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Board Member Profiles
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Michael Merritt
HDR Inc
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General Responsibilities:
Provide leadership and direction to the Chapter. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Michael Merritt has been involved in Education Technologies for thirteen years and has specialized in E-Learning for the last 7 years. At the BryanLGH College of Health Sciences he was the lead in the design of classroom technologies for a 75,000 square foot expansion, and taught two freshman level courses. In 2004 Michael joined The Nebraska Medical Center as the E-Learning Coordinated. Serving 6000+ users Michael administered the E-Learning initiative inlcuding the administration of the Learning Management System and the design, development, and technical support of courses offered.
Michael has earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in English, a Master's Degree from the University of Pheonix in Adult Education with an emphasis in E-Learning. Michael served as the Instructional Designer for ACI Worldwide and currently serves as the Senior eLearning Developer for HDR Inc.
Michael is a Past-President of the ASTD-Lincoln Chapter, an Alumni of Leadership Lincoln Class XX, and has been a member of the Lincoln Young Professional Group and the Omaha Young Professionals Council.
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General Responsibilities:
Provide leadership and direction to the Chapter. Prepare for the Presidency by participating in board meetings, familiarizing oneself with the operating structure of the Chapter and assisting the President. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Terry Lee is employed with Woodmen of The World Insurance as a Performance Development Consultant. He has been at Woodmen for 8 years and my current role for 2 years. Terry graduated from University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1993 with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Certifications include Executive Coaching from Kaplan University and Emergenetics.
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General Responsibilities:
Provide leadership and advice to the President, President-Elect, the Board and the Chapter. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Heather Davis has over thirteen years of experience project-managing, creating, and delivering a wide variety of educational materials for corporate, government, secondary, and higher education settings. Ms. Davis began her career as a secondary teacher and has worked as instructional designer and developer with the U.S. Department of Energy and software corporations. Her education includes: a BA from UW-Madison, post-graduate education from NAU, and a M.Ed. from ASU. Heather Davis is currently an E-Learning Manager with Home Instead Senior Care. She is an active member of ASTD Nebraska, previously serving as Vice President of Professional Development, President-Elect and President.
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Angela Galloway
OPPD
Email Angela
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General Responsibilities:
Provide leadership and advice to the President, President-Elect, the Board and the Chapter. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Angela Galloway has over 14 years experience in learning and workplace development. She has shared leadership and communication skills in several industries including technology, state government, healthcare and public utility. Angela has formally presented for the Nebraska State Legislature on using effective computer skills to lead the state, ASTD’s Leadership Conference in 2006 on branding and in 2007 on strategic planning / business acumen for ASTD chapters. Recently, she has served as ASTD Nebraska’s Chapter president for 2007.
ASTD Roles:
Through ASTD I have been involved through committees and board positions over the last seven years:
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ASTD NE Past President – 2008
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ASTD NE President – 2007
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ASTD NE President-Elect – 2006
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ASTD NE VP of Marketing – 2004, 2005
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ASTD NE Branding Taskforce Chair – 2004
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ASTD NE Director of Marketing – 2003
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ASTD NE Director of Public Relations – 2002
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ASTD Lincoln Director of Newsletter – 2000, 1999
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Ericka Juno
Boys Town
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General Responsibilities:
Manages administrative duties for the chapter as assigned. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Ericka Juno is a Senior Curriculum Design Specialist at Securities America, Inc., facilitating and designing courses and curriculum. Ericka was key in the conversion of courses and records to a learning management system (LMS) and is now the LMS administrator for the company, supporting over 2500 learners. She has been involved in Training for 3 years. She joined ASTD Nebraska in 2007. Ericka received her Master’s Degree in Management from Bellevue University. Prior to Securities America, Ericka was a Team Lead at Target and an IT Project Manager in the USAF.
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General Responsibilities:
Oversee all communication goals, strategies, tools, and mechanisms including, but not limited to, print and electronic marketing correspondence and the chapter web site. Ensure all chapter communications adheres to ASTD’s identity guidelines. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Catherine Rawlings joined the Nebraska chapter of ASTD in 2004 and has volunteered on the Resume Review Task Force since 2006. She is currently employed by Applied Underwriters as a Corporate Trainer and has facilitated and designed, or helped redesign, over 25 different courses. Her primary areas of focus are payroll operations, leadership development, and communication. Cat helped create and launch her company’s corporate university, including a corporate library, and feels lucky to work with an extremely talented and friendly team of trainers.
