2024 Pittsburgh Chapter Board Directory
Chapter President/Past President: Dana Whatley Smith
Dana Whatley Smith is an innovative talent development leader, who is passionate about helping others to
reach their full potential, and transcend beyond their best selves. She is the Assistant Director of Learning &
Development at Duquesne University. In this role, she is responsible for the professional development of
faculty and staff. Dana strategically develops and implements trainings that focus on leadership, soft skills
development and diversity, equity and inclusion. She also partners with constituents throughout the campus
community to provide training solutions that meet the unique needs within their departments. Prior to her time
at Duquesne, she spent 20+ years working in financial services, in training and development and employee
engagement roles.
Dana is active on many non-profit boards and professional organizations. She is returning to serve a second
term as the 2024 Chapter President for ATD Pittsburgh. Dana is also the newly elected Chair of the Duquesne
University Staff Advisory Council (DUSAC), which oversees signature employee engagement events at
Duquesne. She is the Treasurer and Membership Chair on the Western Pennsylvania Colleges and
Universities Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Leadership Board. Additionally, Dana
serves on the Corporate Advisory Council for Pennsylvania Women Work (PAWW), a non-profit organization
which is dedicated to transforming the lives of women through empowerment, employment and economic
independence.
She holds an M.S. in Leadership from Duquesne University, a B.S. in Business Education from Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, and a paralegal certificate in Corporate Law, also from Duquesne. In her spare
time, she enjoys traveling with her husband Aaron, and cooking delicious meals for family and friends.
VP of Finance/Past President: Angela Rogers
Angela Rogers is the Current VP Finance and Immediate Past President of the Pittsburgh ATD Chapter.
Angela Rogers, Ph.D., earned her doctorate Workforce Education and Development in 2022. Her dissertation focused on new employee onboarding.
She works at Penn State.
Previously Angela was a training partner with the University’s Center for Workplace Learning and Performance and the co-chair of the Penn State Commission for Women. Angela is a Distinguished Toastmaster.
She is a qualitative researcher and a certified NVivo expert. In addition to onboarding, her interests are communications, leadership, career development, organization development, individual agency, and DEIB.
VP of Membership: Sharron Corle
Meet Sharron Corle, the dynamic force driving learning and development at Meals on Wheels America. Armed with a Master of Science in Human Development, specialized in adult learning and human resource development from Virginia Tech, and complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in English from Chatham College, Sharron has embarked on a thrilling journey of shaping learning landscapes across diverse organizational realms for several decades.
Venturing through the labyrinth of Member Associations for most of her professional odyssey, Sharron has gleaned profound insights into the intricate tapestry of professional education and connectivity. Her astute comprehension of Member organizations' pivotal role in fostering collaboration among professionals, experts, and thought leaders is unparalleled.
Sharron is not just your conventional Learning & Development Director; she's an alchemist of inspiration, fueling the flames of excellence in those around her. Her canvas is the realm of learning, where she paints with versatility and creativity, sculpting bespoke solutions that propel individuals toward growth and peak performance. Delving into the depths of learning needs is her forte, and the thrill of unraveling transformative solutions is her elixir of joy.
Fueling her boundless curiosity is Sharron's insatiable appetite for exploration. With passport stamps from 20 countries and counting, she views travel not just as a leisurely pursuit but as a transformative pilgrimage of learning, enriching her perspective and nurturing her passion for continuous evolution.
VP of Marketing & Communications/President Elect: Keith Kuckenbrod
Keith Kuckenbrod is a leader in talent and leadership development, who is passionate about developing people. Keith is currently the Talent Resources Manager at Thomas Automotive.
Keith began his career as an educator, eventually serving as administrator. He transitioned to corporate learning and development, where his background in both education and human resources allow him to help with strategic organizational development initiatives. Keith is an active facilitator locally in his hometown of Johnstown, PA, speaking at local colleges and leadership development programs. In his spare time, he loves to ski and kayak, and is a professional musician playing in local high school musical pit orchestras. Keith and his wife, Kristie also enjoy cooking and are self-proclaimed "foodies."
