ATD New Mexico upcoming events

Design Thinking (October 15, 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Curious about Design Thinking and how it can be used to approach everyday challenges?

Join us for a hands-on, one-hour introduction where we’ll work through a real challenge together. You’ll experience the process of understanding the problem, exploring different ideas, and quickly turning one of those ideas into something you can test.

No design experience needed. Just bring your curiosity, a willingness to participate, and a problem-solving mindset.

When: Thursday, October 15 from 6:00-7:45pm

Where: Bohannan Huston, 7500 Jefferson St. NE, ABQ, NM

Cost: Free for members. $25 for Non-Members.

TD Capability Model: Developing Professional Capability

About the Speaker

Wesley Espinoza is a learning and development leader with more than 15 years of experience designing innovative training programs and learning technologies for global organizations. His career began at Verizon, where he spent 11 years working across training facilitation, instructional design, and learning technology. During this time, he helped modernize training programs through initiatives such as gamification, virtual reality learning, and micro-learning experiences designed to improve engagement and knowledge retention.

He later expanded his leadership experience at Belk and PeopleReady before joining Walmart, where he worked in learning technology supporting global teams through learning management systems, data-driven insights, and automation tools that improved workforce development and onboarding programs. Across his work at Verizon and Walmart, his initiatives contributed to millions of dollars in operational savings while improving the effectiveness of training programs.

Wesley’s philosophy centers on making learning experiential, engaging, and measurable. He believes training should be interactive and memorable—leveraging technology, games, and real-world problem solving to create meaningful learning experiences. Just as importantly, he emphasizes strong evaluation frameworks that demonstrate the real business impact of learning programs.

Throughout his career, Wesley has successfully partnered with technical teams, legal and compliance groups, business leaders, and executive stakeholders to deliver large-scale initiatives that bridge learning strategy with organizational performance.

He has lived and worked across the country, including New Mexico, Nashville, Charlotte, and Tacoma, and now resides again in New Mexico where he continues to focus on workforce development, innovation, and strategic partnerships.

Seen. Valued. Empowered. From Identity to Ownership (November 10, 2026)

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

When people don’t feel seen, valued, or connected at work, they disengage.

They stop stepping up. Managers start compensating. And over time, the organization feels it—through burnout, inconsistent performance, and the loss of good people.

Meanwhile, organizations grow tired of investing in initiatives that promise change—but never actually stick.

In this session, Lydia Piper reveals why identity is the foundation of engagement—and how connection, contribution, and ownership naturally emerge when people feel truly seen and accepted for who they are. Through an identity-driven approach, individuals begin to see themselves as contributors, owners, and leaders—shifting culture from the inside out.

TD Capability Model Highlight: Impacting Organizational Capability

When: Tuesday, November 10th

Where: Bohannan Huston, 7500 Jefferson St. NE, ABQ, NM

Cost: Free for members. $25 for Non-Members.

About the Speaker

Lydia Ann Piper has served as a Project Manager within the Federal Judiciary since 2004, leading court space and facilities initiatives in collaboration with judiciary leadership and partner organizations. With over two decades of experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, she brings deep expertise in planning, procurement, construction coordination, and organizational collaboration.

In addition to her project leadership, Lydia designs and facilitates training experiences focused on leadership, engagement, and workplace culture within the court system and beyond. She holds a Teaching Certificate from the University of New Mexico and has experience delivering human-centered, interactive workshops that blend practical application with personal development.

Drawing on her background as an educator, published author, and organizational facilitator, Lydia develops frameworks that help teams move from passive participation to shared ownership. Her work centers on four pillars of sustainable engagement: identity, connection, contribution, and ownership. She combines operational expertise with experiential learning to help organizations create environments where people feel valued, invested, and accountable—and where engagement translates into meaningful performance and ownership.

December Meet & Greet (December 10, 2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 00:30:00 GMT

You're invited to our Winter ATD NM Meet & Greet! We learned lots. We met great new TD professionals. We built our community. Let's celebrate 2026 together over dessert and hot drinks.

WHEN: Thursday, December 10th from 5:30 - 7:00 pm

LOCATION: Flying Star @ 4026 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107

COST: FREE to attend. ATD NM will cover desserts and hot, non-alcoholic drinks for the table. (Attendees should plan to pay for any other food or beverages that they order.)

REGISTRATION: For planning purposes, we ask that you register for this event. Also, if your schedule changes and you can no longer come, please unregister yourself or let us know via email at atdnmprograms@gmail.com. While we generally have a good number of folks sign up for Meet & Greets, the average no-show rate for 2025 was 50%. This no-show rate makes it hard for us to plan with the restaurants because they set aside tables for us that end up empty (and that could have been used for other patrons).

QUESTIONS: Email us at atdnmprograms@gmail.com and one of our board members will get back to you.

What is a Meet & Greet? For ATD NM, these are informal social get togethers that our chapter hosts quarterly. Usually held at an Albuquerque restaurant, we generally do a simple "get-to-know-you" activity, but the bulk of the time is unstructured so attendees can connect with other Talent Development professionals.

Designed for folks to drop by anytime during the 1.5 hr Meet & Greet, ATD NM usually covers appetizers for the table and each attendee's first non-alcoholic drink. Open to anyone in our ATD community and their guests.