HRD: 30 Minutes With is the weekly podcast series where host, Darren Short, spends thirty minutes with an HRD scholar from around the world to learn about their career and about the person behind the scholarship. Conversations explore a wide range of topics, including how guests became interested in HRD, how their career progressed, how they selected topics for research and writing, their life outside of work, how work and personal lives influenced and impacted each other, advice for those early in their career, and much more.

How To Listen

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Episode 17: Dr. Tonette Rocco

(Episode Release: February 9, 2023)

Dr. Tonette S. Rocco is a Professor of Adult Education and Human Resource Development in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, Florida International University. Tonette graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Master of Science in Labor & Human Resources, a Master’s in Education, and a Ph.D. in Adult Education & Human Resource Development. She earned all four degrees after returning to complete her undergraduate degree as a nontraditional student who was also a single mother. She is Editor-in-Chief of New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, and serves on a dozen editorial boards. She is one of only twenty-five Houle Scholars from the U.S., a member of the 2016 class of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, 2016 Outstanding HRD Scholar and recipient of more than 35 awards for scholarship, mentoring, and service. Tonette has published eleven books receiving the 2009 University Continuing Education Association Frandson Book Award. She has over 300 publications in journals, books, and proceedings.

Tonette and I talked about her journey from walking out of school in the 70s through to joining the faculty at FIU, the background to her writing about social justice issues, the joy of writing with other people, how she lives her values, the importance of asking for help, and much more.

Episode 16: Dr. Robert Yawson

(Episode Release: February 2, 2023)

Dr. Robert M. Yawson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Management and the Chair of the Entrepreneurship, International Business & Strategy Department at the School of Business, Quinnipiac University, CT. Robert is also the Faculty Coordinator for the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership Program. He received the prestigious Center for Excellence in Teaching Award in 2018. He was named the 2018 Faculty Scholar of the Year and the 2020 James Marshall Award for Service recipient. Robert has a Ph.D. and MS from the University of Minnesota. He also has an MPhil and BS from the University of Ghana and a Post Graduate Certificate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Robert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Organization Management Journal.

Robert and I talked about his start in biochemistry, how growing up in Ghana influences his research, writing, and worldview, how his move into HRD was by accident, how he embraces being called an unorthodox HRD scholar, and much more.

Episode 15: Dr. Elwood (Ed) Holton III

(Episode Release: January 26, 2023)

Dr. Elwood F. “Ed” Holton III, Ed.D. is Professor Emeritus in the School of Leadership and Human Resource Development at Louisiana State University.  Before his retirement in 2015 he was the Jones S. Davis Distinguished Professor of Human Resource, Leadership and Organization Development Director of the School of Human Resource Education and Workforce Development at Louisiana State University.  In 2004, he was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in recognition of his career-long contributions to the field. In 2002, he was named the Outstanding HRD Scholar by AHRD, one of the most prestigious scholarly awards in the field.  His research focused on adult learning, workforce development policy, analysis and evaluation of organizational learning and performance systems, improving learning transfer systems, management and leadership development, and HRD policy and strategy. He is deeply committed to working across the full range of theory and research to practice. He is a Past-President of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) and one of 75 charter members of that organization. 

Ed and I talked about how he fell in love with research, his work on learning transfer, how book writing was a personal passion for him, the honor of his twenty-five year involvement with The Adult Learner, the key role that mentors have played in his career, and much more.

Episode 14: Prof. John Walton

(Episode Release: January 19, 2023)

Professor John Walton is a founding member, first chair of the University Forum of HRD and the first person from the UK to be on the Board of the AHRD. His most well-known publication, Strategic HRD, won the 1999 AHRD book of the year award. After graduating his academic emphasis has been influenced by ten years working for large corporations on complex organisational change projects. Innovative programmes include the first professionally recognised Masters in HRD launched in 1992, the later Masters in Human Resource Strategies, also validated in Moscow, and the Professional Doctorate in HR Strategies. His highlight as a consultant trainer are the courses run on Equal Opportunities Recruitment and Selection for various London boroughs in the 1980’s. The most memorable keynote lecture was at Teheran in 2014. He is a keen chess player and President of the Athenaeum Chess Club.

John and I talked about how his love of chess put him on a path that led to HRD, about being a part of so many firsts for HRD in the United Kingdom and beyond, how his experience in practice helped his teaching and writing, what it took to write his 600-page Strategic HRD book, how he’s still like a bull at a gate when it comes to research, and much more.

