James Oakley is an Instructional Designer and eLearning Developer who specializes in the electrical, engineering, and technical spaces. He started out his career as a High School English Teacher and then took his passion for education into adult learning. In this space, James makes meaningful and results driven training experiences for Fortune 500 companies.

Most recently, James has developed a comprehensive curriculum of eLearning and Instructor-Led training courses for Critical Facility Engineers in Meta Data Centers across the globe. This provides Meta the knowledge to successfully manage the seamless flow and transition of power into their thousands of data servers, ensuring that Meta Apps are able to run 24 hours and day, 7 days a week with zero lag or downtime. This is proof that regardless of where you started in your last career, a career in this field can have you working in literally any type of subject matter!

James wants to help others find their passion and niche in the ever-expanding L&D career field. At the start of his journey, James was advised and assisted by multiple members of ATD, and he wants to pay it forward for the next generation of professionals with his Transitioning Professionals Special Interest Group (SIG).

His SIG seeks to give professionals who are transitioning from other careers into L&D the skills and confidence to successfully apply, interview, and land their Talent Development dream job. His SIG will cover things like resume review for recruiter optimization, eLearning portfolio advice (since every L&D pro should have one!), and mock interviews and interview tips. He will also bring on different guests to discuss their specific roles in Learning and Development, to help transitioning professionals get a better idea of where they fit in this industry.

Outside of working James is a passionate creative writer and participates in multiple sports. Ask him all about when you see him at the next event!