Directions – Dr. Kathleen Herndon
We’ll come together to share, learn and launch a new future
On Dec. 25, 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope. Using its near-infrared camera and 18 primary mirror segments, it will peer deeper into the cosmos than ever before and collect light from the earliest stars, galaxies, planetary atmospheres and more.
The first pictures from the telescope are due to arrive this summer, shortly after the 51st LTEN Annual Conference wraps. They’re guaranteed to expand our understanding of life, the universe and everything!
That’s where trainers typically come in, right? We expand knowledge and we manage change through education. So, it’s fitting that these two ambitious undertakings will be coming to fruition in the same general time frame.
When the space mission is completed, and surely for long after, our profession and our world will continue to deal with constant changes. These past two years have presented us with a myriad of challenges and complex obstacles to overcome, but we have persevered.
LTEN and the members who make it strong persevere too. Amid global upset, we hosted virtual trainings. We postponed travel. We masked up for business and social gatherings.
Now, like the telescope flying through the dark of space, we move into a new era of unpredictability. Our profession must remain more prepared than ever. As we emerge from the darkness, we’re armed with new information and new solutions to help us build for the future and ready ourselves for the changes to come, whatever they may be.
That’s why the LTEN Annual Conference, for more than a half-century, has been your first source for leading education, relationship building and connections to grow your professional skills and your network.
Back completely in person this year, the 51st LTEN Annual Conference has all the tools to help you uncover new knowledge and strategies for the changes ahead. In this special pre-conference supplement, you’ll learn more about the full slate of timely and relevant opportunities at this year’s conference. You also can visit www.LTENconference.com for the latest conference news and updates.
Please do use these pages to get a sense of what lies in store. You’ll learn about our keynotes, workshops and Learning Labs, and the Learning Village, where you can connect with industry thought leaders and potential partners. You’ll see who you’ll be cheering for at the 8th LTEN Excellence Awards, and you’ll meet some scholarship recipients who will continue their training at LTEN events. You’ll meet some longtime LTEN supporters joining the Hall of Fame, and you’ll get the chance to support our charity drive and say thank you to a hero.
All that, and I haven’t even mentioned the really fun part: the networking, the receptions and parties and the chance to see old friends.
Since I just joined LTEN this winter as your new executive director, I’m greatly looking forward to my first LTEN Annual Conference. I’ve met many of you through other events and committees, but this will be a chance to really get to know the best part of LTEN.
Like our heroes at NASA, I’m focused on the future. I’m looking forward to exploring all the event has to offer with all you pioneers and visionaries among our membership. Together, we’ll go interesting places and see impressive new things.
Onward and upward together!
Dr. Kathleen Herndon is executive director of LTEN. Email Katie at kherndon@LTEN.org.
