About the Authors
Tony Bingham is the president and CEO of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), the world’s largest professional association dedicated to the training and development field. ASTD offers programs and services to help members improve individual and organizational performance through learning. ASTD’s 130 chapters in the United States and 30 international partners provide opportunities for members to convene at the local and regional levels throughout the world.
Together with the board of directors and supported by a staff of 90 and a wide volunteer network, Tony is focused on helping members lead talent management in their organizations, demonstrate positive business impact, understand the power of social media on informal learning, close skills gaps, and connect their work to the strategic priorities of business.
Tony coauthored Presenting Learning: Ensure CEOs Get the Value of Learning, a book to help learning professionals articulate the business case for learning more persuasively, position themselves as a strategic partner, and communicate a compelling story about the impact of learning on business results.
With broad-based business, financial, operational, and technical management expertise, Tony joined ASTD in 2001 as the chief operating officer / chief information officer. He became president and CEO in February 2004.
Marcia Conner is a partner at Altimeter Group, a research-based advisory firm that helps companies at a crossroads tackle the world’s toughest business challenges. Working with organizations and industries to leverage disruption to their advantage, she applies experience from across disciplines to accelerate collaborative culture, workplace learning, and social business. She’s a fellow at the Darden School of Business, founder of the popular Twitter chat #lrnchat, and writes the Fast Company column “Learn at All Levels.”
Her expertise spans the most critical areas that drive sustainable success: leadership, strategy, technology, education, and design. Applied together she shows how engaging the brainpower of everyone in an organizational ecosystem can provide competitive advantage and strengthen the bottom line.
A 20-year veteran of the enterprise market, Marcia was vice president of education services and information futurist for PeopleSoft, senior manager of worldwide training at Microsoft, editor in chief of Learning in the New Economy magazine, and a fellow of the Society for New Communications Research.
She is also author of Learn More Now; coauthor of Creating a Learning Culture: Strategy, Technology, and Practice; and writes the Learnativity blog on the critical intersection among learning, creativity, activity, and productivity.