Episode 13: Dr. Michael (Lane) Morris

(Episode Release: January 12, 2023)

Dr. Michael (Lane) Morris is the Associate Dean & John W. Fisher Professor of Innovative Learning in the Haslam College of Business at The University of Tennessee. His interests include: Human Centered Leadership & Design, Leadership Development & Executive Coaching, Organizational Development, Strategic HR, Family Business & Entrepreneurship, Work & Life Harmony, and Stress/Health/Wellness. A popular speaker and consultant, his academic work has appeared in top-tier journals such as Organizational Research Methods, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Family Relations, Advances in Developing Human Resources, Logistics Quarterly, International Journal of Management & Enterprise Management among many others. From 2008-2010, Lane served as the President of the Academy of Human Resource Development. He received his Ph.D. from The University of Tennessee, and he holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology/Chemistry from Lee University and a Master of Divinity degree.

Lane and I talked about his atypical career path that started with chemistry, the fun he has at the dean level, how he fell in love with HRD and found a home within AHRD, the transformational investments made by his parents, how he and his wife now own a farm and rescue horses, and much more.

Episode 12: Dr. Consuelo Waight

(Episode Release: January 5, 2023)

Dr. Consuelo Waight is a professor of human resource development (HRD) at the University of Houston (UH). She is the Founding Director of the UH Executive HRD program. Consuelo conducts research on e-learning, learning and mergers and acquisitions, and global human resource development. In addition, she teaches courses related to instructional design, organization development, and global HRD. Consuelo has consulted with the Government of Belize, Inter-American Development Bank, and Peace Corps. Consuelo has applied her expertise in Angola, Mozambique, Thailand, Belize, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Nicaragua. Consuelo has a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Consuelo received a Fulbright Student Award (1995) and a Fulbright Scholar Award (2016). 

Consuelo and I talked about her start as an elementary school teacher, her time in the Peace Corps, how a newspaper advertisement led her to a Fulbright, the importance of innovation and core values, defining your own career path, and much more.

Episode 11: Dr. Neal Chalofsky

(Episode Release: December 15, 2022)

Dr. Neal Chalofsky, MBA, Ed.D, is Associate Professor Emeritus in the Human and Organizational Learning Department of the George Washington University, Washington, D.C. He retired in 2020 but still teaches. Previous to his 30+ years at GW, he was a professor and director of the Human Resource Development (HRD) graduate studies program at Virginia Tech in Northern VA.  He has also been an internal HRD practitioner, manager, and researcher for several federal government and corporate organizations. Neal has consulted with such organizations as the Organization of American States, Mobil Research & Development Corporation, U.S. Department of Education, Computer Sciences Corporation, the Smithsonian Institution, the World Bank, Iowa State university, and Drake University. Neal was the lead editor of the first Handbook of Human Resource Development (Wiley) and is the author of Meaningful Workplaces: Reframing How and Where we Work (Jossey-Bass).  In addition, Neal is the author or co-author of several other books, as well as numerous chapters of edited works and journal articles.

Neal and I talked about the practitioner career that eventually led him into academia, his extensive involvement in professional associations, how he found himself a part of a lot of beginnings for the field of HRD, how he came to focus on meaningful work in his research and writing, how academia allowed him to have a balanced life, and much more.

Episode 10: Dr. Jessica Li

(Episode Release: December 8, 2022)

Dr. Jessica Li is a Professor of Human Resource Development in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where she serves as the Associate Dean for Research and the Director of the Bureau of Educational Research. Before becoming an academic professor, Jessica worked as a business executive for corporations such as Motorola, Raytheon, and Nokia. Her Ph.D. is from the Pennsylvania State University. Her research cover employee learning, talent development, women leadership, and technology-supported learning. She was the editor-in-chief of Human Resource Development International and on the editorial board of several academic journals. She has over 100 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, editorials, a co-authored book, and three edited special issues.

Jessica and I talked about her background as an engineer, the ten years she spent in practice after completing her Ph.D., the challenges of transitioning from practice into academia, the gap between research and practice, how she took on a 30-day hike having never previously hiked for longer than a couple of days, and much more.

Episode 9: Dr. Maria Cseh

(Episode Release: December 1, 2022)

Dr. Maria Cseh is the Director of the Human and Organizational Learning (HOL) Doctoral Program in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. Her research interests include informal and indigenous learning, organizational development and change, global leadership, and the development of global mindset and cultural competence that will help leaders and change agents address the increasingly complex issues facing our world. She serves on Advisory Boards of international journals, was elected for two terms on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Human Resource Development, lectures internationally, and serves as adviser and consultant to organizations. In 2021, Dr. Cseh was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa “Doctorem Disciplinae humanae et organisationalis Honoris Causa” by the University of Pécs, Hungary.

