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My Experience

PROFESSIONAL ​INFO​​

Dynamic Instructional Designer with 20+ years of experience crafting high-impact e-learning and training programs that drive organizational performance. Delivered award-winning leadership curricula, boosting team engagement and achieving strategic goals ahead of schedule. Expert in ADDIE methodology, Articulate, and Lean Six Sigma to create scalable, results-oriented learning solutions. 

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I love writing content and conceptualizing learning programs. ​

Val Groce.png

“A writer should be joyous, an optimist . . . anything that implies rejection of life is

wrong for a writer.”

- George Gribbin​

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“I'm here to make your life easy

and make you look good!”

- Val Groce

Gallop Strengths:

Positivity, Communication, Influencing, Arranger, Strategic

DISC: ID

Hartman Value Profile: Counselor

Myers Briggs: ENTJ

WORK EXPERIENCE​​

2017-Present​

Owner - ValEGirl Innovations

I leverage my vendor partnerships through ValEGirl for consulting opportunities. My primary focus is on instructional design and content, while my vendor partners facilitate client connections.  Adding dedicated and talented developers to our team enables me to advance my design ideas, knowing that anything is possible. 

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  • Design and develop e-learning, ILT, and blended courses for clients. 
     

  • Collaborate with subject matter experts, incorporating ADDIE principles to analyze needs and map curricula, leading to improved employee performance metrics in post-training evaluations. Create customized scenarios that enhance learner relevance and increase program adoption rates across various industries, including banking, healthcare, and retail. 
     

  • Facilitated Train the Trainer (T3) training for major clients (e.g., PNC Bank, Abbott, Expedia),
     

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One of the qualities I'm known for with clients is my work speed. This is beneficial in two ways for my clients. First of all, they get more productivity for their budget. I'm often called upon to meet tight deadlines or step in when a project is falling behind schedule. 

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WIN*

Several of my soft-skills course designs were templated to be resold for other client programs, with some customization of scenarios to adjust their relevance to different types of businesses.

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WIN*

A client was so delighted with our project in 2024 that they doubled their budget for 2025.

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Some of the clients I've designed training for through these partnerships include:

Expedia Travel - Cellebrite - Bath & Body Works - Xerox - FedEx - Bank of America - Silicon Valley Bank - Abbott Diabetes Care - PNC Bank - Liberty Mutual - Western Union - State Farm - Michelin - Ziply Fiber - Major League Baseball

2017-2020​

Email Marketing Manager - Joseph Studios

I began on a subsidiary of Joseph Studios called The Forge, hired to develop an online Lean Six Sigma training program for them. They came back to expand the learner workbook into a full self-learning textbook. The next year, they asked me to write content for their marketing arm, Joseph Studios.

 

In addition to strategizing, creating, and executing email campaigns for their clients, I also wrote SEO and blog content for their client websites.

 

WIN*

Due to a case study of campaigns I wrote for a franchise consulting client, Joseph Studios was recognized in 2019 for Best Email Marketing Agency by Design Rush. 

2015-2017

Training Specialist - US Xpress

I designed and launched Leadership Xcellence (LDX), a leadership development program for Directors and new Vice Presidents. 

 

This 14-week program included:

  1. 360-degree feedback

  2. Strengths-Based Leadership

  3. Strategic Planning

  4. Team Development

  5. Accountability

  6. Change Management

 

Each lesson was followed by one-on-one coaching to support behavior change, and the participants were challenged to apply the techniques immediately with their teams.

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WIN*

Leadership Xcellence was placed in the top 5%, "Winner's Circle" in the nation at HR.COM's LEAD Awards for 2017. I also helped conceptualize the winning program, "Xpress Elite," a rapid acceleration program designed for high-potential individuals.

 

While LDX was my primary focus, I was also a coach in the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX)

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WIN*

Through my coaching, the Payroll team was the first in the company to achieve their quarterly strategic goals in this program.

 

I assisted HR with onboarding, team-building activities for teams in crisis and created more courses as business needs justified.   

2013-2015​

Business Analyst/Training - Alitek Consulting

I completed two projects as a contractor for Alitek, testing, developing training content, and facilitation to designated users for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA):

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  • The ECM project at the TVA was an enterprise-wide effort that brought Content Server, an OpenText document warehousing application, to replace their outdated system. 

  • The Green Power Providers project automated the lifecycle for local power company customers utilizing renewable power to sell back to TVA. 

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**A Confidential Security Clearance was obtained to complete these projects.

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WIN*

Mine was the last group to launch on the ECM project; however, ours was the first group to fully adopt the new technology, ensuring a successful transition.

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There is a decade more of work experience, but I'm trying to keep this brief. 

EDUCATION

1988-1990​

Professional Institute of Commercial Art (PICA), Baltimore, MD

Before there were graphic designers, digital graphics, or Instructional Designers, there were commercial artists that created, laid out, and pieced together media to prepare it for printing. That was my focus on learning in this vocational program, where I first got started creating content.

Career Development and Certifications

Career 

Throughout my career, I took advantage of every learning opportunity to expand my range of expertise.

 

  • ADP Coaching Certificate Program

  • Executrain ICP – adult learning theory | facilitation

  • Prepmasters T3 – Adult learning | training development | CTT+

  • Lean Six Sigma – Certified Green Belt

  • Six Sigma Organizational Change Acceleration

  • ADKAR method of Change Management

  • ITIL Foundations: Certified V2

  • ITIL Practitioner -- Support and Restore: Certified V2

  • Lominger Career Architect 101

  • UC Leadership Development I and II

  • OCTanner Carrot Recognition Program​

Skills

Google Suite | Microsoft Office | Articulate Rise | Articulate Storyline | Adobe Captivate | Canva | Genial.ly | Knowbly | Triboo | Audacity | Maestra | Murf | WellSaid Studios | Instructional Design | Content Writing | Blogging | Author | Learning Needs Analysis | Curriculum Mapping | Facilitation | Facilitator Guides | Workbooks | Storyboarding | Design Documents | Script-Writing | Asana | ClickUp | Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

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