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, and is a Prosci Certified Practitioner, 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 “from everywhere but nowhere in particular.” She called Hawaiʻi home for 13 years before moving to New Mexico in April of 2022.

Jessica Ellison

VP of Communications

Jessica 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, working as a 3D animator and motion graphics artist within the university’s Marketing and Communications department. She started at Bohannan Huston in 2023 as a video editor and graphic designer, and quickly took to the field of L&D, becoming a Learning Experience Designer just a year later.

At Bohannan Huston, Jessica crafts educational material by combining graphic design, instructional design, audio/visual technology, and motion graphics/animation to enhance employee knowledge on 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 instructional design and technology.

Damien M. Sánchez

VP of Professional Development

Damien 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 ROI Professional and Associate with the ROI Institute, where he facilitates workshops on program evaluation and ROI, and he taught Instructional Systems Design as an Adjunct Professor in the 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.

Kyle Duncan

VP of Technology

Kyle has served on the ATD New Mexico board since 2019, currently as VP of Technology. He is also the founder of K Group Training, a leadership and culture development organization serving corporate teams, churches, and nonprofit organizations across North America, and works as an Instructional Design Learning Consultant at Intel Corporation.

With more than 25 years of experience in leadership development, organizational culture, and team coaching, Kyle has worked with leaders at every level — from frontline managers to senior executives, from youth ministry directors to lead pastors — helping them close the gap between the culture they aspire to and the culture they actually inhabit.

Kyle’s approach draws on both his professional background in Learning and Development and his extensive experience in ministry leadership, combining evidence-based organizational development with a faith-informed perspective on human flourishing.

He holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Training from the University of Phoenix and is a program alumnus of the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative (DVULI) — an experience he credits with transforming his understanding of collaborative leadership and systems thinking.

Wesley Espinoza

VP of Strategic Partnerships

Based in New Mexico, Wesley focuses on workforce development, innovation, and strategic partnerships — connecting organizations across the state to strengthen our talent-development community. He believes learning should be experiential, engaging, and measurable, and that its real value shows up in business impact, not just activity.

He brings more than 15 years of experience designing training programs and learning technologies for global organizations, including Verizon and Walmart, where his work in gamification, virtual-reality learning, and data-driven learning technology helped modernize how large teams learn.