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Chapter Leadership |
Mar '26 Update: Join us in welcoming our newest board member, Wesley Espinoza, who will serve as our VP of Strategic Partnerships this year. You can view his photo and bio below.
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Nicole Smith | President With over 14 years of experience in talent development, Nicole has worked in multiple industries such as banking, education, and nonprofit, but always in her little slice of professional paradise where she can champion employee learning & growth. Prior to starting her own business in 2025, Nicole was the Director of Learning & Development at the National Wildlife Federation where she oversaw the L&D function and led talent development initiatives for the organization. Now as the founder of Talent Development Talk Story, Nicole provides Talent Development expertise to fractional and consulting clients. Nicole earned her Master’s of Education in Training & Development from Pennsylvania State University, is a Prosci Certified Practicioner, DiSC Certified Trainer, and ELI Certified Instructor of Civil Treatment. Born into a Marine Corps family that moved constantly while she was growing up, Nicole is actually from “everywhere but nowhere in particular.” Moving to Hawaiʻi after grad school, she called the islands home for 13 years before moving to New Mexico in April of 2022. Due to her experience, she is a big believer in supporting professionals on their career journey and has served on the ATD NM Board since 2023. She also served on the ATD Hawai’i Board in 2016-2017. When not working, you can find her trail running in the Sandia Mountains or hopping on a plane to Hawai’i to sneak in some SUP surfing! |
Kyle Duncan | VP of Technology Kyle Duncan is a Culture and Leadership Consultant and the founder of K Group Training, where he helps organizations build healthy, high-performing cultures that drive results. With an extensive background in learning and development, Kyle specializes in designing transformational experiences that equip leaders to lead with clarity, accountability, and purpose. Through his work, Kyle partners with organizations to identify cultural gaps and implement practical strategies that strengthen engagement, trust, and team effectiveness. His signature programs—including leadership accelerators and culture transformation cohorts—are built to create lasting behavioral change, not just short-term inspiration. Kyle is also an experienced facilitator and speaker, known for delivering engaging sessions that challenge leaders to rethink how culture is shaped and sustained. His approach blends real-world leadership insight with actionable tools that teams can apply immediately. As a member of the ATD New Mexico board, Kyle is passionate about advancing the learning and development community by connecting professionals to meaningful growth opportunities and practical resources. He became a member of ATD and ATD NM in 2007. Kyle has served as a boardmember since 2022. |
 Jessica Ellison | VP of Communications Jessica Ellison is new to the talent development industry but has hit the ground running as a Learning Experience Designer at Bohannan Huston, an engineering consulting firm based in Albuquerque. She graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022 with a degree in Film and Animation, juggling work as a 3D animator and motion graphics artist within the university’s Marketing and Communications department. Originally starting at Bohannan Huston in 2023 as a video editor and graphic designer, she quickly took to the field of L&D and became a Learning Experience Designer just a year later. At Bohannan Huston, Jessica Ellison crafts educational material by combining graphic design, instructional design, audio/visual technology, and motion graphics/animation to enhance employee knowledge on a range of subjects from technical training to compliance and safety. She has a particular interest in accessible learning and is a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). She is currently exploring master’s program options in the world of instructional design and technology. |
Damien M. Sánchez | VP of Professional Development Damien M. Sánchez earned his doctorate from the Organization, Information, and Learning Sciences (OILS) program at the University of New Mexico (UNM). He leverages his expertise to produce engaging learning experiences, detailed research, and thorough evaluations for his clients. As the owner of Puerta Abierta Performance Consulting, he conducts evaluations and develops online learning modules for clients like the New Mexico Department of Health. He is a Certified Return on Investment Professional and Associate with the Return on Investment (ROI) Institute where he facilitates face-to-face and online workshops on program evaluation and ROI. He taught Instructional Systems Design as an Adjunct Professor in the Organization, Information, and Learning Sciences (OILS) Program at UNM. Prior to completing his Ph.D., Damien worked as a Senior Instructional Designer producing online and face-to-face learning solutions for the U.S. government. He has received awards for academic excellence, contributions to the Latino community, and citizenship. |
Seretha Crider |
VP of Events
Variety is the spice of life! And variety in Seretha's professional life propels her forward. With experience in fashion merchandising, retail management, education, and ministry to women and children, Seretha currently finds her past experiences combining to create new staff and emerging leader development for Sagebrush Church. Seretha is new to TD and eager to learn. She has a BS in Fashion Merchandising and Business from the University of North Texas. She is DiSC certified and is looking forward to completing ATD and Working Genius certifications next. Seretha's passion for helping people enjoy all areas of life extends to her community involvement with historical interpreting for El Rancho de Las Golondrinas and volunteering with Visit ABQ. |
 Beth McLeod | VP of Media Bio coming soon! |
Wesley Espinoza | VP of Strategic Partnerships 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. |
