 years of experience in AI and machine learning. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of Simsola AI, an AI native company to use AI assessments and simulations to empower people development. A recipient of the NSF Award for National Talent Growth, she has driven AI innovation in workforce development and previously served as SVP of Data Science at Korn Ferry and CTO at Riviera Partners, leading advancements in AI-driven talent solutions.

ATD Capabilities

Learning Sciences, Instructional Design, Training & Delivery, Technology Application, Knowledge Management, Career & Leadership, Development, Communication Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making,
Collaboration & Leadership, Business Insight, Organizational Development & Culture, Talent Strategy & Management, Performance Improvement, Compliance & Ethical Behavior, Change Management, Data & Analytics,Future Readiness

Pre-registration is required to have the Zoom log in information sent. We are required to keep track of attendance. Also, there is no real time assistance available for this program.

Technology Special Interest Group - AI + Articulate: Practical Ways to Speed Up the Build (Without Losing Quality) - Change of Date Alert (June 25, 2026)

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

CHANGE OF DATE ALERT

Curious how AI can actually help you build in Articulate, without turning your course into generic, robotic content? Join us for a practical, real-world session with Tom Kuhlmann focused on how to use AI as a smart production partner across your workflow: drafting outlines, writing dialogue, generating question banks, creating feedback variations, and producing meaningful alt text.

We’ll also dig into the part that matters most: how to QA AI-assisted content so it stays accurate, inclusive, and unmistakably human, protecting learning quality while saving serious development time.

By the end of this session, you’ll be able to:

Identify the best places to use AI in an Articulate workflow (outline → script → questions → feedback → accessibility text)
Draft stronger prompts to generate usable course content faster—without “starting over”
Generate question banks and feedback variants that align to learning objectives and real performance needs
Create alt text that supports accessibility (and actually helps learners)
Apply a simple QA checklist to verify accuracy, tone, bias, and brand voice before publishing
Leave with a repeatable “AI-assisted build” process you can use immediately in Rise or Storyline

Tom Kuhlmann is Chief Learning Architect at Articulate and the voice behind The Rapid E-Learning Blog, where he shares practical, real-world tips to help eLearning teams build better courses—faster. With 20+ years in the training industry, he’s developed hundreds of hours of eLearning and supported learning projects for organizations including Capital One, Washington Mutual, and Weyerhaeuser.

Consulting & Business Partnering, Future Readiness

Pre-registration is required to have the Zoom log in information sent. We are required to keep track of attendance. Also, there is no real time assistance available for this program.

Seattle Networking Interest Group (August 06, 2026)

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Seattle Networking Interest Group

Meet talent development professionals from across the Puget Sound region
Discover new ways to get involved with our Chapter
Get the most value out of an ATD Puget Sound Membership
Engage with Chapter Leaders
Experience and learn fun virtual connection building activities you can use at work

Can’t join us for the full 90 minutes? No problem! This is your open invitation to a virtual open house: anyone can "Zoom" by, whenever, and for however long you can stay.

Pre-registration is required to have the Zoom log in information sent. Also, there is no real time assistance available for this program.

Seattle Networking Interest Group (September 03, 2026)

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Seattle Networking Interest Group

Meet talent development professionals from across the Puget Sound region
Discover new ways to get involved with our Chapter
Get the most value out of an ATD Puget Sound Membership
Engage with Chapter Leaders
Experience and learn fun virtual connection building activities you can use at work

Can’t join us for the full 90 minutes? No problem! This is your open invitation to a virtual open house: anyone can "Zoom" by, whenever, and for however long you can stay.

Pre-registration is required to have the Zoom log in information sent. Also, there is no real time assistance available for this program.