Sarah Van Lieshout - VP Membership (Email)

Sarah is a learning enthusiast with 10+ years in an education environment. Sarah’s passion to help others reach their potential through learning started as an elementary teacher.  She enjoyed collaborating with teams to develop curriculum and design experiences that created a culture for learning.  From there, she fell in love with mentoring educators and developed coaching skills as an Instructional Coach.  As an Instructional Coach, Sarah helped others improve their results through the use of strength based coaching strategies and data reflection.

In recent years, Sarah has transferred these skills to her role as a Learning and Development Specialist at LPi. She was committed to designing top notch onboarding experiences for new employees while partnering with business leaders to support the future growth of the organization. Sarah is now supporting Children’s Wisconsin as the Leadership Development Program Specialist.

As Sarah transitioned from public education to learning and development, she was focused on networking and building her professional network. Becoming an active leader in SEWI-ATD has been instrumental in supporting her career transition.

Kari Bogdan - VP Professional Development (Email)

Kari Bogdan has nearly 30 years of experience in the training and development industry.  Her expertise is design and development of engaging online education, instructor-led training, and curriculum development.  She has worked in a variety of industries with a focus on health care over the past 10 years. Her experience also includes over 9 years as a video and multimedia producer.

Kari has served on the Board of Directors as President for Imagination Theater (Chicago, IL), and volunteered for several other non-profits over the years. She is also a member of the Milwaukee Chapter of the Women Leaders Association. 

Kari holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education from Capella University and Bachelor of Science Degree in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Yolonda Evans - VP Professional Development (Email)

Yolonda Evans has over 15 years of experience as a trainer, certified change practitioner and specializing in leadership development including components of leading and creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.  She has held several leadership roles in both the public and private sector supporting talent development initiatives (all levels of the organization), enterprise alignment and organizational effectiveness efforts. As a facilitator of change, she developed and led several workshops on Change Management, Emotional Intelligence, and transformational leadership.  She has several years of experience working at various levels in the private sector, specifically insurance operations and knowledge management consulting with Northwestern Mutual and Molina Healthcare (managed care/government operations).  She has over 15 years as an experienced senior trainer, several years of experience leading cross-functional teams and leading/facilitating strategic planning efforts.  Ms. Evans is a committed change practitioner and leader with extensive experience using Lean Six-Sigma methodologies combined with organizational change management strategies to promote successful sustainable change.

Ms. Evans started private consulting (DBA as Project T.I.M.E*) in late 2018 for small non-profits and small businesses in southeastern Wisconsin on employee engagement (diversity & inclusion), hiring practices, onboarding/job training, and change management business strategies.  She also has an annual commitment as a recurring guest-lecturer at Loyola University on leadership development and change management. 

*Project T.I.M.E stands for Transforming Initiative to Motivate and Empower

Cecilia Lillegard is a Certified Professional of Talent Development and an innovative connector of people and processes to technology, growth, and purpose. With a focus on operational and performance improvement, she incorporates her technical perspective, creative problem-solving skills, and passion for collaboration to deliver consistent business impact and instructional system design.

She has experience designing and delivering customized high tech and marketing programs, including business planning, safety programs, and equipment maintenance to professionals around the world. She partnered with engineering teams designing several equipment service courses using remote learning tools, virtual machines, and augmented reality. She facilitated marketing workshops across Asia and Europe for numerous business divisions with GE Healthcare. She's even facilitated safety training and engagement sessions in Japan for site wide VPP OSHA recognition. As a certified ATD Instructional Designer and Mechanical Engineer, Cecilia is knowledgeable about both the development and new technologies applied to outcome-based learning programs.

She has a Master of Engineering Management from Marquette University, an active role in her community, and three amazing daughters. She's lived across ten US states and two years in Japan. Cecilia is passionate about using her love of travel and technology to work on establishing wider perspectives of what is available for student success in the classroom and their workspace - wherever that is.

Judy Dejno - VP Marketing and Communications (Email)  

Judy Dejno is an accomplished integrative executive coach, culture consultant, and fervent advocate for creating human-centric workplaces. Her comprehensive training under Olympic coaches has uniquely equipped her to blend performance principles with life and executive coaching, fostering substantial growth opportunities for thoughtful leaders. With an integrative and skills-oriented methodology, Judy consistently empowers leaders, teams, and organizations, elevating their human impact in dynamic ways. Her specialization lies in collaborating with high-growth tech startups and professional services companies.

Judy's expertise has gained recognition, including being named one of LinkedIn's Top Leadership Development Voices.

Renita Switzer - VP Community Relations  (Email)

Renita Switzer has over 25 years of experience in training and instructional design. She has worked in the healthcare industry for over 30 years Her expertise is in support and trainer development with emphasis on emotional intelligence.

Renita has served on the Board as Treasurer for Zonta Club Milwaukee. She is also the Past Chair for the Certificate in Organization and Development for the Association of Training Development-Southeastern Wisconsin.

Renita is a member of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAHR).

Christine Hass - VP Volunteer Engagement (Email)

Christine Hass is the Sr. Director of Learning Experience and Strategy for the Technology, Client Experience and Digital Organizations at Northwestern Mutual.  Prior to this role, she served in a Talent Management lead capacity at Northwestern Mutual and at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Dallas, TX.  She has a long history of work in the learning and development, talent management and HR strategy space, having spent her early and mid-career at companies like Motorola and Walmart Technology.

Christine did her undergraduate studies in Business Management with an HR concentration.  She holds her SPHR certificate, as well as certificates in Caliper and Birkman assessments.  In addition, she holds two behavioral change management certifications through AIM and Prosci.

For 30+ years, her focus has been on people and innovation in the context of transformation.  Business continues to move at an accelerated pace, and change is the norm.  It is important to take the time to know our people, while still moving quickly and nimbly to meet the ever-changing demands of the business landscape.  Learning solutions are no exception.  Her advice?  Listen closely to the needs of your stakeholders; always ask “why,” “what if,” and explore necessary outcomes/consequences of not leaning in; keep it simple when you can; innovate as often as possible.

Shelli Kanter - VP Digital Experience (Email)

With a rich background in education and development, Shelli is a seasoned professional in the field of learning and development. Her expertise encompasses teaching, leading performance review processes, designing annual regulatory education, spearheading organization development initiatives, and contributing to staff engagement. Shelli brings a unique blend of instructional prowess and strategic vison to create impactful learning environments and foster continual professional growth.

Shelli completed her undergraduate studies in Vocational Rehabilitation, with a concentration on Special Education. She holds her master’s in education along with certifications Microlearning, Managing Learning Programs, E-Learning Instructional Design and Articulate Storyline. She has extensive experience working within the HR domain.

Shelli is passionately committed to catalyzing both career and personal development. She is at the forefront of shaping individuals into dynamic, well-rounded professionals, elevating both careers and personal lives.