May 13, 2014 – GBASTD Member Spotlight Event

May 13, 2014
GBASTD Member Spotlight Event

From “Right Now” to “Wow!”:  The Evolution of Instructional Design at PAREXEL
 
Great learning is built on great design.  Great design takes talent and the right amount of time.  But what’s an Instructional Design team to do when you know you could really “Wow” your learners – but your business is saying “We want it Right Now!”? 

Two years ago, PAREXEL’s Learning Content Design and Development team started a WOW transformation that aimed not only to utilize the highly creative and experienced skill set of the team, but also set out to help their internal clients appreciate the time and effort that they would need to invest to make it WOW! 

Two members of that team, Melissa Milani (Associate Director of L&D) and Tom Costello (Manager of L&D) will tell the team’s story, what they started with, how they evolved and overcame challenges and what they are doing to continue to meet the demands of their clients – ultimately moving from “Right Now” to “Wow!”

Tom brings over 15 years of Learning and Development experience working in the financial services and clinical research industries. He is currently managing a team of instructional designers for PAREXEL International. Prior to working at PAREXEL Tom held a leadership position in Learning and Development at MFS Investment Management.
Tom’s main focus is to identify the very best learning solutions for his clients.  He does this by spending the correct amount of time upfront to uncover the key areas hindering performance. Tom is then able to apply this information to building a strong design which creates an in context, role and scenario based solution which fully addresses the business needs.
Tom has B.A. from Suffolk University and a M.Ed. from UMASS Boston.

Melissa has a total of 20 years experiences working in learning.  Her career started in academia where she taught as part of a communication faculty.  In 2000 she moved to the corporate world, working in the medical device industry and insurance.  She’s spent the last 10 years of her career with PAREXEL where she has served as a training consultant who traveled and worked with managers and employees across the globe. She went on to serve as an L&D manager who built a standard management and professional development curriculum for PAREXEL.  Now Melissa is the Associate Director for PAREXEL’s Instructional Design team – which includes 4 managers and 16 designers across 4 countries (US / Argentina / UK / Germany).  The best part of her job is working with a great team of people who bring a lot of enthusiasm and drive to the work they are doing!
When she’s not work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband Jeremy and 8 year old daughter Geneva in their home in Nashua, NH. 
Melissa earned her B.A. from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and her M.A. from North Dakota State University.