ATD Fort Worth/Mid-Cities upcoming events

ATD FW/MC July Social - July 2026 (07/16/2026)

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

July Social

July 16, 2026| 6:00 - 8:00 PM (CT)

BoomerJacks's Grill - West Center

6701 Fossil Bluff Drive | Fort Worth, TX 76137

Event Description

Beat the heat and enjoy a relaxed evening with fellow professionals at our Summer Social! Connect with learning and talent development peers for an evening centered on conversation, networking, and community in a casual, welcoming setting.

A light assortment of shareables will be provided, with drinks and additional menu items available for purchase if desired.

Whether you're looking to expand your network, reconnect with familiar faces, or simply enjoy great conversation, this is an easy, low-pressure way to spend a summer evening with your ATD Fort Worth/Mid-Cities community.

(Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.)

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Job Seeker Series Part 4 of 6: Lara Azcona - Rebuild Your Professional Brand Online: LinkedIn That Matches Your New Story (07/27/2026)

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Rebuild Your Professional Brand Online:

LinkedIn That Matches Your New Story

Featuring Lara Azcona

Job Seeker Learning Series Part 4 of 6

July 27, 2026 | 5:30 - 6:30 PM CT | Virtual attendance only

Free for Chapter Members, $10 for Guests

Session Description

A great résumé won’t help if your LinkedIn profile still tells the story of your old career. In this session, Lara shows how to extend Rebuild your professional brand into LinkedIn so your headline, About, Experience, Skills, banner, and photo all support the direction you chose in earlier sessions. You’ll see concrete before and after examples for career changers and get practical wording you can adapt for your own profile. We’ll also cover simple, sustainable LinkedIn habits—searchable keywords, connection requests, comments, and posts—that help recruiters and hiring managers actually find the new you.

About the Speaker

Lara Azcona - Career-Change Strategist

Lara Azcona, MBA, is a career‑change strategist and ATD Certified Coach who helps serious professionals move into new roles and industries faster and with far less guesswork. She has coached and reviewed résumés and LinkedIn profiles for hundreds of job seekers, served on the Career Solutions leadership and résumé review teams, and led multiple career‑transition programs for ATD chapters.

Through her company, Better Transformations, she uses structured packages that blend job‑target clarity, résumé and LinkedIn strategy, networking practice, and long‑term visibility planning so clients have a clear roadmap instead of trial‑and‑error applications. She brings the same evidence‑based tools she uses in large‑scale organizational change into individual careers, turning overwhelming transitions into a step‑by‑step process professionals can trust.

Connect with Lara on LinkedIn or at bettertransformations.com.

Meeting Agenda

5:25 pm - Log In

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm CT - Speaker Presentation + Q&A

All online reservations are OPEN the day of the meeting.

Invite your friends by sharing this link on social media.

Connect with us

How can this session help enhance your professional development?

This session will provide actionable insights from the Capability Model, showing you how to develop key skills and strategies, such as:

Personal: Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making; Communication

Professional: Career & Leadership Development; Technology Application

Organizational: Talent Strategy & Management

August 2026 ATD FW/MC Chapter Meeting: Allyson Roote - What Moves L&D from Invisible to Indispensable? (08/06/2026)

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT

What Moves L&D from Invisible to Indispensable?

Featuring Allyson Roote

August 6, 2026| 6:00 - 7:30 PM (CT) | Virtual Only

Session Description

Allyson Roote, Vice President of Learning and Organizational Development at The Bonadio Group, shares the realities of building strategic influence in an organization where credibility must be earned long before L&D is invited into the conversation. Drawing from her experience building the learning function from a team of one into a true business partner, Allyson explores how curiosity, relationship-building, and a relentless focus on organizational capability helped strengthen an evolving business initiative and deepen L&D's role as a strategic partner.

Through a candid case study, she'll unpack the decisions she faced as a significant initiative was already gaining momentum, the questions she chose to ask before offering solutions, and how approaching the work through the lens of performance and capability uncovered opportunities that strengthened both the initiative and the partnership.

Throughout the session, you'll examine similar moments in your own organizations, reflect on where influence is gained or lost, and discuss practical approaches for navigating stakeholder conversations, diagnosing underlying business needs, and positioning L&D as an indispensable partner in building the capabilities the business needs to succeed.

About the Speaker

Allyson Roote-Vice President of Learning and Organizational Development

With more than 25 years of experience in learning, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness, Allyson Roote believes the strongest leaders aren't developed when they're promoted, they're developed long before they're ever ready for the role.

As Vice President of Learning & Organizational Development at The Bonadio Group, Allyson leads the firm's enterprise learning strategy and oversees leadership development from onboarding through the partner pipeline. Nearly a decade ago, she built the firm's Learning & Development function from the ground up. Today, her team partners closely with senior leaders to design leadership systems that strengthen capability, accelerate readiness, and support the firm's long-term growth.

