
Dr. Ashley W. Dugger began her career in operational leadership and has since focused on strategic human resource management and learning and organizational development. Ashley holds an earned Doctor of Business Administration degree with a focus in Management and numerous certifications from associations such as SHRM and ATD. She currently serves in the role of Director of Learning and Organizational Development for Bucknell University and has also been teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels as an adjunct professor for various institutions since 2013. Her areas of expertise include strategic human resource management, learning and development, organizational design and culture, leadership, and adult education. Ashley has presented for organizations such as SHRM, CUPA-HR, Online Learning Consortium, Chief Learning Officer, and HR Professionals Magazine. Her work has been published in or featured with HR Professionals Magazine, SHRM, Talent Management, Chief Learning Officer, Chief Talent Officer, and Higher Ed HR Magazine. She volunteers regularly with local animal rescues in the central Virginia region where she lives with her husband, Danny, and their very intelligent, very sassy Australian Shepherd, Dexter.
In the face of a significant shift, how do you prepare your teams?
We need to consider perceptions around the terminology we use to encourage learning — intentional communication and language are an important piece of the puzzle in terms of willingness to engage and assessing need for readiness for development.
Let authenticity, kindness and psychological safety meet strategy, operational success and productivity.
To fill the skills gap, embrace a new approach to middle and senior-level leadership development – one that provides all levels of management with the ability to define goals, accept responsibility, create and implement viable plans for the desired outcomes, in real time and on the job.
A humble, transparent and empathetic approach to guiding and developing teams has immeasurable impact on organizations and employees.
Humor bridges power structures and working relationships to create common ground, strengthen connections with colleagues and increase the engagement and retention of L&D programs.
In today’s competitive recruiting climate, empty career progression programs can not only cost you existing employee retention, but can also harm future recruiting if the company reputation is one of false promises.
Utilizing principles of adult learning theory in today’s fast paced, multi priority work environments, shorter learning opportunities can provide long lasting impact for skills development and talent retention.
Talent leaders must work to overcome a faux workplace culture to ensure existing employees stay engaged and keep the organizational reputation intact.


