Hi! I'm Sierra,

 a Learning & Development Leader and Instructional Designer. I create rich interactive learning experiences leveraging adult learning theories. Check out my work by clicking one of the icons below. 

I absolutely love designing learning solutions that are engaging and interactive. I have found myself taking part in countless workplace trainings throughout my career and walking away from them wondering "what did I just learn?" and the educator in me has always struggled with leaving a training feeling like I haven't learned anything. What's the point of a training when the participants don't change their actions or behaviors afterward? 

This has sparked inspiration in me to design training solutions that are interactive, memorable, and ACTUALLY help employees learn something to make relevant changes in their workplace behavior. 

I have a deep desire to learn and grow within my career along with the drive to make sure that I reach any goal I set my mind to. I have a master's degree in chemistry and during my time in graduate school I was awarded the Graduate Student Association's Excellence in Teaching Award. I received this campus-wide TA award due to my ability to make chemistry lab experiences that were exciting and allowed the learners to believe that they could do what was being asked of them. While deciding to transition away from education, I enrolled in the IDOL courses academy, ensuring that I would gain the skills necessary to succeed in my new field. 

I put the skills I learned in IDOL courses academy to use in diving into a freelance instructional design project for a growing startup. After meeting with the founders and discussing their need for a functional and built out training program for their new employees, I helped get them started with a few onboarding resources. You can learn more about those resources here. 

Since concluding my freelance project, I have been working at Calibrate Health and Oak Street Health, working as an instructional designer, training manager, and learning design manager. As a training and learning design manager, I have successfully led cross-functional teams in the development and implementation of training programs that align with business objectives. I am adept at using the ADDIE model and backwards design to ensure that every learning experience is relevant, interesting, and interactive.

When I'm not creating learning experiences, I'm combining my love of design and creation with my love of science by making soaps from oils and lye. I'm also spending time learning how to knit! My love of learning doesn't end at designing learning solutions, I consider myself a life-long learner.