ATD Central Massachusetts upcoming events

2026 Friday Morning Central Mash: Networking, Fun & Learning (October 16, 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Talk, share, grow, and recharge at Central Mass ATD's biweekly networking Central Mash event.

This casual setting is a place to share best practices, explore ideas, develop and refine your work, and brainstorm solutions for challenges you're facing. We will be meeting every other Friday, and welcome you at one or all of the sessions as it suits your schedule.

These programs are open to members and non members.

Building our talent development community one cup at a time!

Please register in advance each time! Knowing who is attending our programs helps us make chapter decisions.

AI Hands-On Learning Lab: L&D Edition Featuring Articulate 360 AI (October 22, 2026)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT

About the AI Learning Lab

The AI Hands-On Learning Lab is a monthly, guided exploration of technology tools with a focus on their AI capabilities. Each session spotlights a specific software and provides learners the opportunity to delve into its distinct AI features through hands-on exploration. The lab will also foster discussions on how these tools can be effectively used across workplace contexts - from getting the job, reducing friction in your workflow processes, and leveling up your learning design.

We will rotate through focusing on an AI tool through one of these three specific lenses:

Job Edition
Ways of Working Edition
Learning Content Edition.

About Articulate 360 AI

The world of ID is spooked by the positioning of Articulate’s new AI tool: Frontline. At Articuland, the message to executives was loud and clear. Frontline empowers Subject Matter Experts to generate full training kits in seconds without an instructional designer..

When the moon is full and new tech tools go bump in the night, it’s easy to feel like the monsters are winning.

But ignoring the dark doesn’t make the shadows go away. The only way to conquer the AI phantoms lurking in the shadows of your ID workflow is to walk straight into the dark and turn on the lights yourself.

Face your fears and join us for this slightly haunted, fully interactive lab focused exclusively on unmasking Frontline - the "SME Spellbook." We’ll drag the pitch into the light, act like non-IDs, feed Frontline raw SOPs, and test what it actually conjures up. Is it an unfriendly ghost threatening your role, or a friendly ghost taking grunt work off your plate? You won’t just watch a demo - you’ll be the judge.

What We’ll Do in the Lab

1. Open the SME Spellbook (The Setup)

We’ll step into the shoes of an overworked non-ID (a department manager or SME) who needs training now. We'll take a messy, unedited source file—a raw SOP document or a recorded video—and feed it directly into Frontline to see how fast it builds a draft.

2. Conjure the Automated Training Kit (The Execution)

We’ll trigger Frontline’s one-click generation and watch it instantly assemble a multi-format learning package:

Interactive Guides: See how it chunks raw text into step-by-step instructions.

Knowledge Checks: Review the automated quizzes and recall questions it generates.

Quick-Reference Sheets: Examine the summary decks created for instant performance support.

3. Conduct the "Friendly vs. Unfriendly Ghost" Audit (The Evaluation)

We’ll put on our Instructional Designer hats and run a live diagnostic on what Frontline produced to answer the big questions:

Where it shines: Does it successfully wipe out low-value "order-taking" and tedious formatting tasks?
Where it fails: Where does it miss critical learning objectives, organizational context, and deep pedagogical design?
The Verdict: How to present these gaps to SMEs and leadership so they understand why a raw AI draft still requires a human ID to turn it into actual behavior change.

Mary serves as the Vice President of Technology for ATD Central Mass. Currently an instructional designer at Boston Scientific, she holds an M.A. in Educational Technology Leadership from George Washington University and an additional M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages with a focus on adult learners from Teachers College, Columbia University. A technology evangelist and project management professional with extensive experience managing diverse learning and development projects in the northeast, as well as Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Germany, Mary’s interests encompass adult learning, educational technology, task authenticity, learning transfer, competency-based learning, and culturally responsive practices. Her favorite instructional design model is SAM (with Dick & Carey close behind). Mary is particularly passionate about adapting learning design, instruction, and technology to enhance cultural relevance for target audience as well as implementing small moves to address performance gaps.

Capability Model - Technology Application, Lifelong Learning, Future Readiness

2026 Friday Morning Central Mash: Networking, Fun & Learning (October 30, 2026)

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Talk, share, grow, and recharge at Central Mass ATD's biweekly networking Central Mash event.

These programs are open to members and non members.

Building our talent development community one cup at a time!

Please register in advance each time! Knowing who is attending our programs helps us make chapter decisions.

Mastermind for Independent Consultants - November (November 05, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What It Is

A monthly working session for independent leadership and talent development consultants. Sixty minutes, fully virtual, month to month. You come when you have a problem worth diagnosing.

How It Works

You bring a real situation: a stalled client, a positioning question, a decision you are sitting on. Dr. Othman diagnoses it live, separates the problem you named from the one underneath it, and recommends the move. Other consultants add perspective. The diagnostic conclusion stays with the person who has held the room for executive teams across sectors.

What You Leave With
Each session, you leave clearer on the problem you solve and the value only you bring

Schedule

Subsequent opportunities available for monthly sign ups

Who It's For

Independent consultants and small firm owners ready for advanced work. Committed to confidentiality, active participation, and no selling.
Not for beginners or those looking for passive networking.

Registration Details

Monthly, 60 minutes, virtual. Included for members. $10 for non-members. There are no more than 3 people per session.

To join, sign up online or contact administrator@tdcentralmass.org.

When you register here, you are registering for one program. There will be a unique Zoom link for each session.

Host & Facilitator

Dr. Othman is brought in when critical initiatives stall. He uncovers the misalignments in collaboration and execution that keep work from moving, and names what has to change. He has partnered with organizations including Chicago Public Schools and the Massachusetts Department of Early Childhood Education.

Author of Be. Lead. Innovate. MBTI Master Practitioner. Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD). Host of Othman's Leadership Podcast.

Capability Model: Consulting & Business Partnering , Collaboration & Leadership, Communication, Coaching

2026 Friday Morning Central Mash: Networking, Fun & Learning (November 13, 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Talk, share, grow, and recharge at Central Mass ATD's biweekly networking Central Mash event.

These programs are open to members and non members.

Building our talent development community one cup at a time!

Please register in advance each time! Knowing who is attending our programs helps us make chapter decisions.

Mastermind for Independent Consultants - December (December 03, 2026)

Fri, 04 Dec 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What It Is

A monthly working session for independent leadership and talent development consultants. Sixty minutes, fully virtual, month to month. You come when you have a problem worth diagnosing.

How It Works

What You Leave With
Each session, you leave clearer on the problem you solve and the value only you bring

Schedule

Subsequent opportunities available for monthly sign ups

Who It's For

Independent consultants and small firm owners ready for advanced work. Committed to confidentiality, active participation, and no selling.
Not for beginners or those looking for passive networking.

Registration Details

Monthly, 60 minutes, virtual. Included for members. $10 for non-members. There are no more than 3 people per session.

To join, sign up online or contact administrator@tdcentralmass.org.

When you register here, you are registering for one program. There will be a unique Zoom link for each session.

Host & Facilitator

Author of Be. Lead. Innovate. MBTI Master Practitioner. Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD). Host of Othman's Leadership Podcast.

Capability Model: Consulting & Business Partnering , Collaboration & Leadership, Communication, Coaching