Special Interest Groups provide members and guests with additional sources of focused professional information and networking. Currently, there are four active and two inactive groups within the Chapter:  

• Organizational Development SIG
• Senior Human Resource Development SIG
• Sarasota - Bradenton Area SIG
• Corporate Training SIG
• Technology SIG
• CPLP SIG

Organizational Development SIG

The OD SIG's purpose is to provide a forum for both internal and external practitioners in OD and performance consulting to acquire and share knowledge on experiences, best practices, trends, and methodologies/tools in the OD profession.

Some of the issues addressed in this SIG are the role of ethics in organizations, leadership, coaching, use of OD in local businesses, leading edge OD research, assessment tools, and enhancing your OD practice. The format of our meetings is participant-driven with many of our monthly meetings facilitated by one of our OD SIG members.

We meet the first Friday of the month from 9:15 am to 12:00 pm (networking from 9:00 am - 9:15 am) at the offices of Drake Beam Morin in Tampa (Rocky Point area). Meetings are very informal and open to all and there is no charge to attend.

For more information or to be added to the regular email meeting announcements, contact Laura Barclay at 727-639-7362 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

Senior Human Resources Development SIG

The Senior HRD Forum meets quarterly from 8 am - 12 pm (breakfast included) with a speaker or panel presentation followed by audience participation. The Senior HRD Forum is made up of Senior (in experience and organizational level) Human Resource Development Professionals who have responsibilities in areas such as management development, strategic planning, assessment, building or managing organizational teams, leadership programs and consulting on organizational issues.

Meetings are $25 for members and $30 for guests. Membership in the Senior HRD Forum is $50 for three years. This fee is in addition to Suncoast ASTD dues.

Purpose:

• To educate members about leading edge HRD ideas and practices
• To provide a forum to exchange ideas and learn from other experience practitioners, managers, and consultants who share a concern for the strategic issues of HRD.
  

For more information contact Sr HRD Administrator 727-789-7280 voicemail or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

Sarasota - Bradenton Area SIG

This special interest group (SIG) is for ASTD members that live or work in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. This group benefits "South-of-the-bay" members and the Suncoast chapter by:

Providing a more convenient venue in addition to the regular Tampa meetings

• Helping increase and retain members of ASTD
• Increasing networking opportunities (the primary reason why people join ASTD)
• Focusing on local issues that can be addressed more easily in a smaller local group
• Providing more information and sharing of knowledge
  

We want everyone to participant in choosing issues, training ideas, and open discussions topics designed around their needs and concerns.

Meetings are typically held once a month starting with networking at 6pm, cost is typically $15 which includes dinner.

For more information please contact Jack Wolf, Ph.D, CPT 941-758-1800 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

Corporate Training SIG

The overall objective of the Corporate Training SIG is to meet the needs of Training Managers, Corporate Trainers and "One-Person Training Departments" in running the business of training. Our intended outcome is to provide members with an opportunity to share information and resources, and provide the tools to do their jobs more effectively. This group typically meets quarterly during lunch hour, however, it is currently inactive.

 

Technology SIG

The Technical Special Interest Group was established to discuss and share ideas on the use of technology to train employees. This group typically meets quarterly for breakfast, however, it is currently inactive.

 

CPLP Study Group SIG

The Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) Study Group SIG is designed for those who are preparing for the ASTD CPLP Certification. It is a six month program of intensive study and is only available to ASTD Suncoast Chapter members. Cost is $30 per year.

Goals:

• Prepare interested members to pass the CPLP multiple choice exam.
• Provide an interactive learning environment on a monthly basis.
• Help participants expand their knowledge of ASTD's Nine Areas of Expertise (Designing, Learning, Delivering Training, Improving Human Performance, Measuring and Evaluating, Facilitating Organizational Change, Managing the Learning Function, Coaching, Knowledge Management, and Career Planning and Talent Management).

You can learn more about the CPLP by accessing: http://www.astd.org/content/ASTDcertification/.

Please contact Trevor Bernard at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and see the Suncoast Chapter calendar for upcoming events.