President – Hayward Suggs

In 2019 Hayward worked closely with our current president Eileen Terrell, to prepare for the role of president. Their partnership and the contributions of other ATDChi leadership have him ready to lead in 2020. 

Hayward is excited to partner with ATD and ATDChi stakeholders to; expand opportunities for growth, add velocity to the contributions and rewards of existing members, and work inclusively to add new members. 

He will utilize his 20 plus years of talent development experience to continue to build on the organization’s massive success. Hayward welcomes feedback and ideas on how to strengthen the organization's value proposition. He looks forward to what we can accomplish together in 2020.

As a TD professional with more than 20 years of industry experience he has seen the value that organizations such as ATD and ATDChi provide to folks in our profession. He’s benefited from these organizations in professional and social capacities and have seen first-hand the value of their existence. He knows it’s important that the ATDChi organization continues to thrive so that it can continue to offer Chicagoland TD professionals the opportunities to grow in their field and meet peers who share the same ideals and skillsets. As an executive board member, he will be the link in the chain that extends the chapter's legacy, so that the opportunities that he and his contemporaries have enjoyed are available for the next generation of TD professionals, as well.

VP of Marketing and Communications – Leslie Scarpace, CPLP

Leslie is an experienced learning and organizational development professional and has worked in university, community college, and public school settings. Originally a Buffalo-area native, she moved to the Midwest as a teenager and since has left the state and returned to Illinois more than once. Leslie earned a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology and recently earned the CPLP. As the VP for Marketing 2018-2019, she assisted in the efforts to increase the attendance rates substantially at ATDChi events. She contributed to strengthening the brand reputation by providing high-quality assets for ATDChi social media channels and events. Leslie values the knowledge and skills she has gained through her partnership with other Board members and looks forward to another great year.

VP of Programming, Deanna Claerhout, CPLP

Deanna has over 15 years’ experience in the Learning and Development field, in which she has held a variety of positions that have led to a broad background in the industry. These roles include work in the following areas: instructional design, course development, project management, learning program management, engagement management, and learning solutions strategy and architecture. She has ideated and developed several learning solutions aimed at improving human performance, which have led to strategic impact on the businesses she has served.

She is passionate about developing others – both personally and professionally.

She plans to foster deeper connections by elevating the networking opportunities available in 2020.

VP of Membership – Adriene Summers, APTD

Adriene is an organizational development professional with several years of experience in needs assessment, continuous improvement, and employee engagement, as well as customer service experience.

She currently serves as the VP of Membership for ATDChi. This was her first year on the board and plans to continue building on the foundation laid in 2019. A focus of the Membership team in 2019 was gathering feedback on the member experience. We heard from many through the annual survey and call-a-thon in July and the goal is to provide value which meets or exceeds expectations in 2020. She will to find ways to deliver the personal touch to members which can sometimes be lost in a large chapter.