Her Story
About Elyse
Elyse Klein serves as Manager of Instructional Design and Manager of Learning and Development at Avalon Bay Communities, a REIT currently undergoing a merger. With 3.5 years in the field, she focuses on the consulting aspects of learning and development, e-learning development, and measuring the impact of training programs, including a buyer certification program that demonstrated improved performance. Klein earned an undergraduate degree in French along with a certificate in secondary education and a master's degree in TESOL. She previously taught high school French, served as an ESL professor, and instructed professional soccer players before pivoting to corporate instructional design by building skills in design tools and creating a portfolio. She is actively involved in professional organizations such as L&D Shakers DC chapter, ATD, and previously served as events producer for ATD Puget Sound. Klein volunteers weekly teaching ESL to immigrants and refugees at the Washington English Center and attributes her career success to persistence, seeking help from mentors through networking and coffee chats, and building connections that led to her current role via LinkedIn.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elyse
01What do you attribute your success to?
I just don't give up. Once I set my mind to something, I do it. I pull people in when I need help and I'm not afraid to ask. I didn't do this alone - I had a lot of people cheering me on in my career pivot and learned from generous mentors through coffee chats and networking events. Making connections has been really important.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Set boundaries at work to protect time for personal life - we're not saving lives here, there's no training emergency. Also, sometimes make short-term sacrifices like taking a job in a new city for career growth, as one friend did leading to $200k role.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Seek out advice and find mentors - you don't need a formal program, lots of people love to share. Network a lot, as I focused heavily on networking which grew my LinkedIn and led to my current job when a recruiter found me there. Networking helps with algorithms too.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
AI is the biggest thing. Initially I got into e-learning development but now AI can do a lot of that. I'm using AI a lot but most time is spent on decisions, problem solving where human input is needed. Treating AI as my assistant and learning how to use it is very important and a valued skill.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Work for a company that respects employees as people and values them. My company has DEI programs, associate resource groups, and organizes volunteer days with a portal to track hours. Giving back to the community is important in my personal life too.
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