ATD Central Iowa - Professional Development Day 2025

Registration is open!

Secure your seat to Professional Development Day 2025 and register for this year's conference: Skill Up, Scale Up: A data-driven talent transformation. Join us for a day full of skill building, networking and growth to launch your career to a new level! Click the button below to register.

Register today!

Register by December 31, 2024, to receive THE BEST T-SHIRT EVER!

This year, we are partnering with Raygun to design a talent development themed t-shirt. PDD attendees who register by or before 12/31 will receive a free t-shirt, available to pick-up at the event on February 7, 2025. The custom design will be revealed on social media in November.

Keynote Speaker

Data is Powerful: Data Storytelling Makes it Impactful

The success of any learning and development program hinges on your ability to use data to prove its impact. Data does not speak for itself – you need a strong narrative supported by easy-to-interpret visualizations to make your points instantly understood. Data storytelling concepts will immediately increase your impact and ensure your ideas resonate with leadership. Too often, reporting focuses on building impressive visualizations, dashboards, or models, leaving our stakeholders confused about what we need them to learn or act on from our data. The most impressive data analysis is useless without the ability to communicate essential takeaways clearly and offer persuasive recommendations. In this session, we’ll dive into:

Effective planning options for ensuring you are sharing the data and insights that matter to your audience
Simple techniques for building a sticky message
Design concepts to ensure data visualizations support your message and provide insights at a glance
A framework to effectively and efficiently use data storytelling concepts to drive action Most importantly, you’ll leave the session with practical skills you can implement immediately.

Diedre Downing

Diedre is a leader in designing instructor-led training programs to upskill professionals in communicating with data, data analysis, delivering insights, and other critical skills needed in a data-driven organization. Diedre’s career has spanned public education (as a high school math teacher and professional development leader), higher education, and private industry. With over eighteen years of teaching and facilitating experience, Diedre brings enthusiasm and a unique ability to make complex concepts accessible and relatable to all. Diedre’s expertise allows her to call upon a deep knowledge of communicating data and data-driven insights to senior leaders and key stakeholders across industries and verticals.

Request for Speaker Proposals

We invite you to share your expertise in a session at Professional Development Day 2025. The request for proposals is now open. This premier event for talent development professionals offers an opportunity to support others' growth through informative sessions, networking, and best practice sharing.

Before submitting your proposal, please read this document first. This document provides an overview of the topics we're looking for, what speaker options we have available, how to submit a proposal and more.

Submit your topic here!

The submission deadline is Friday, November 15.

Speakers will be notified by Friday, November 22.

ATD PDD Speaker Committee:

Chandra Chase
Melissa Heikes
Gerard Krupke
Katie Lockhart
Dan Topf (Chair - Dan@topfbusinesslearning.com)
Teresa Peterson

PDD 2025 Awards

DEI Champion:

The DEI Champion is someone who has demonstrated a deep commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and beyond—a passionate advocate who contributes to creating a more just and equitable environment, fostering a culture of belonging and respect for all.

Influencer of the Year:

This award recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact in the talent development space. The Influencer of the Year is a visionary thought leader who inspires others to strive for excellence and works diligently to advance the profession.

Emerging Talent Development Rockstar:

This award celebrates an up-and-coming or early career talent development professional with outstanding potential. Nominees for this award are rising stars who demonstrate creativity, dedication to the profession, and are making remarkable strides to enhance learning and organizational growth.

Non-Profit Champion:

The Non-Profit Champion Award acknowledges an individual who has made a mark in the non-profit sector, leveraging their talent development expertise to drive positive change and improve outcomes for their organization and the community it serves. The Non-Profit Champion is a dedicated professional who embodies the spirit of service and collaboration, inspiring others to make a difference.

Submit your nomination here!

Professional Development Day 2024 was a blast, and we look forward to seeing you and your team at #PDD2025! Take a look at some of our favorite moments from PDD 2024.

Event Details

Stay tuned for more information!

Sponsorships

Renewing your ATD Membership, registering for an ATD event, or making a purchase from the ATD store? Our ATD ChIP code is CH6013.Every time the code is used, it contributes to the financial health of our chapter by giving back a portion of the purchase price to our chapter. Visit the ATD store for all of your talent development needs.