Date & Time: Thursday, May 7 2026 • 5:30 – 7:30 PM (PDT)Location: San Diego Humane Society – Main Auditorium, 5500 Gaines St, San Diego, CA 92110Registration: Mentorship cohort members only (free)
It’s time to up the bonding! This fun, fast‑paced game show invites mentors and mentees to learn surprising facts about one another. Through trivia and team challenges, you’ll forge deeper connections and discover shared interests. Expect prizes, laughter and new friendships.
In this session you will:
Participate in a professionally facilitated game show designed to encourage collaboration and friendly competition.
Share little‑known facts and stories about yourself to build trust and camaraderie.
Identify common interests that can enrich your mentoring conversations.
You will leave with:
A stronger sense of community within your cohort.
A deeper understanding of your partner’s experiences and aspirations.
Practical ideas for making mentorship meetings engaging and fun.
Host: John Grindle is founder of Grin Events, San Diego’s premier team‑building company. Grin Events is known for delivering fun, interactive in‑person and virtual team‑building experiences that spark connection and creativity. John’s contagious energy will ensure everyone leaves smiling.
https://grin.events/
Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. By registering, you acknowledge that photographs and/or videos may be taken at the event and used for chapter marketing purposes.
Note: Attendance at all onsite cohort gathering sessions is required for program completion. By attending, you acknowledge that photographs and/or videos may be taken at the event and used for chapter marketing purposes.
Recertification Credits: 1 ATD recertification point; SHRM/HRCI credit pending approval.
Date: Thursday, May 21st, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM PST
Location: Virtual (link shared in registration email)
This Month's Topic: What's new in Storyline
Storyline is continually improving. Here's a good way to keep up while spending a pleasant hour with a Storyline expert. You can learn the latest about extensive AI features, easy animation, and the power of JavaScript without actually having to know JavaScript code. Mark the date to stay up to date.
Guest Speaker: Samuel Apata
A seeker of knowledge, Samuel Apata is a former president of the Dallas-Ft. Worth ATD chapter. He has earned both undergraduate and masters degrees from the University of Maryland, majoring in fine arts, animation, interactive media, and instructional systems.
Currently a senior instructional Designer at McKesson, he has also worked at Starbucks, Fossil Group, and GM Financial. An all-around good guy, he has Volunteered with Junior Achievement and robotics competitions in Baltimore public schools.
Meet Your Host: John Morley
John Morley has helped to improve job performance for clients and employers including Genentech, Hitachi Data Systems, Southern California Edison, Kaiser Permanente, and most of the Asian car companies. Author of the book Scriptwriting for High Impact videos, he has taught at Cal State Northridge, lectured at UCLA, and conducted workshops at a variety of professional organizations and conferences, including ADT Tech Knowledge.
An experienced coder, he has developed and managed numerous websites, and developed software used by clients including Saturday Night Live. An external consultant, he is available to help you on a project by emailing: John@IDforHire.biz.
It's an open forum, so come prepared to click along, ask questions, share your own experiences with Storyline, or just sit back and take a look at what Storyline can do.
The workshop is for intermediate to advanced users, but if you are new to Storyline, this is still for you: It will show you what Storyline can do, give you a look under the hood to see how it works, and let you ask questions of practitioners who are using Storyline now.
To click along, you need access to Storyline. If you do not already have access, a free trial is available (once on the page, scroll toward the bottom). https://articulate.com/360/storyline
Note to registrants: This webinar may be recorded for chapter marketing purposes.By registering for this event, you are giving permission to San Diego ATD to make and use at their discretion photos and a video recording of this event that may include you or your property. Although you may choose to not have your face recorded by by not activating your camera, your name and voice may still be recorded.
Developing Professional CapabilityCPTD & APTD Certified
ATD San Diego Chapter has been pre-approved by the ATD Certification Institute to offer educational programs that can be used towards initial eligibility and recertification of the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials. This program qualifies for a maximum of 1 point.
Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM PST
Today’s session addresses a challenge leaders across every organization are facing: “Change Management while building Resilience”
Our speaker, Latisha B. Russell, is a recognized Emotional Wellbeing and Executive Coach with more than 20 years of corporate HR leadership experience. She has worked with organizations such as The Walt Disney Company, Bank of America, and Johns Hopkins, helping leaders navigate burnout, change, and high-pressure environments.
Latisha brings a rare combination of business credibility and human insight, grounded in her experience as a former senior HR leader, certified DiSC facilitator, and author of The Naked Truth.