Keith holds a BS in Music Education, K-12 Principal Certification, MA in Employment and Labor Relations, and is currently ABD with is DEd in Administration and Leadership Studies, all from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is also a John Maxwell Team Certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer.
VP National Liaison: Jennifer Kennedy
Jennifer has been an educator and trainer for over 20 years supporting the K-12, education technology, nonprofit, and health care industries. Her mission is to support individuals in tapping into self-leadership through using their authentic and unique voice. Jennifer is a Credentialed ATD Master Trainer and holds an ACC credential from the International Coaching Federation. In acknowledgement of her work, she was awarded the HR One award in 2022 from UPMC for exemplifying the UPMC values and Teacher of the Year award in 2010 for excellence in teaching.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies from Miami University of Ohio. She is also an outdoor leader with Outdoor Afro Pittsburgh and has visited all 50 states.
VP Programming: Jeff Tobe
Jeff Tobe, M.Ed has been a professional speaker, trainer and author for 25+ years. He has always been passionate about helping others reach their professional development goals. Post-pandemic, Naval Nuclear Laboratories enticed him to take his first “real job” in November of 2023 and since then, Jeff has led an effort in that 8,000-person organization, to revamp their professional development, their mentoring program and their onboarding process. It is still a work in progress!
Jeff is the current VP of Programs for ATD Pittsburgh and he is active in many professional organizations including both the National Speaking Association International and as a founding member of NSA Pittsburgh. He has held many roles in both of those organizations including Past President of the Pittsburgh Chapter. He is also a Past Chair of the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce.
Jeff holds a B.A. in business from the University of Western Ontario (Yes. He IS a Canadian! Go Leafs!) and a masters in education from Post University in Connecticut. He is a creativity in business expert and has spoken and/or trained with organizations in 53 countries. Jeff’s first book, “Coloring Outside the Lines” was an Amazon best seller and his last book, “The CX Edge: Critical Customer Experience Questions to Help You ATTRACT, KEEP and WOW Customers” is quickly becoming one of the hottest business books on the market.
Director of Networking: Sandra Marsh McClain
Sandra is a Senior Learning Specialist and joined UPMC’s Learning and Development team in November 2020. In this role Sandra is responsible for developing learning opportunities and facilitation for new and aspiring leaders and staff throughout UPMC.
Prior to UPMC, Sandra held roles as a senior program manager in the workforce development non-profit sector as well as a staff development specialist in higher education. Sandra holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management with a concentration in Organizational Learning, Development and Change Management from La Roche University, Pittsburgh, PA as well as a Master of Divinity from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX.
Director of Social Media: Kyra Miller
Kyra Miller is a life-long learner, who is new to the corporate talent development field. She is passionate about helping others to reach their full professional development potential, which Kyra does in her current position as the Organizational Development Administrator at Thomas Automotive. In this role, she designs and implements training plans for new hires that create a mentor/mentee relationship where the new hire can gain the necessary knowledge he/she needs to be successful in his/her new career. Kyra ensures that all team members at Thomas Automotive are educated on the state-of-the-art software and hardware that is implemented throughout the different locations by providing in-person training in the flow of work and resources that can be referred to when necessary. Prior to her time at Thomas Automotive, Kyra taught at a local Catholic High School for a year and a half. She worked with young adults as a Youth Career Planner with CareerLink before gaining the position at the Catholic High School, which is where her passion to help others meet their career potential was solidified.
Kyra is excited to start working with the ATD Pittsburgh Chapter Board as the incoming Director of Social Media. She holds a Bachelors in Secondary Education and a Bachelors in History from the University of Pittsburgh. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling to historic places, volunteering at the Cambria County Humane Society, and spending time with her lovable dog and her rambunctious cats.