ATD PHL Greater Philadelphia Chapter upcoming events

Chapter Program: "Playing With Scrum: An Experiential Intro To Agile Teamwork" (May 14, 2026)

Thu, 14 May 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Scrum is the most popular agile approach to doing complex work. It is designed to enable teams to self-organize and adapt quickly. It sounds good – but is it really possible?

In this interactive session you will join a team, solve problems, optimize systems, and learn-by-doing. Then we’ll explore the theory behind self-organization and the scrum framework, so that you can apply it in your own environment. You will be prepared to be more effective in organizations using scrum or other agile methods. You will also see how these approaches can be applied to instructional design and coaching.

Agenda: 5:30 – 8:00 pm

5:30 – 6:15 pm: Registration / Light Meal / Networking
6:15 – 6:30 pm: Announcements
6:30 – 8:00 pm: Welcome & Program

This event is sponsored by:

Speaker Bio:

Chris Sims | Founder

Chris Sims is a certified scrum trainer, agile coach, and recovering C++ developer who helps organizations improve their productivity and happiness.

Chris is the founder of Agile Learning Labs and the co-author of two best-selling scrum books: The Elements of Scrum and Scrum: a Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction. More of their writing can be found on the Agile Learning Labs blog.

Before starting Agile Learning Labs in 2007, Chris made a living in roles such as: scrum master, product owner, engineering manager, project manager, software engineer, musician, and auto mechanic.

ATD Greater Philadelphia Chapter programs are pre-approved by the ATD Certification Institute for continuing education credits. These credits are based on the ATD Capability Model and may be applied towards initial eligibility and recertification for Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials.

ATD Certification Credits for this program: 2.50

Chapter Program: "How to Not Suck at Hard Conversations" (June 11, 2026)

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 21:30:00 GMT

The dreaded ‘we need to talk’ text, the challenging performance review...hard conversations are a fact of life. All of us dread them, and most of us suck at them. Hard conversations will always be hard, but sucking at them is a choice.

Hard conversation skills are essential for high-performers, whether your role is in HR or not. These skills apply far beyond feedback and performance reviews. Especially as AI advances, those with strong relational skills will stand out from the crowd.

The Relational intelligence and communication skills provided in this session touch all three components of ATD's capability model. This session will support building personal capability for navigating conflict, organizational capability for increasing feedback effectiveness, and professional capability for managing relationships more effectively.

Everyone will leave with a step by step guide on how to excel at hard conversations, and a new perspective on navigating relational tension.

Learning Objectives:

Understand how to create common ground and understanding
Practice having difficult conversations to make future ones easier
Cultivate balance while holding tension
Practice with maintaining boundaries
Practice with effective listening

Participant Outcomes:

Learn simple steps to create psychological safety with others
Learn the art of giving and receiving difficult information
Receive a clear framework for navigating conflict
Learn how we respond to challenging feedback, and how to do it gracefully
Downloadable or printed worksheet provided to participants

Agenda: 5:30 – 8:00 pm

5:30 – 6:15 pm: Registration / Light Meal / Networking
6:15 – 6:30 pm: Announcements
6:30 – 8:00 pm: Welcome & Program

This event is sponsored by:

Speaker Bio:

Gabriel DeRita | Coach

Gabriel DeRita is a leadership and communication coach renowned for helping executives master crucial conversations, build stronger team connections, and achieve measurable improvements in collaboration and performance. With extensive experience coaching senior leaders from global Fortune 500 companies such as Airbnb, LinkedIn, Goldman Sachs, PayPal, Dropbox, and Gap, Gabriel brings proven strategies and actionable frameworks to every organization he supports.

In a previous career, he held successful management and sales roles in the technology and tourism sectors, before hitting hard reset in 2018 to leave everything behind and live on a bicycle for a year to find deeper meaning and purpose. He found it in his current role, and Gabriel now dedicates himself fully to empowering leaders through executive coaching, interactive trainings and experiential workshops. His practical, engaging approach ensures leaders immediately gain tools they can apply to their toughest workplace conversations.

