FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Lorri Freifeld
lorri@trainingmag.com
Minneapolis (August 28, 2025) –Training magazine named the winners of its 2025 Emerging Training Leaders awards, recognizing 25 Learning and Development (L&D) professionals who demonstrated first-rate leadership, strategic thinking, and results-oriented training in the last year. The winners have been in the industry for two to 10 years and have shown stellar skills in coaching, collaboration, teambuilding, change and project management, training development, and more.
These professionals will be profiled in the March 2026 issue of Training magazine and online at www.trainingmag.com. They also will be honored at an awards ceremony on February 24, 2026, at Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort during the Training 2026 Conference & Expo in Orlando, FL.
All Emerging Training Leader candidates had to be nominated by co-workers or industry peers. Training Hall of Famers and Editorial Advisory Board members and the editor/publisher judged the 71 nominations and chose the 25 winners based on the following factors:
- Has been in the training industry for a minimum of two years but no more than 10 years
- Took on at least one new responsibility in the last year
- Successfully led a large-scale training/learning and development initiative within the last year that required management/leadership of a group of people and resulted in the achievement of a business/business unit goal (with results provided for Kirkpatrick Levels 3 or 4)
- Demonstrates specific leadership qualities
- Has the potential to lead the Training or L&D function at an organization in the next one to 10 years
In addition, Training created an “Emerging Training Leaders to Watch” list, which features five up-and-coming professionals who didn’t receive an award this year, but who are well on their way to becoming future Emerging Training Leaders.
The judges included:
Diane August, Chief Learning Architect, Nationwide
Brent Bloom, President, Consulting Service Solutions inc
Phillip Browning, Senior Learning and Development Manager, Rosendin
Douglas Bryant, VP, Training, Sonic Automotive
Brooke Jones-Chinetti, VP, Talent Management, The Haskell Company
Tina Claure, Senior Learning Strategist and Curriculum Manager, Booz Allen Hamilton
Vicente Gonzalez, CLO, GEVernova
Liz Hall, VP, Talent Management, Medical Solutions
Joshua Hinkle, VP, Corporate Learning, State Compensation Insurance Fund
Glenn Hughes, Senior Director, Learning & Development, KLA Corporation
Bruce I. Jones, former Senior Cast Development and QA Director, Disney Institute
Jessica Kasje, Learning & Development Specialist, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World
Laurie O’Mara, Senior Project Manager, Learning & Development, Paychex
Michael Orth, Senior Director, KPMG Business School – U.S.
Robin Renschen, Director, Learning and Development, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
Catherine Rickelman, former Manager, IBM Learning
Debra Ross, AVP, Learning & Development, BNSF Railway
Ross Tartell, former Technical Training and Communications Manager – North America, GE Capital Real Estate
Ashley Walvoord, CLO, Verizon
Amanda Worrell, Senior Director, Training and Development, Dollar General Corporation
Marilyn Vertison, Assistant Manager, Learning & Development, Birmingham Water Works Board
Lorri Freifeld, Editor/Publisher, Training magazine
“Congratulations to the 2025 Emerging Training Leaders! They are extraordinarily bright lights in their organizations,” says Lorri Freifeld, editor/publisher of Training magazine. “These shining exemplars of leadership excellence, innovation, and training brilliance inspire their learners, direct reports, teammates, and colleagues while keeping their organizations on the leading edge of success. We are privileged to be able to recognize these leaders and showcase their tremendous accomplishments.”
Training magazine’s 2025 Emerging Training Leaders are:
2025 TOP 5 WINNERS
Akisha Davis, Associate Director, Training Delivery, Verizon
Daniel Geske, Leadership Development & Coaching Director, Dynamic Global Consulting
Jackie Martin, Vendor Training Manager, Lemonade Insurance Company
Nastia Padvishenskaya, Senior Manager, Head of L&D EMEA, EPAM Systems
Nikki Pinon, Product Trainer, Homebridge Financial Services/NftyDoor
2025 20 WINNERS
Ariel Antelo, Client Learning Manager, Netsmart
Fernando De Sousa Arocha, Technical Trainer II, A.O. Smith
Alison Brewer, L&D – GTM Leadership Enablement (GLE) Strategist, Indeed
Mirna Fernanda Delgado Cerecedo, Learning Specialist, PPD, clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Isabel Chua, Learning and Development Director, Maybourne Beverly Hills
Lexi Danos, Content Design Senior Manager, 7 Brew Coffee
Bradley Davis, Content & Training Director, International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)
Lamandren Derrick, Training and Development Director, Detroit Chassis / formerly Stellantis
Laura Emmert, Instructional Design Consultant, Verizon
Tamera George, Leadership Certification Program Advisor and Senior L&D Specialist, MJHS
Cassi Godfrey, Learning & Development Director, JLL
Ivey Kanarick-Godinez, Learning & Development Facilitator, BankWest Inc.
Brittany Hannan, Learning & Development: Products Strategist, Indeed
Rachel Huckfeldt, Instructional Design & Implementation Director, Blue Sprig Pediatrics
Athena Huss, OnDemand Solutions Manager, ASTM International
Connor Lozier, Learning and Development Program Manager II, Amazon Air (amazon.com)
Lisa McClure, Restaurant Training Senior Manager, Jack in the Box, Inc.
Chip Poppe, Learning and Development and Emergency Response Program Manager II, Amazon Air (amazon.com)
Jeni Riley, Education Program Specialist, Stillwater Hospice
Melissa Seiler, Training Manager, BRPH
2025 EMERGING TRAINING LEADERS TO WATCH
Rocky Berger, HVAC Training Manager, American Residential Services
Dominic Lang, Senior Learning Developer, MSD
Jennifer Mumma, Training Program Manager, Johns Hopkins Medicine Access Services
Christopher Myrben, Talent Development Manager, Trinity River Authority
Amy Oliver, Organizational Development Consultant, Children’s of Alabama
About Training magazine
Training is a 61-year-old professional development magazine written for training, Human Resources and business management professionals in all industries that advocate training and workforce development as a business tool. Training also produces world-class conferences, expositions, and digital products that focus on job-related, employer-sponsored training and education in the working world. Training is published by Lakewood Media Group.
