Welcome to the Association for Talent Development!

Did you hear the news? Our chapter is excited to announce that on May 6, during a special live announcement at the ASTD 2014 International Conference & Exposition, in Washington, D.C., President and CEO, Tony Bingham, and the Board of Directors announced that ASTD is changing its name to the Association for Talent Development (ATD).

Tony talked about how our profession has grown over the 70 years that the association has been serving the field. What hasn't changed in that time is the purpose of our work: developing people - their knowledge, skills, and abilities.

ASTD is changing to the Association for Talent Development to demonstrate how the impact, breadth, and influence of our profession stretches beyond training.

We will be transitioning over the next year. Many assets have already been created for us by the national team, including our new logo.  

While our name may be changing, the chapter's board of directors want to assure you the local programming, networking, and services you have come to value and enjoy through the chapter will not change, nor will the chapter's mission and vision. Like national ATD, training and development will remain at the core of our chapter, and we pledge that our service and commitment to you is stronger than ever.

We will continue to keep you abreast of our change, and look forward to you joining us on this journey; together, we are creating a world that works better!

For more information and to review ATD's new name and announcement materials, please visit www.astdnews.org.

President's Message  

Summer is just around the corner, and we hope this finds you invigorated and growing!

The biggest news is that ASTD is changing its name and brand! We are now ATD - the Association for Talent Development. You can read more about the thinking behind the change at www.astdnews.org . This means a name/brand change for not only the national chapter, but your local chapter too. We are developing our plan, but watch as you'll see more with our website, newsletters, and more. Yvonne Bogard is coordinating these efforts which includes legal and financial concerns, communication branding, marketing, domain names, email addresses, change of addresses, registration with the state and more. Thank you for your support as we all work towards making the new name as recognizable as the old.

Your chapter is healthy and growing. As of the writing of this newsletter, we have $23,916 in the bank, which covers a year of expenses, as part of our Chapter Operating Requirements (CORE). We currently have 217 members.

As part of your membership, remember you are now a member of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce by our chapter's membership to the Chamber. Sue Fody, VP of Volunteer Engagement, has attended a couple Chamber classes, and highly recommends them. To take advantage of this benefit, go to the links and information on our web site.

We continue to have a great year of programs. Lou Russell gave pointers on project management for trainers, which were great for the novice and experienced program manager alike. I'm especially excited about our June speaker, Timothy LaMacchio, "Collaborating with Frontline Managers to Improve Business Results". Anybody who develops, designs or delivers training to frontline managers needs to join us on June 19th at the Regis South Campus. Details are on our site.

With summer vacations, we've decided to not have an event in July, and on August 21st we partner with the National Speakers Forum and the International Coaching Federation for a fun networking event at The Living Room on Broadway. Watch for details in future newsletters.

Thank you for your continued support and contribution to our community. Your participation, thoughts and energy keep us strong and help us thrive. I encourage you to make the most of your membership by joining us at meetings, and volunteering. Volunteering is a great way to expand your skills and knowledge, and helps you get and stay connected to the Denver learning community.

We are here to serve you. Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. You can email me at rmagnotta@astdrmc.org.

Thank you,

Becky Magnotta

2014 ASTD Rocky Mountain Chapter President.