We are thrilled to announce a powerhouse addition to our upcoming session! Join us for an exclusive deep dive featuring an amazing panel from The Home Depot AI Champions.

These industry leaders are at the forefront of the AI revolution, and they’re joining us to pull back the curtain on how one of the world’s largest retailers is reimagining growth and development through artificial intelligence.

The Home Depot Panelists

Ashley Corcoran is a 21-year associate of The Home Depot and currently serves as Director of Learning Design and Development. After starting her career in technology at Radiant Systems, she joined THD in 2004, and has served in various leadership roles in learning strategy, design, and delivery. She now leads a 55-person team that creates enterprise-wide learning content. A Georgia Tech alum, Ashley is an avid equestrian, amateur chef/baker, and trivia enthusiast. She enjoys life with her daughter, family, friends, 3 dogs, and horse.

Alton Cooper is a 20-year associate of The Home Depot and serves as Director of Learning Delivery for Home Depot University (HDU) CORE. Since joining in 2006, he has held multiple leadership roles across the field and SSC, building a broad foundation in both operations and learning. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Alton now leads a team delivering enterprise-wide leadership development programs that support associate growth and business performance. Based in Atlanta, he enjoys spending time with his wife of 28 years, playing strategy-based board games, disc golf, and cruising, and is proud of his three adult children and 10-year-old granddaughter.

Gretchen Lumsden serves as Senior Director of Enterprise Learning and Leadership Development at The Home Depot. After starting her career in Finance and Human Resources at General Mills, she joined THD in 2004, taking on various leadership roles in Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Organizational Development, and Executive Development. She now leads a team dedicated to supporting leaders at every stage of their journey—from onboarding to executive programs—while also owning broad-scale enterprise learning initiatives, including the leadership of AI literacy and adoption programs. An alum of both the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota, Gretchen resides in Roswell, Georgia, and enjoys life with her husband and teenage twins.

Kevin May is a 23-year associate of The Home Depot and currently serves as Sr Director of Learning Shared Services. Kevin began his career as an officer in the US Army where he served for four years before joining The Home Depot in 2002. He started his career with The Home Depot as an Assistant Store Manager in Killeen, Texas, and then in Seattle, Washington. Since then, he has served in various leadership roles in talent management, Human Resources (as an HR business partner), and learning strategy & execution. Kevin now leads the learning shared services team, which includes learning content development, the Home Depot University team of trainers, and learning technology & analytics. An alum of the University of Virginia and the University of Missouri at Rolla, Kevin resides in Marietta, GA, and enjoys spending time with his wife and two teenage children.

Ricardo Mejia is a 16-year associate of The Home Depot and currently serves as director of Learning & Organizational Effectiveness Program Enablement. Ricardo began his career working for various consulting companies before moving to THD. He started working in the Online team supporting data and analytics. His current team provides program deployment, logistic, and insights services for the department. Ricardo obtained his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering and master’s degree in data science from Georgia Tech. Ricardo lives in the city of Atlanta, and enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.

Jasmin Woodworth, Sr. Manager of Learning Strategy at The Home Depot, leads enterprise-wide learning initiatives across Compliance and AI Adoption & Enablement. Over the course of her 14-year THD career, Jasmin has held roles spanning Instructional Design, Learning Execution, and now Strategy—consistently translating complex business needs into scalable learning solutions that support more than 500,000 associates. An Atlanta native, Jasmin enjoys spending time with her husband, Dave, their daughter, Zoe, fur babies, Teak and Arbor, and her ever-growing collection of book babies—fueled by a mild case of tsundoku and a love of historical fiction.

Architecting the Future: How The Home Depot AI Champions are Rewiring L&D

Key Focus Areas

Our panelists will share their "boots-on-the-ground" experience across the entire learning ecosystem:

• Enterprise AI Literacy: Crafting a roadmap to ensure every associate is "AI-ready."

• The New Tech Stack: How AI is fundamentally changing the DNA of learning technology.

• L&D Reimagined: A broad-lens look at the shifting role of Learning & Development in an automated world.

• Content at the Speed of AI: Streamlining development without losing the human touch.

• Next-Gen Delivery: Enhancing facilitation and learner engagement through AI-driven tools.

Meet Your Moderators

This high-impact conversation will be expertly guided by our valued chapter meeting sponsors at National University—Teyana Pryor  and Emily Ryan. With their deep roots in academic innovation and professional excellence, National University will bridge the gap between enterprise strategy and educational impact.

Teyana Pryor is an Outreach Specialist with National University Workforce and Community Education, where she supports workforce development initiatives through strategic partnerships across Georgia and the Southeast. In her role, she collaborates with large employers, healthcare organizations, public safety agencies, K–12 programs, and community colleges to expand access to education and career advancement opportunities.

Teyana focuses on strengthening partnerships and supporting employees who are interested in upskilling and reskilling through flexible, career-aligned degree programs. National University is a veteran-founded, accredited, nonprofit institution offering more than 150 online degree programs designed to meet the needs of today’s workforce.

Through relationship-building and community engagement, Teyana helps organizations invest in their people while supporting learners on their path to professional growth.

Emily Ryan, Director of Strategic Partnerships

Don’t miss this chance to learn from the best in the business. Whether you're an AI enthusiast or just starting your journey, this panel will provide the blueprint you need for the road ahead.

Who Should Attend

• Learning & Development professionals

• HR and Organizational Development leaders

• Facilitators, trainers, coaches, consultants

• Students and early-career talent development professionals

• Anyone invested in building stronger workplaces through learning

Agenda:

5:30 PM - Networking

6:00 PM - Executive Board Updates & Host Presentation

6:30 PM - Speaker or Program Presentation

7:30/8:00 PM - Chapter Meeting Ends

Corporate Host Team: