Welcome & Introductions

Hello! I’m a Principal Learning Experience Designer at UKG (HCM and WFM software). I design and develop self-paced courses, instructor led training, and performance support. I also do a lot of project management for my team and maintain our process documentation. I’m located in northeast Georgia.

We have strong initiatives at our organization to use AI. So I’m trying to learn as much as I can and find ways to increase the effectiveness of our training and decrease the development time. I love using Articulate Rise and I’m excited to learn about the new AI features.

This is Maya. She loves hiking in the north Georgia and western North Carolina mountains.

Hi There:  

I'm Julie DeSantis and I work from home as a Lead Learning Technology Administrator just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. Day-to-day I manage my company's LMS and am responsible for creating eLearning content using Rise and Storyline. 

On a personal level I am a huge movie buff.  I am currently making my way through all the films nominated for Academy Awards this year in preparation for the big show. I also attend the Toronto International Film Festival yearly. No current fur babies, but I love dogs and hope to have another one soon. 

I joined the cohort because I want to learn as much as I can about the AI Assistant features and how I can use them most effectively. My company is very invested in leveraging AI tools to save time, and I am hoping to share what I learn with my team so we can all be more productive. 

Hello, my name is Frances McEwen, and I am an instructional designer in San Antonio, TX, working for USAA. I am currently involved in both facilitated training and eLearning. I joined this cohort to learn more about AI functionality in Storyline. I have two cuties at home: Bruno (bulldog) and Cookie (cat).

Hi everyone! I’m Kevin Jefferson. I am a Senior Instructional Designer for Insperity. I have worked for Insperity for 8 years and work a hybrid schedule. I have 17 years of total experience in learning and development, and have worked with Articulate products for 11 years. I live in Spring, TX.

AI is already embedded in how I work and is a major focus for me. I use it to outline and draft course content, refine learning objectives, conduct need/gap analyses, write and clean up scripts, generate Storyline narration, create Rise outlines/blocks, create AI Audio/Video, and speed up revisions. But I always want and need to learn more.

Outside of work, I spend as much time as I can outside with my kids, and I’m always hoping to sneak in a weekend nap… though my kids never seem to agree with that plan. I’m excited to be part of this AI cohort and to keep finding practical ways to use AI that actually make our work easier and better.

Pictured here is my home office mate. She is extremely lazy and never gets her work done on time. I have filed many official complaints with HR, but have been informed that she is, and I quote, “Too cute.”

Hi everyone!

I’m Susan Gollihugh, joining you from Aloha, Oregon, where I work at The Standard as a Learning and Development Specialist IV.

My work focuses on designing and evolving learning experiences across the organization—from onboarding and role-based training to eLearning, regulatory compliance and performance support. I also mentor newer Learning Specialists, especially around instructional design thinking and practical uses of AI in our day-to-day workflows. Helping others grow their skills (and confidence) in this space is one of my favorite parts of the job.

I joined the Articulate AI Certification Cohort because I see AI as a genuine inflection point for our field—not just a productivity boost, but a way to make smarter design decisions and create more adaptive, learner-centered experiences. My goal is to deepen my hands-on fluency with Articulate’s AI capabilities, learn how others are integrating these tools into real-world projects, and bring those insights back into both my own work and the coaching I provide to others. I’m looking forward to learning with this group and to the conversations, experimentation, and shared problem-solving ahead.

I recently lost my best friend, Watson, but wanted to share with you.  

Hi - I'm Alissa Ruka, Manager of Training in Data & Analytics at Thomson Reuters. I'm south of St. Paul, MN and work at our Eagan office. I mainly develop e-learning for internal-facing end-user training about tech, data, and AI subjects. I'm not a technologist - more of a translator on their behalf. 😄

I've been with TR for 19 years, and using Articulate for about half of that time. I mostly work in Rise, and I'm excited not only for the amazing time-saving efficiencies, but also for editing and authoring assistance. And because the content can sometimes be dry, I'm always looking for new blocks and ways to get creative with the course. 

I'm currently between pets, but enjoy dog-sitting for friends and neighbors to fill the gap. I have my neighbor's dog coming over tonight to stay the weekend!

Greetings and salutations all!
My name is Nicole and I'm based out of Vancouver, Canada! I work as an instructional designer at an entertainment and gaming company - though I personally don't actually "game" much (if at all), I am responsible for helping develop learning and training materials for the organization. L&D represent!! 

I joined this cohort because I am quite familiar with Articulate, but not as familiar with how AI can support development in this tool and I'd love to learn more about how AI is integrated in Articulate. I've played with many AI tools here and there and am looking for practical tips on how to develop more efficiently while still maintaining best ID practices... and hopefully still maintaining some human element to the work itself. 

On the personal side, my husband and I have over 80 plants at home (and our plant babies ensure that number keeps growing!), and a couple beautiful fur babies. Luna the senior cat (struggling with a thyroid issue but still a precious baby) never sits normally and Oreo the dog (she looks ancient but is only 4) sat pretty for this one. We love to travel - we visited 6 countries last year and will be visiting China (Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chongqing) in a month! If anyone has any travel tips for those cities, let me know! 

Looking forward to learning with you all!

I'm Sarah Harrison from Thomson Reuters based in London. I lead learning technology and spend my days involved in global training initiatives, LMS and learning vendor projects (including leading on Articulate). I partner with a diverse range of learning teams across the business.

I'm here to learn how we can use AI generally, but also to plug gaps where we don't have full time designers and facilitate the maintenance of our training so we can move at pace.

We are the proud owners of Hubble, a retired racing greyhound. One of the fastest and most elegant of dog breeds.....mmmmm.......maybe not all the time!

Hi! My name is Lisa Persons. I am an Instructional Designer with Excellus BCBS in Syracuse, NY. I have been with the company for almost 4 years. I am excited to learn more about how the AI Assistant can help me reduce development time on projects. I have 3 children (ages 23, 20 & 14) and 3 dogs. Looking forward to connecting everyone! 

Here are my co-workers (I work from home), doing what they do most of the day. :)

• Hi My Name is Eunise I am located in Manila Philippines, I work for ResultsCX Company, and and I am part of a large Instructional Design Team and design eLearning training content. 
• I joined so that I can expand my Knowledge and skills using Rise360 AI assistant features and hopefully work faster and more efficiently.  
• This is Pumpkin, one of my cats. I have a total of 3 but the other 2 are hiding.