Winners among us

T+D, June, 2003

One of the things that I look forward to most during this time of year is presenting ASTD's awards to so many outstanding individuals and organizations during our annual International Conference & Exposition. Without exception, the award winners that we honor--business leaders from some of the most recognized organizations, thought leaders in the workplace learning and performance field, and organizations that achieve results through different practices--have contributed some incredible ideas and expertise for the benefit of our industry.

Since joining ASTD in 2000, I have had the pleasure of congratulating some phenomenal business leaders for winning ASTD's champion of workplace learning and performance award, including Robert (Bob) Galvin, chairman of the executive committee of Motorola; John Chambers, president and CEO of Cisco Systems; Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president, and CEO of FedEx Corporation; and just a few weeks ago, Steven Piersanti, founder and president of Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

All of these business leaders--and those who won this award in years past--understand the important link between learning and the goals and strategies of the business. They know, just like many of you, that a highly skilled workforce is critical to the current and future success of their business. Equally as distinguished are thought leaders in our own field--individuals such as Warren Bennis, Gloria Gery, Ed Lawler, Elliott Masie, Henry Mintzberg, Allison Rossett, Roger Schank, Edgar Schein, and Meg Wheatley--who have won ASTD's Distinguished Contribution or Lifetime Achievement Award for their work and contributions to workplace learning and performance.

ASTD also honors volunteers for their contributions to the goals and vision of the society through the Volunteer-Staff Partnership Award, Torch Award, and Gordon M. Bliss Memorial Award. Recent winners of these awards include Carol-Susan DeVaney, Melinda J. Bickerstaff, and Michael G. Hansen. In addition to individual awards, ASTD also recognizes organizations for achieving results through practices and interventions in the Excellence in Practice program and for achieving enterprise-wide success through learning in the new ASTD BEST Awards.

Publicly recognizing these award-winning individuals and organizations is only part of the picture. By sharing experiences and successes with each other, we can help the profession grow even stronger. I invite you to visit the awards section of our Website to understand how your colleagues and other organizations are using learning as a strategic tool, introducing innovative learning programs and practices, and achieving results through learning.

You'll be glad that you did!

President and CEO

ASTD