Over a decade ago, my friend Jay Cross invited me to join the Internet Time Alliance. He had been touting the value of Informal Learning, and realized he was doing it alone. I was honored to join Jane Hart, Harold Jarche, and Charles Jennings, and have come to know and value them as colleagues and friends. When Jay passed away, we determined to honor his ideas by recognizing those who continue to carry the banner for informal learning. We announce the ITA memorial award on 5 July, Jay’s birthday. This year’s winner is Michelle Ockers.
I’ve only met Michelle once, when I was visiting Australia to deliver a keynote. She was kind enough to ask me to sign a copy of Revolutionize L&D. I didn’t know much about her work then, but have subsequently seen it in a variety of places. She’s active in social media, for instance. She also coordinated the Learning & Performance Institute capability map exercise that occurred last summer. She’s systematically demonstrated broad ranging interests and abilities around organizational learning.
I’m pleased that we can honor her and her work helping organizations work more productively and fluidly. The official announcement is on the ITA site. Congratulations, Michelle on the 2019 ITA Jay Cross Memorial Award!
Thank you Clark. I really appreciate this recognition from four people I greatly respect and have learned so much from – and in the memory of someone whose progressive thinking and work has been so impactful.
We actually met twice – the first was a group dinner which our mutual friend Ryan Tracey organised in Sydney, down near Circular Quay. I was delighted to meet you again at the conference and work with you on the Capability Map referesh. Looking forward to future interactions.