Maria and I chat about her move from Central Europe to the United States, how her career changed from electronic engineering to HRD, how she was socialized into academia, the significant part that research collaborations have played in her work, the importance she places on being with the people she loves, and much more.

Episode 8: Dr. David McGuire

(Episode Release: November 24, 2022)

Dr. David McGuire, Reader in Human Resource Development (HRD) at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland. Originally from the West of Ireland, he has spent the past 16 years teaching and research HRD in Scottish Universities. To date, he has published two textbooks and over 40 articles in refereed international journals. He is currently Associate Editor of Human Resource Development International (2-star journal) and was previously Editor-in-Chief of Industrial and Commercial Training. He has been a member of the Academy of Human Resource Development since 2004. For the last 5 years, he has been a member of the National Independent Strategic Advisory Group (NISAG) of Police Scotland.  David’s research focuses on defining and examining the scope and potential of human resource development and deconstructing the speeches of influential leaders. He is married to Fiona and dad to Amie and Chloe and enjoys running and stand-up paddleboarding in his spare time.

David and I chat about how a debate at an HRD conference led to 20 years of figuring out what HRD is, how professional associations have supported him throughout his career, the important influence of mentors, how he benefits from working on journals, how he first met one of his heroes when driving Route 66, and much more.

Episode 7: Dr. Gene L. Roth

(Episode Release: November 17, 2022)

Dr. Gene L. Roth, Emeritus Distinguished Teaching Professor, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA. Gene began work as a farmer; factory worker; and a drafter in civil, structural, machine, and architectural drawing. These technical skills enabled him to become a career and technical education teacher, and later a technical education teacher educator at the University of South Dakota at Springfield, Southeast Missouri State University, Idaho State University, and Northern Illinois University where he joined the Adult and Higher Education faculty. The Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) became Gene’s professional home, as he attended the first conference and many subsequent ones in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. He served on the Executive Committee and as President of AHRD, and later he received the AHRD Service Award. Along with Rob Poell and Tonette Rocco, Gene was a co-editor of Routledge Companion to Human Resource Development (2015), which won the AHRD Forward Thinking Award.

Gene and I chat about how his early life experiences on a farm influenced his career, how his start in architectural drafting eventually led to a focus on HRD, how he developed his interest in researching and writing on humor, how doing a doctorate resulted in him also learning the harmonica, and much more.

Episode 6: Dr. Shani Carter

(Episode Release: November 10, 2022)

Dr. Shani D. Carter, Ph.D. is a Professor of Business and the Director of Accreditation, and has been at Wagner College since the fall 2015. She received a Ph.D. in Industrial and Labor Relations (Personnel/Human Resource Studies, Labor Economics, and Research Methods) from Cornell University, a M.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations (Personnel/Human Resource Studies and Labor Economics) from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Government from Cornell University. Shani teaches courses in: Human Resource Management; Organizational Behavior; Leadership; and Thesis / Practicum, and has published more than 40 articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings on Human Resources and Assessment of Student Learning. Shani has traveled extensively for business and leisure to many globally important cities in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and she enjoys sharing her love of international travel with her students.

Shani and I chat about how she picks research topics that are important to her personally, her research into career paths of female faculty, how she achieves balance in professional and personal lives, her love of house renovation and travel, and much more.

Episode 5: Dr. Larry Dooley

(Episode Release: November 3, 2022)

Dr. Larry Dooley is Chief Operating Officer of the TECH Training Group, Inc. Previously he was Chief of Party of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) $50M Women’s Scholarship Endowment which awards scholarships to women in STEM disciplines in Afghanistan; he is a retired associate professor in the department of Educational Administration & Human Resource Development in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University. He has served as Head of the Educational Human Resource Development Program, Interim Department Head of the Educational Human Resource Development Department, Interim Director for the Center for Distance Learning Research at Texas A&M University. Professionally, he has served as President and Chairman of the Board for the Academy of Human Resource Development, President, and Chairman of the Board of the Academy of Human Resource Development Foundation, and International Chief Operating Officer for the Academy of Human Resource Development. Additionally, he serves as Captain of the Emergency Response Team of the World’s Championship BBQ Contest for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Larry and I chat about how his start in agriculture and banking eventually led him to HRD, how his career changed thanks to the key influence of a visionary person, his international work, how faith played a part in meeting his wife, and much more.

