Megan Cardenas - VP Membership (Email)

Megan Cardenas is a seasoned Human resources and talent development leader with over 20 years of experience guiding organizations through growth, change, and cultural transformation. She currently serves as the Director of Human Resources at Lucida, a full-service accounting and advising firm, where she leads strategic HR initiatives, talent development, and employee engagement efforts.

Megan brings a strategic, people-first approach to leadership, with deep expertise in areas such as organizational development, performance management, and leadership coaching. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for building strong, collaborative relationships and designing impactful programs that support both individual and organizational success. Her experience spans multiple industries, with proven results in talent strategy, succession planning, and workforce integration during mergers and acquisitions.

As a board member, Megan offers a thoughtful, values-driven perspective, a passion for service, and a commitment to fostering inclusive and high-performing environments.

Katerina Ekonomou - VP Professional Development (Email)

Katerina (Kat) Ekonomou works as a Training and Development Specialist at Potawatomi Casino Hotel. Her experience includes succession planning, designing and implementing various developmental strategies. She enjoys facilitating new-hire orientations and training sessions, while building strong relationships and helping individuals further develop within their professional paths. As a motivated and enthusiastic individual, she strives to lead as an example and looks forward to future endeavors, while building diversity and inclusion within the HR and L&D Field.

Having, lived, studied and worked in Greece and the United States, Kat is fluent in both lingual cultures. Specifically, in 2022 she graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee with a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations. Upon the successful completion of her degree, she was named as one of the Melvin Lurie Prize Award Winners for 2022, due to commitment to the program and her scholastic accomplishments.

Open - VP Professional Development (Email)

 Cecilia Lillegard -  VP Sponsorship (Email)

Cecilia Lillegard is a Certified Professional of Talent Development and an innovative connector of people and processes to technology, growth, and purpose. With a focus on operational and performance improvement, she incorporates her technical perspective, creative problem-solving skills, and passion for collaboration to deliver consistent business impact and instructional system design.

She has experience designing and delivering customized high tech and marketing programs, including business planning, safety programs, and equipment maintenance to professionals around the world. She partnered with engineering teams designing several equipment service courses using remote learning tools, virtual machines, and augmented reality. She facilitated marketing workshops across Asia and Europe for numerous business divisions with GE Healthcare. She's even facilitated safety training and engagement sessions in Japan for site wide VPP OSHA recognition. As a certified ATD Instructional Designer and Mechanical Engineer, Cecilia is knowledgeable about both the development and new technologies applied to outcome-based learning programs.

She has a Master of Engineering Management from Marquette University, an active role in her community, and three amazing daughters. She's lived across ten US states and two years in Japan. Cecilia is passionate about using her love of travel and technology to work on establishing wider perspectives of what is available for student success in the classroom and their workspace - wherever that is.

Kati Schuda - VP Marketing and Communications (Email)  

Kati Schuda is the Learning Management System (LMS) Specialist at Children’s Wisconsin. She has experience in several HR roles and advertising and public relations before discovering her passion for learning and development technologies over 15 years ago. She also trains new clinical educators and learning administrators on how to use the LMS to track their department’s education and add instructor-led classes for employee training.

She enjoys being a resource for questions about the LMS and partnering with the employees that she trains, as well as learning and using new technology. Kati also facilitates New Employee Welcome.

Kati has been the Assistant VP of Marketing since January 2025 and enjoys volunteering with SEWI-ATD and attending as many programs as possible.

She graduated with a Master’s degree in Administrative Leadership: Adult, Continuing, and Higher Education Administration (ACHEA) from UW-Milwaukee. She also holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree, with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations, and a Bachelor of Human Resources Management, from UW-Milwaukee.

Kayla Thompsen - VP Community Relations  (Email)

Kayla Thompsen is a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience in banking, specializing in leadership development, organizational development, and learning. In 2022, she joined Northwestern Mutual, where she leads a team of talented instructional designers. Her team excels in applying adult learning principles and the ADDIE model to create exceptional learning experiences in a dynamic environment. As talent multipliers, they empower business partners to achieve their highest potential.

Kayla earned an Associate of Science degree from Waukesha County Technical College in Leadership Development. She also attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where she majored in Business Administration and Management.

Christine Hass - Board Advisor (Email)

Christine Hass is the Sr. Director of Learning Experience and Strategy for the Technology, Client Experience and Digital Organizations at Northwestern Mutual.  Prior to this role, she served in a Talent Management lead capacity at Northwestern Mutual and at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Dallas, TX.  She has a long history of work in the learning and development, talent management and HR strategy space, having spent her early and mid-career at companies like Motorola and Walmart Technology.

Christine did her undergraduate studies in Business Management with an HR concentration.  She holds her SPHR certificate, as well as certificates in Caliper and Birkman assessments.  In addition, she holds two behavioral change management certifications through AIM and Prosci.

For 30+ years, her focus has been on people and innovation in the context of transformation.  Business continues to move at an accelerated pace, and change is the norm.  It is important to take the time to know our people, while still moving quickly and nimbly to meet the ever-changing demands of the business landscape.  Learning solutions are no exception.  Her advice?  Listen closely to the needs of your stakeholders; always ask “why,” “what if,” and explore necessary outcomes/consequences of not leaning in; keep it simple when you can; innovate as often as possible.