Catherine earned her Certificate in Training through ASTD Nebraska in 2005 and looks forward to completing her CPLP certification by 2010. She has over 14 years experience managing and training employees in both retail and corporate settings. Her education includes a two-year degree in Practical Nursing and a bachelor of science in Strengths-Based Management, with a minor in English. An avid reader, she is particularly interested in positive psychology and behavioral economics.
In 2010, Catherine will determine how she can provide the best value to her fellow ASTD Nebraska members as VP of Marketing and then put her talents and abilities to good use in that endeavor.
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Kim Hurst
SAC Federal Credit Union
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General Responsibilities:
Communicate Chapter activities to members and the community at large through announcements, events, press releases, etc. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Kim Hurst is currently the Culture Development Trainer at SAC Federal Credit Union. Kim has been with SAC for over 10 years holding various positions in the Operations department. Over the course of 2009, Kim has had the tremendous pleasure of assisting in the creation of the Culture Development department by implementing coaching, sales and service training solutions for nearly 200 Credit Union employees. Kim earned her Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Human Resource Management from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Kim's first ASTD Nebraska experience was attending the Trainer's Institute in October, 2009 and she immediately wanted to become more involved. The challenge of assisting the Communications Team with Marketing initiatives is very exciting and Kim takes on the new endeavor with great enthusiasm.
Kim's goal this year is to ensure reaching our ASTD membership with all pertinent information regarding the fantastic programs and events, membership benefits and involvement options ASTD offers in a way that is simple yet innovative and inspiring.
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Shelly Whittaker
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General Responsibilities:
Publish the Chapter’s monthly newsletter and E-Newsletter. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Shelly Whittaker has worked in the training, education and information technology fields for 20 years. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education and a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Technology. In addition, she has HDI Certification in Knowledge Centered Support Principles. She is currently the Training Coordinator in the Division of Information Technology at Creighton University. In this role, she is responsible for the overall coordination of the program as well as developing courses and providing instruction for the software applications on campus. Shelly plays an active role in the training initiative for all application roll-outs as well as orienting new employees and students to the technology available at Creighton.
Shelly has been a member of ASTD Nebraska since 2005 and is looking forward to a more active role as the Director of Communications.
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Marilyn Czerwinski
Home Instead Senior Care
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General Responsibilities:
Provide leadership to the Director of Web and Director of Social Learning to assist in communicating Chapter activities to members and the community at large through the Chapter Website. Work with the Treasurer to oversee the chatper budget, continuously ensure the chapter is in good financial standing, and research ways to keep the chapter financially stable for the future. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Marilyn Czerwinski recently embarked on a new career path as an E-Learning Specialist for Home Instead Senior Care. Prior to this, Ms. Czerwinski was the Adult Development Director for Girl Scouts – Great Plains Council in Omaha, Nebraska, overseeing the design and delivery of training sessions for adult volunteers, Train-the-Trainer program for volunteer trainers she recruited and supervised, and the workforce development programs for the council staff.
Ms. Czerwinski received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska Omaha, a post-graduate Concentration in Adult Learning Theory and Design from Drake University, a 18-hour Certificate in E-Learning Design from the University of Colorado Denver and is in the process of completing the Master’s Program in E-learning Design and Implementation.
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General Responsibilities:
As Director of Website, the goal of this position is timely and accurate website postings, making our website a valuable tool for membership and an enticing organization to prospective members. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Laura Dyer is a Technical Trainer at Home Instead Senior Care. She has been involved in Training and Organziational Development for 9 years. She joined ASTD Nebraska in June, 2009. Previously, she was active in ASTD-Lincoln and served as Co-Chair for the 2007 Big Event. Prior to Home Instead Senior Care, Laura was a Learning Facilitator at West Asset Management and a Content Consultant for Securities America. She worked at Ameritas Life Insurance Corp in Lincoln for 6 years.
As the Director of Website, I will work to ensure that the important information about ASTD Nebraska is available to current members, volunteers and prospective members in a timely and efficient manner.
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OPEN
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General Responsibilities:
Maintain accurate financial records and ensure the Chapter’s sound financial status. Advise the leadership on fiscal policy. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
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Christine Hitchcock
West Corporation
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General Responsibilities:
Oversee membership goals, strategies, and activities that will assist the Chapter in recruiting new members and retaining current members. Provide membership services to the membership. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Christine Hitchcock has been at West Corporation since December, 2007. She began her training and consultation career in 1997 at Boys Town. From 1997-2005, Chris traveled the United States and trained staff and administration in schools, children's psychiatric hospitals and group homes to help troubled children develop social, life and leadership skills. In 2005, she became a manager of thirteen staff in four programs on the Boys Town Campus.