Episode 4: Dr. Sally Sambrook

(Episode Release: October 27, 2022)

Dr. Sally Sambrook is Emerita Professor of Human Resource Development, and former Deputy Head, at Bangor Business School. Sally was a founding member of the University Forum for HRD and served on the Board of the American Academy of HRD. Before entering academia, she worked in various large and small firms, qualified as a nurse and became involved in nurse education and training. Sally employs a critical and autoethnographic approach to HRD research, particularly management learning. She has published widely on HRD, research methods and doctoral supervision, and held various editorial roles on HRD journals. Since taking early retirement and becoming a freelance academic, Sally has been involved in supporting several PhD programmes in UK universities and engages in online doctoral supervision of DBA students.

Sally and I chat about her pathway into HRD, how injustices she witnessed and experienced led to her interest in critical HRD, how she was drawn to qualitative research, her love of mountain biking, surfing, and kayaking, and much more.

Episode 3: Dr. Lyle Yorks

(Episode Release: October 20, 2022)

Dr. Lyle Yorks is Professor Emeritus, Teachers College, Columbia University where he continues to teach Strategy Development as a Learning Process in the Adult Learning and Leadership program, Strategic Advocacy in the Executive M.S. Program in Technology Management in the School of Professional Studies, Columbia and a Distinguished Principal Research Fellow at the Conference Board. Lyle has over 50 years of experience working with organizations in diverse settings worldwide on projects involving action research, action learning, organizational and institutional change, and human resource development/talent management. Earlier in his career Lyle was on corporate staff at Travelers, a partner in a HR consulting firm, and Professor of Management at Eastern Connecticut State University. Lyle’s current research interests focus on strategic HRD in the age of artificial intelligence, learning through uncertainty, and holistic learning.

Lyle and I chat about the interplay between research and practice, Lyle’s path to Teachers College, his love of field research and being part of a research team, the influence of his wife and children, how he should have been like Seinfeld, and much more.

Episode 2: Dr. Jia Wang

(Episode Release: October 13, 2022)

Dr. Jia Wang is a tenured Professor of Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University. As a scholar, Jia has been actively conducting and publishing research in five areas—national/international HRD, crisis management, workplace learning, workplace incivility, and work/life issues. Beyond her university career, Jia is passionate about helping organizations and individuals unleash their potential. She is the lead author of one of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) Institute for Distribution Excellence Top 10 Best Sellers, a key contributor to NAW Blog “Developing Your Workforce”, and a collaborator with Metals Service Center Institute. With over 25 years of accumulated experiences in several cultures, Jia has designed and conducted numerous educational workshops to diverse groups in both the corporate and university settings. She received her Ph.D. in Human Resource and Organizational Development from the University of Georgia and her M.B.A. from Aston University, UK.

Jia and I chat about how her early experiences of working in Africa influenced her research, how an accidental meeting led to her doing a Ph.D., the key role that personal values play for her, the influence of her parents, the difference between Chinese Jia and American Jia, and much more.

Episode 1: Dr. Rob F. Poell

(Episode Release: October 6, 2022)

Dr. Rob F. Poell is Professor of Human Resource Development (HRD) in the Department of Human Resource Studies at Tilburg University, Netherlands. He received his MSc and PhD in HRD from the University of Nijmegen (The Netherlands). His interests include: workplace learning, continuing professional development, and learning organizations. Besides 80 book chapters, he has published over 150 articles in high-ranking HRD, HRM, management, and organization journals. Dr. Poell served as Editor-in-Chief for Human Resource Development International for three years. He was co-editor (with Marianne van Woerkom) of two books on workplace learning (Routledge/Springer) and of the Routledge Companion to HRD (with Tonette Rocco and Gene Roth). He won the Academy of Human Resource Development “Outstanding HRD Scholar Award” in 2022.

Rob and I chat about how he developed interests in research and in HRD, his career path to professor, his research focus on workplace learning from an employee perspective, writing in a second language, being a father, the challenges of balancing time at work and home, his joy of volleyball and saunas, and much more.

About The Host

Darren Short has 30 years of experience building and managing HRD functions in the private and public sectors in both North America and Europe, and was President of the Academy of Human Resource Development from 2012-2014. Darren’s writing and editing includes journal monographs on research-to-practice and the role of the scholar-practitioner. He has presented at over 20 international conferences on topics ranging from leadership development to virtual learning, and has been the recipient of the HRD International Journal article of the year and the AHRD Excellence in Scholarly Practice Award for his work on training through virtual reality. Darren is host of several podcasts, including Human Resource Development Masterclass, Executive HRD, HRD: 30 Minutes With, and releasing early-2023, HRD PHILosophy & TOMfoolery.