SPEAKER: Latisha B. Russell | Emotional Wellbeing & Executive Coach | Speaker
Latisha B. Russell is a recognized Emotional Wellbeing and Leadership Strategist who helps high-achieving leaders sustain performance without sacrificing themselves. With over 20 years of corporate HR leadership and executive coaching experience, she has supported organizations including The Walt Disney Company, Bank of America, Johns Hopkins, Capital One, and the Federal Aviation Administration through leadership burnout, organizational change, and high-pressure transformation.
Before stepping onto stage, Latisha held various senior HR leadership roles. She later led restructuring and engagement initiatives that generated significant bottom-line impact across multiple organizations.
Today, as Founder of Latisha B. Russell LLC and Co-Founder of Russell Craigwell Consulting, Latisha works with executives and leadership teams navigating visibility, uncertainty, and sustained demand. Through her signature frameworks, including SHIFT and Mental Toughness Without Burnout, she equips leaders to protect capacity, lead with clarity, and build emotionally intelligent cultures that last.
A former adjunct professor, certified DiSC facilitator, and author of The Naked Truth, Latisha brings both professional rigor and lived experience to every engagement, reminding leaders that effective leadership begins with humanity.
Date & Time: Thursday, June 4 2026 • 5:30 – 7:30 PM (PDT)Location: San Diego Humane Society – Main Auditorium, 5500 Gaines St, San Diego, CA 92110Registration: Mentorship cohort only (free)
Great mentors understand and leverage their strengths. During this CliftonStrengths workshop, you’ll identify your top talents, explore how to honor them and learn to communicate them effectively. A 30‑minute interactive exercise will help you pinpoint your top five strengths, followed by group discussion on applying them in mentorship and career development.
Complete a strengths‑based assessment to uncover your natural talents.
Discuss ways to honor and develop your unique strengths and those of your mentee.
Practice articulating your strengths and how they contribute to professional success.
An individualized strengths profile and action plan.
Techniques for leveraging strengths to overcome challenges and stay engaged.
Inspiration from a quote about focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses.
Speaker: Reuben Poon is a CliftonStrengths consultant and coach who has used his own experience navigating Asperger’s syndrome to harness strengths and empower others. Through workshops and coaching, Reuben has helped individuals and teams at organizations with $10M+ payrolls identify and leverage their unique talents. His empathetic approach transforms self‑awareness into action.
https://www.reubenpoon.com/
Date & Time: Thursday, July 2 2026 • 5:30 – 7:30 PM (PDT)Location: San Diego Humane Society – Main Auditorium, 5500 Gaines St, San Diego, CA 92110Registration: Mentorship cohort only (free)
Our final gathering celebrates your achievements and invites you to pay it forward. A panel of past mentors and mentees will share stories of how mentorship has impacted their careers, offering practical ways to continue giving back. We’ll explore opportunities to volunteer with the chapter, serve on committees and become future mentors.
Hear success stories from graduates of prior cohorts and learn how mentorship changed their trajectories.
Discuss the ripple effect of mentorship and how to create your own legacy.
Celebrate your cohort’s journey with certificates and networking.
A renewed commitment to cultivating the next generation of talent.
Concrete ideas for volunteering and serving within ATD San Diego.
A deeper appreciation for the impact of mentorship and the power of paying it forward.
Date: Friday, August 14th, 2026
What happens when we replace advice with powerful questions? In this interactive session, you’ll be introduced to the foundations of solution-focused coaching, a practical approach used by leaders, HR professionals, and coaches worldwide to unlock insight, ownership, and meaningful action.
Together we’ll explore what coaching is—and how it differs from mentoring, consulting, and managing. You’ll learn key coaching principles including the four pillars of solution-focused coaching, the power of open-ended questions, and the impact of deep listening. You’ll experience how coaching techniques can shift everyday conversations into opportunities for growth and clarity.
Whether you’re a leader, facilitator, HR professional, in Leadership Development or simply curious about coaching, this session will give you practical tools you can apply immediately in your work and conversations. You’ll leave with new perspectives, a deeper appreciation for the power of coaching, and ideas for integrating coaching skills into your daily interactions.
SPEAKER: Nancy Boyer
With vast experience and education in Coaching, Performance Management, Change Management and Human Resources, Nancy Boyer has partnered with senior leaders and organizations around the world to guide them in the solution-focused approach to personal, professional and organizational development.
Interested in becoming a speaker? Fill out our speaker proposal form.