In 2007, Chris learned of an opporunity at West Corporation which would allow her to combine two of her passions - training and management. This opportunity has allowed Chris to train and coach employees to be better leaders within the organization. She recently obtained Keirsey Temperament Certification and enjoys being able to help West employees understand their unique strengths through temperament study.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Chadron State College.
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Pati Carr
NEI Global Relocation
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General Responsibilities:
Assist the VP in the oversight of membership goals, strategies, and activities that will assist the Chapter in recruiting new members and retraining current members. Provide membership services to the membership. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Pati Carr is an Operations Development Coordinator at NEI Global Relocation Company, where her primary responsibilities include designing and facilitating industry related training as well as managing NEI’s professional enrichment program. Pati also provides individual performance coaching for Operations employees and is called upon to manage corporate initiatives/projects as needed by the company. Pati has over eight years of experience with training, design and employee development. She is passionate about the development of others and thrives on being able to assist them in reaching their potential.
Pati holds a Masters of Arts degree in Communication and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management.
Pati is an active member in the ASTD Nebraska chapter and wants to encourage other members to take advantage of all that ASTD Nebraska has to offer them.
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Director of Member Involvement |
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General Responsibilities:
Actively recruit new members from the Omaha and surrounding communities. Implement follow-up with meeting guests and new members to ensure recruits’ and new members’ needs are met. Promote energy and enthusiasm for participation. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Kate Rempfer graduated with an M.A. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2005. Kate has also obtained a graduate certificate in Human Resources and Training. Previously, she worked as a Financial Services Training Consultant for a marketing company in Lincoln, NE. This fall Kate took a position as a full time faculty member in the School of Communication at UNO. She teaches Fundamentals of Public Speaking and works as a Communication Consultant for the UNO Speech Center. Kate also teaches an Organizational Training and Development night class for Creighton University.
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Cynthia Way
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General Responsibilities:
Emphasis with this position is on ‘personal touch’ and ‘connections’ that lead to active engagement and member involvement. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Cynthia Way attended Trainer's Institute in October and was so impressed that she was eager to be more involved in ASTD Nebraska. Cynthia served in the U.S. Navy for seven years, after which she became involved in the veterinary industry in a myriad of capacaties. Cynthia is currently a Leadership and Organizational Development Consultant for Lead the Way Consulting. Her areas of focus are sustainable leadership, organizational sustainability, corporate social responsibility, executive coaching, succession planning and strategic organizational development and human resource initiatives. Cynthia is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and has her Masters in Organizational Leadership from the College of St. Mary. She has recently started a Doctorate in Human and Organizational Learning with a focus on sustainable leadership a The George Washington University.
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Krishna Clay
First National Bank of Omaha
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General Responsibilities:
Provide career development tools to members of ASTD Nebraska. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Krishna Clay has over 10 years of management and workplace learning experience in the banking industry. She is currently a Training Consultant with the Retail Division of First National Bank of Omaha. Her training experience started at an early age as a student teacher for a local dance studio while still in high school. At First National Bank she has held the positions of Training Consultant for Retail and Credit Card, Assistant Manager in the Retail Call Center as well as Teller Manager at various branches. Krishna’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from UNK and post-graduate education in Human Services from Bellevue University. Krishna has been an active member of ASTD for the past 4 years, previously holding the position of Resume Review Team Leader.
As Director of Career Resources Krishna hopes to encourage members to utilize the services available to them to help ensure their resumes and interviewing skills are current, providing them a job market advantage. Additionally, she will work to ensure ASTD is made aware of job postings in the industry for our member’s to review.
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Sarah Julius
Email Sarah
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General Responsibilities:
Provide leadership to the Director of Programming and Director of Special Events. Oversee the planning, management and evaluation of professional development opportunities provided for membership and guests, including monthly programming, special events, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and conferences. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Sarah Julius has a passion for education, personal development and lifelong learning. Sarah's strong background in communication skills and conflict resolution includes a degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Communication & Training and Instructional Development. In order to continue to develop her expertise and display her thirst for knowledge she volunteers as the VP of Programming with ASTD Nebraska.
Sarah's goal is to help others develop their expertise in workplace learning and performance by offering high quality and thought-provoking programs that inspire them to continue to grow and build a network of resources.