Throughout her career, Allyson's perspective on Learning & Development has evolved. While learning experiences and leadership programs still matter, she believes they are only one part of the equation. Lasting leadership capability is built through intentional experiences, coaching, meaningful feedback, and opportunities to grow over time. That's why she works alongside business leaders to solve organizational challenges by developing the people who will lead the organization next.

This philosophy has shaped her work in redesigning leadership pathways, strengthening coaching capability, preparing future managers before they're promoted, and helping leaders navigate change. She is passionate about redefining Learning & Development from a function that delivers training to one that helps shape organizational strategy and build leadership as a long-term competitive advantage.

Coaching is central to how Allyson approaches leadership development. She is currently pursuing her Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), building on her belief that meaningful growth happens through conversations that challenge assumptions, broaden perspective, and help people become more intentional leaders.

Allyson holds a master's degree in Human Resource Development with a concentration in Learning & Development. Through her writing and speaking, she encourages organizations to rethink how leaders are developed, challenging the assumption that leadership begins with a promotion and advocating instead for intentional development throughout an employee's career.

Connect with Allyson Roote on LinkedIn.

Meeting Agenda

5:50 pm - Virtual Attendees Arrive

6:00 pm - Meeting Begins

6:15 pm - Keynote Presentation Begins

7:15 pm - Final Announcements

7:30 pm - Meeting Concludes

Virtual reservations are OPEN the day of the meeting.

Invite your friends by sharing this link on social media.

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How can this session help enhance your professional development?

ATD Fort Worth/Mid-Cities has been pre-approved by the ATD Certification Institute to offer educational programs that can be used towards initial eligibility and recertification of the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials. This program qualifies for a maximum of 1.0 points.

This session will provide actionable insights from the Capability Model, showing you how to develop key skills and strategies, such as:

Personal: Communication; Collaboration & Leadership; Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making

Professional: Coaching; Career & Leadership Development; Evaluating Impact

Organizational: Performance Improvement; Consulting & Business Partnering; Business Impact

Job Seeker Series Part 5 of 6: Lara Azcona - Run a Disciplined Search and Reach into Real Relationships (08/31/2026)

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Run a Disciplined Search and Reach into Real Relationships

Featuring Lara Azcona

Job Seeker Learning Series Part 5 of 6

August 31, 2026 | 5:30 - 6:30 PM CT | Virtual attendance only

Free for Chapter Members, $10 for Guests

Session Description

Many professionals feel like they’re “always working on the search” but can’t point to real progress. This session combines Run a disciplined search and Reach into real relationships from the 6R Method. You’ll design a realistic weekly rhythm—time blocks, tools, and simple tracking—so you can answer, “What did I do this week to move forward?” with confidence. Then we’ll turn networking from something you avoid into structured conversations: who to contact, how to ask for time, what to say in informational interviews, and how to follow up without feeling pushy or salesy.

About the Speaker

Lara Azcona - Career-Change Strategist

Connect with Lara on LinkedIn or at bettertransformations.com.

Meeting Agenda

5:25 pm - Log In

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm CT - Speaker Presentation + Q&A

All online reservations are OPEN the day of the meeting.

Invite your friends by sharing this link on social media.

Connect with us

How can this session help enhance your professional development?

This session will provide actionable insights from the Capability Model, showing you how to develop key skills and strategies, such as:

Personal: Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making; Communication; Project Management

Professional: Career & Leadership Development

Organizational:

Job Seeker Series Part 6 of 6: Lara Azcona - Rise Into Visibility and Your New Role: Outreach Blitz and Readiness Plan (09/28/2026)

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Rise Into Visibility and Your New Role:

Outreach Blitz and Readiness Plan

Featuring Lara Azcona

Job Seeker Learning Series Part 6 of 6

September 28, 2026 | 5:30 - 6:30 PM CT | Virtual attendance only

Free for Chapter Members, $10 for Guests

Session Description

By the final session, you may have more clarity and better materials—but you still need a concrete action plan and the confidence to step into what’s next. Here we deepen Reach into real relationships with a focused outreach blitz you can run over four weeks, then move into Rise into visibility and your new role. Lara will outline a practical mix of outreach, follow up, and visibility actions designed for busy, mid career professionals, including teachers and caregivers re entering the paid workforce. You’ll also learn how to talk about your pivot in interviews, handle gaps with confidence, and sketch a first 90 days plan so you’re ready not just to land a role, but to rise into it.

About the Speaker

Lara Azcona - Career-Change Strategist

Connect with Lara on LinkedIn or at bettertransformations.com.

Meeting Agenda

5:25 pm - Log In

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm CT - Speaker Presentation + Q&A

All online reservations are OPEN the day of the meeting.

Invite your friends by sharing this link on social media.

Connect with us

How can this session help enhance your professional development?

This session will provide actionable insights from the Capability Model, showing you how to develop key skills and strategies, such as:

Personal: Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making; Communication; Collaboration & Leadership

Professional: Career & Leadership Development

Organizational: Talent Strategy & Management