Presenter: Melissa O’Neal – Vice President, Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates 

Workshop Overview: In a world of constant and rapid change that requires organizational leaders to consistently evaluate how employees are being developed, there is a growing need for creating a learning environment that is free from barriers and fosters total learner engagement. Open Space Learning serves as that model.  In this workshop, Melissa O’Neal will provide a fun and exciting introduction and overview of Open Space Learning, focusing on how to incorporate three fundamental laws that truly open the minds and hearts of learners. By incorporating the laws of choice, safety and responsibility, into every learning opportunity, we as learning and development professional, will have the ability to enhance and enrich every experience for our learners.

About Melissa O’Neal - Melissa serves as Vice President for Iowa Jobs for Americas Graduates, a premier non-profit organization in the State of Iowa with the mission of connecting business and education to provide the most cost-effective dropout prevention and school to career solutions in the State. Prior to joining IJAG, Melissa served as the Challenge Course Coordinator for the Iowa State University Extension program and also served as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the University of Syracuse Women’s Basketball Team and Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach for Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Master’s degree in Advertising from University of Syracuse and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Clarian University in Pennsylvania.