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Kerri Manorek
Adult Learning Strategist | Innovative Program Builder | Knowledge Seeker | Public Speaker
Kerri Manorek is a seasoned professional with a strong passion for organizational learning and development.
Through her career, Kerri has focused on designing learning strategies that drive business goals and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement.
Her expertise lies in implementing effective change initiatives, measuring success through strategic learning outcomes, and enhancing business performance.
Kerri excels in executing Learning Management System (LMS) implementations, creating impactful learning programs, and leading teams towards organizational excellence.
Her leadership style is characterized by authenticity, empowerment, and innovation, emphasizing open communication, individual ownership, and embracing new technologies.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Kerri finds joy in traveling the world, engaging in outdoor activities, and undertaking home improvement projects.
Her educational background includes a Master of Arts in Learning and Technology, a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems Applications, and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography.
Kerri has held key roles in prominent organizations like ApplyBoard, D2L, Esri Canada, and Safe Software, showcasing her versatile skill set and experience across the learning and development sector.
Highlights
This weekend, something amazing happened! I completed a 2-day, 217km (135 miles) bike ride to raise funds for cancer research at The Princess Margaret.
Reflecting on the journey up to this ride, I realized it mirrors how we should support learning at work.
This year was my 2nd #ride2conquercancer. I signed up for my first Ride because I have seen the impacts of cancer up close and have felt helpless to do anything. So I was personally motivated...but completely unskilled. I didn't even have a bike!
But I had a lot going for me:
- Motivation
- A mentor
- A team who provided a safe place to be a beginner
- An organization dedicated to removing barriers
My mentor is a good friend who has done the ride 12 times now. He was willing to very patiently talk me through buying a bike (so many questions), through training on my own (rules of the road, tracking, setting goals and expectations), through riding with him and his wife (other people could see how slow I was!), then through getting ready to ride with the team.
My first training ride with the team was terrifying. I had never ridden in a group...and they weren't just any group. These were "real cyclists"! And we were going 78km!!!! Over hills!!! I showed up with my bike (apologized that it wasn't as nice as everyone else's), openly told them I was scared of them...they smiled and told me stories of their first rides and the lessons they have learned. On that training ride, they checked in on me, kept an eye on me and encouraged me the whole way, even cheering when I had to dismount and walk up a hill. At the end they congratulated me and made me feel like I had overcome an amazing obstacle. I had found a safe space to be a beginner, to try something new, to fail in parts (hills hurt so bad), but to learn so much!
The first day of my first Ride, I showed up so early that there were only about 15 other riders there. I was amazed to find everything I needed already taken care of, there were people to help with every imaginable question I had. Soon, there were thousands of other riders...and still everything went off without a hitch (or at least, not a hitch that any of us were privy to). My mentor rode with me the whole way, even though he is a much faster rider. When we reached camp at the end of day 1, there were massages, social areas, food, and speeches. Those SPEECHES!!!! If anyone was losing sight of why we were riding, those speeches made it all so very real again and propelled me through the second day of riding.
So, I had a mentor who put my needs above his own, I had a team that supported my learning journey, and I had an organization that removed all the barriers to achieving my goals. This is what we need to be doing at work...meaningful learning with practice in supportive environments!
This year the Ride raised over $20 million and we all learned so much from and with each other!
I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: AI Applications in People Management from University of Pennsylvania!