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Director of Programming |
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Jill Banaszak
Mutual of Omaha
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General Responsibilities:
Provide professional development opportunities for the membership and guests at monthly programs. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Jill Banaszak is a Training Specialist in the Individual Policy Services area at Mutual of Omaha since 2009. Previous to that position, Jill worked as a trainer in the healthcare field for three years. Her training focus iss on new hires and process documentation, although she is hopeful to begin providing e-learning through Captivate to her customers in the near future! She is pursuing her CPLP certification and plans to take the test in the fall.
As Director of Programming, Jill is very excited to be a part of the great selection of speakers and workshops that will be offered this year.
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Barb LeRouge
Learning Technologies Consultant
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General Responsibilities:
Provide professional development opportunities for the membership and guests at special events and Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Barb LeRouge is is currently a Learning Technologies Consultant and works with a variety of Omaha companies on E-learning projects. Prior to her consulting role, Barb worked at First Data Corporation in a Training and Development role for nearly 20 years. There she showed strength in helping clients and colleagues work through their resistance and make the leap to optimize learning technologies. Some of the technologies she employed over the years were web sites, E-learning, Learning Management Systems, web casts, pod casts and virtual classroom sessions. Having a variety of roles, she assisted in forming a Corporate University and Sales Institute. She has presented at the 2005 ISPI International Society of Performance Improvement conference in Vancouver, judged E-learning submissions for Brandon Hall and Phoebe, helped First Data achieve Training Magazine's Top 100 awards in 2003 and 2004 and facilitated at the Bellevue University trainer certification program.
After many years I have rejoined ASTD Nebraska and look forward to planning great events and revitalizing our special interest groups.
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April Kassen
Children's Hospital & Medical Center
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General Responsibilities:
Provides membership educational resources, educates membership on certification/competency model. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: April Kassen has over 10 years of management, leadership development, and workplace learning experience. April is an Organization Development Consultant for Children's Hospital & Medical Center, where her primary role involves developing and facilitating their leadership development program. April is also an Adjunct Faculty member at Metropolitan Community College and Kaplan University specializing in Communication and Adult Education. April holds a Masters of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Organization Development, Bachelors in Business Management, Certificate in Training and Development, and is a Certified Behavior and Business Motivators Analyst.
As a member of ASTD since 2002, April understands the value of continuing education. As the VP of Education, April wants to encourage all workplace learning professionals to keep current with their skills and have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
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Joe Hare, CPLP
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General Responsibilities:
Responsible for educating members on different facets of the Certification model, i.e., informing members at monthly programs, literature reviews, visually displaying model at meetings, etc. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Joe Hare, CPLP, PMP, is the Assistant Director of Bellevue University's Human Capital Lab where he provides corporate partners with optimal data interpretation and research analysis that leads to measurable, ready-to-implement workforce solutions. His expertise is backed by Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications. In addition, his MS is in Administration and Information Resource Management from Central Michigan University.
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Jeannie Hannan
Children's Hospital & Medical Center
Email Jeannie
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General Responsibilities:
Assist the VP in providing membership educational resources, educates membership on certification/competency model. Promote recognition of and respect for the chapter and its membership within the Omaha and Nebraska business communities.
Bio: Jeannie Hannan has 10 years experience in teaching and learning. She obtained her B.S. in Human Resources Management, her M.S. in Health Promotion with an emphasis in Human Resources Management and post graduate work in Human Sciences with emphasis in education and distance education. Jeannie is currently the Instructional Designer/LMS Administrator for Children's Hospital and Medical Center. Prior to this position, Jeannie worked at Nebraska Methodist College for 10 years holding several positions including: coordinator and main instructor for an online undergraduate certificate program; the coordinator of educational development and coordinator of health promotions. Jeannie graduated from the ASTD Nebraska Trainers Institute in October, 2009.
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Spencer Cohorst
Heartland Family Services
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General Responsibilities:
Responsible for managing all social media communications with potential and existing members by increasing member participation in these outlets to create high levels of satisfaction among users.
Bio: Spencer Cohorst graduated from Hastings College in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Human Service Administration. He also attended South Dakota State University as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Communications Studies department. Currently, Spencer is Training Coordinator at Heartland Family Services. As Training Coordinator, his duties include New Employee Orientation, administrator of online learning, provide guidance in the Collaborative Problem Solving model and providing other trainings in CPR, crisis prevention and defensive driving.
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ASTD Nebraska | (402) 850-6710 | P.O. Box 8273 Omaha, NE 68108 |
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