Her Story
About Anna
Anna I. Clayton, Ed.D., PMP, is a learning and development professional, senior instructional designer, learning strategist, and consultant with more than 25 years of experience spanning corporate environments, K–12 education, higher education, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, and workforce training. Based in Bedford, Texas, she is the founder of Clayton Learning Solutions, where she provides customized learning and development solutions for organizations, particularly small businesses that need professional training expertise without maintaining a full internal L&D department. Her expertise encompasses instructional design, learning strategy, e-learning, blended and hybrid learning, LMS implementation, accessibility, workforce development, leadership training, and project management.
Clayton holds a Doctor of Education in Educational/Instructional Technology from Nova Southeastern University and a Master of Science in Special Education and Teaching from the University of Miami. She is a Project Management Professional (PMP)® and holds an ATD Instructional Design Certificate as well as an Asana Workflow Specialist Certificate. Her professional experience includes leading an AI-powered IT help desk implementation project, serving as an AI and accessibility subject-matter expert for an international organization, developing online and blended learning environments, supporting faculty development, and providing research and instructional design consulting. She is also bilingual in English and Spanish and has professional experience as a Spanish interpreter.
Beyond her professional work, Clayton has maintained a longstanding commitment to youth development, education, and community service. She spent decades serving as a member and advisor with Key Club International and has been active with Kiwanis International since 2015, mentoring students and supporting service, leadership, literacy, fundraising, and educational initiatives. She is also a member of Kappa Delta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi. Her professional philosophy emphasizes persistence, continuous learning, inclusivity, flexibility, and honesty, while her current work increasingly focuses on helping organizations use AI effectively without losing the human expertise necessary to create meaningful learning experiences.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Anna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence and resilience. I have learned that a “no” is often temporary—it can simply mean “not right now.” When I encounter rejection or a roadblock, I keep moving forward rather than giving up. I also do not always ask the same question in the same way; I look for a different approach and ask differently when necessary. That mindset has helped me continue pursuing opportunities and adapting throughout my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is the classic principle: “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” That advice has reinforced the importance of finding meaningful work and building a career around the areas I genuinely value and enjoy.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage young women entering the industry to stay focused and value the advice they receive from others. Not everyone immediately acts on good advice, but it is important to listen, hold onto valuable guidance, and apply what can help you grow. I would also encourage professionals entering instructional design and learning technology to continue developing AI-related skills, including effective prompting, while strengthening complementary capabilities such as project management.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The field of instructional design and learning and development is changing rapidly as AI becomes increasingly integrated into the creation and delivery of learning content. I see AI as an important opportunity to improve efficiency in areas such as content development, script-to-avatar video creation, translation, captioning, and other production tasks. At the same time, learning professionals need to understand that producing content is only part of the work. Human learning expertise remains important for evaluating AI-generated materials, correcting weaknesses in learning strategy and content delivery, and ensuring that training actually supports meaningful learning transfer. The opportunity is to evolve beyond content creation and become stronger learning-problem solvers.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are inclusivity, flexibility, and honesty. I believe people should feel included and respected, and that professionals need to remain flexible as circumstances and technologies change. Honesty is particularly important to me because I believe being genuine and transparent from the beginning can prevent unnecessary roadblocks and create stronger professional relationships.
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