ATD Certification Credits for this program: 2.50

L&OD SIG Workshop: “Measuring Learning & Development’s Impact” (June 18, 2026)

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Join us for what may be one of the most valuable workshops that L&D professionals can and should experience as part of their career journey. We are honored to have Patti Phillips, CEO of the ROI Institute and recipient of many talent development awards, as our presenter.

This highly practical 5-hour workshop provides L&D professionals with the tools needed to quantitatively and qualitatively link learning to measurable outcomes. You'll move beyond smile sheets to focus on demonstrating actual impact and ROI, following the Phillips Five-Level Framework and ROI Methodology. This workshop covers concepts critical to demonstrating value, like:

Aligning L&D programs/initiatives with organizational KPIs.
Isolating the effects of L&D programs on business measures like turnover rate, employee engagement scores, customer satisfaction, revenue impact, and leadership pipeline strength.
Calculating Return on Investment (ROI) for L&D initiatives.
Creating a compelling data story to communicate L&D’s impact to stakeholders.

While this workshop is an introduction to the ROI Methodology, you will leave with tools and resources to help you demonstrate value in terms that matter most.

Note: The ROI Methodology was adopted by ATD Education as the methodology of choice for its Evaluating Learning Impact and Measuring Return on Investment Certificate programs. It is documented in over 100 books including more than 50 ATD publications.

Facilitator:

Patti P. Phillips, PhD, CPTD

Patti P. Phillips, PhD, CPTD is CEO of ROI Institute. She helps organizations implement the ROI Methodology® in more than 70 countries. Her work spans private sector, public sector, nonprofit, and nongovernmental organizations. Patti has authored and edited more than 75 books on measurement and evaluation.

Patti serves as chair of the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations Board of Trustees; chair of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research Evaluation Advisory Board; co-chair of the Institute for Corporate Productivity People Analytics Board; and board member of the American Board of Optometry. From 2018-2024, Patti served on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research Board of Trustees. During her tenure she served as board vice chair and finance committee member.

She, along with her husband and ROI Institute co-founder Dr. Jack J. Phillips, is the recipient of the 2024 Association of Learning Providers (ISA) Thought Leader Award, 2022 Association for Talent Development (ATD) Thought Leader Award, and the 2019 Center for Talent Reporting Distinguished Contributor Award. Additionally, in 2015, Patti was honored as the ATD CPTD Fellow, a distinction that recognizes her contributions to the professionalization of the talent development field.

Premiere Sponsor:

https://www.firstrust.com/

Executive Sponsors:

https://www.advantexe.com/	https://www.explorance.com/
The future of leadership development is here. Click to learn about Judge Leadership+.

Corporate Sponsors:

https://www.burlington.com/	https://www.firstcomcu.org/
https://www.peco.com	http://www.TalentMetrics.io

Get Certified:

Attendees qualify for initial eligibility and recertification of the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials.

ATD Certification Credits for this program: 6.0

ATD Greater Philadelphia Chapter: Open House (June 22, 2026)

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 22:00:00 GMT

This interactive virtual session is your chance to connect and learn with current members, learn what ATD-PHL offers, and discover how to get the most from your membership. Whether you’re new to the chapter or a long-time member, you’ll meet chapter leaders, explore volunteer and leadership opportunities, and help shape future programs through small-group discussions and networking.

Come share your ideas, ask questions, and get inspired to engage more deeply with our vibrant learning community.

Learning Conference (September 15, 2026)

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

ATD Greater Philadelphia and the Villanova College of Professional Studies are pleased to announce our first ever Learning Conference to be held on September 15th, 2026 (this will be an all-day event) at the Inn at Villanova University. More information to follow soon! Mark your calendars and keep an eye out for registration information.