Start your journey as a Chief Learning Officer.
Develop the insights needed to identify the strategies organizations need to attract, develop, retain, and advance human capital as a chief learning officer who can anticipate and act on global, economic, and technological disruptions.
Program Overview
George Mason's Chief Learning Officer program, presented in partnership with industry and educational leaders, offers hands-on opportunities to design an integrated talent strategy to attract, develop, retain, and advance the talent needed to meet the business objectives; sustain a productive workforce; and add significant value to your organization.
Next Cohort: February 2027 - May 2027
Delivery: Hybrid; online sessions and in-person sessions at Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus)
Cost: $8,500
Contact: execdev@gmu.edu
Program Details
Who Should Attend?
The ideal candidate has:
- A minimum of 6 or more years of experience in the learning space. Instructional systems design expertise.
- Experience managing and facilitating learning programs.
- Solid communications skills.
- An undergraduate degree or equivalent experience.
Schedule
- In-Person Opening: February 2 - 4, 2027
- Online Sessions: February 9 - March 12, 2027
- Mid-Program In-Person Session: March 17 - 18, 2027
- Online Sessions: March 22 - May 6, 2027
- In-Person Closing: May 11 -12, 2027
Program Topics
- Mission-Focused Impact (20%)
- Strategic Planning (20%)
- Financial and Regulatory Aspects of Learning and Development (20%)
- Leadership and Culture Building (20%)
- Learning Processes, Technologies, and Analytics (20%)
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Chief Learning Officer program will be able to:
- Implement strategic initiatives with increased confidence in personal leadership abilities and organizational knowledge.
- Demonstrate a capacity to think strategically, establishing a learning and talent development plan that supports the delivery of an organization’s objectives and strategic plan.
- Develop leadership practices that are grounded in solid organizational acumen. Communicate clearly and effectively with professionals at all levels to articulate the role of learning and talent function as an agent of organizational change. Manage processes for assessing talent development opportunities.
- Engage the talent management team and drive performance outcomes through coaching, mentoring, and sharing ideas.
Executive Certificate
This program is delivered as a non-degree, executive certificate. Attendees have the opportunity to add a badge credential from Credly for successful completion of the program to their resume for organizational recognition (internal and external) and to indicate the accomplishment of obtaining a George Mason University credential. In addition to the Credly badge, attendees receive 8.5 CEUs upon successful completion of the program.
“The curriculum, assignments, and virtual instructor-led sessions were engaging, thought-provoking, and ideal for this busy professional. The program expanded my knowledge in learning and development from an executive perspective and provided me with the tools to function and communicate on a C-Suite level. The knowledge I gained from the CLO program will benefit my agency and prepare me for my goal of becoming a chief learning officer."
Program Curriculum
The curriculum is composed of the three core competencies areas that were identified by talent management leaders and academics as necessary for the Chief Learning Officers of the Future.
Governance and Talent Stewardship (Fulfills ECQ 1)
Talent Development Policies
The focus of this topic is to examine the framework of governance, policies, procedures, and guidelines that drive how Chief Learning Officers approach managing and developing the vast expanse of talent. Having such a framework is essential to promote alignment with overarching company/agency strategies and to enable decisions and policies that are defensible, valid, and fair.
Faculty
- Dr. Dave Rude
The CLO as a Leader in an Organization
The purpose of this session is to present and discuss the future of learning and the role of the CLO as a leader in an organization. This will be done by presenting relevant research on the topic and shared through the perspective of a CLO practitioner.
Faculty:
- Kimo Kippen
Learning Strategy, Innovation, and Organizational Performance (Fulfills ECQ 2 & 5)
AI and the Future of Business and Process Excellence
In this session, we will explore the foundational concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including the principles of machine learning and deep learning, to develop a clear understanding of how AI works. We will then examine the fundamentals of Generative AI, with a focus on large language models (LLMs) that power tools like ChatGPT. Finally, we will discuss practical business applications of AI, showcasing how organizations can leverage these technologies to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and gain a competitive edge. This session aims to provide participants with a framework for understanding key concepts of AI and its transformative potential in the business world, while also acknowledging its limitations.
Faculty:
- Pallab Sanyal
Financial Management for Decision Making
Corporate
- The focus of this topic is to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to better manage some of the key financial issues they are likely to face in a position of leadership.
- Faculty:
- Dr. Dave Vance
Government
- Aligning the budgeting and financial management processes to an organization’s strategy are key components to successful learning outcomes. The role of talent leadership in organizations, which includes the learning and development functions, focuses on developing the employee competencies required to achieve the desired results outlined in the strategic plan. The budgeting and financial management processes can remain mysterious creatures for even the most experienced learning and development professionals. The Chief Learning Officer must understand the link between learning and organizational outcomes by providing core business knowledge about finance in order to create an environment in which strategy, culture, and human potential are fully intertwined and mutually supportive.
- Faculty:
- Nada Dabbagh
Future Learning Ecosystems
In this session, we will examine best practices in learning technologies and new generation learning environments and learning and development (L&D) practices that support enterprise learning and performance. Activities are designed to help understand the practice of learning design, current and evolving organizational learning practices, and the affordances of AI-enabled technologies that support the organization’s strategic goals and foster a culture of innovation.
Faculty:
- Nada Dabbagh
Value Propositions of Learning and Talent Management
The purpose of this topic is to explore what are the value propositions for learning and talent management (TM), and how to assess related investments in a quantitative and qualitative aspect. The focus of this topic will be to discover techniques that discern learning’s and, more broadly, TM’s value. This value is derived from a variety of sources, such as data analytics and less common (but equally crucial) approaches that must be used to establish the basis for proposing value which must precede verifying or computing the actual value. This session will consider the varying value-centric perspectives that CLOs must take in the learning and TM contexts.
Faculty:
- Dr. Dave Rude
Being a Strategic C-Suite Leader
In today’s rapidly evolving environment, C-suite leaders need to go beyond operational execution to think strategically. This session will explore what strategic thinking means and how executives can cultivate it to drive their success.
Faculty:
- Greg Unruh
Creativity and Innovation
The goal of this session is to practice using the construct of Appreciative Intelligence® for creativity, new ideas generation, and innovation. Using experiential approaches, you will learn to develop new insights into typical leadership challenges and develop the capacity to question traditional approaches to management respectfully and non-judgmentally. Honoring the applied nature of the program, we will practice tools for developing a creative mindset during the half-day session.
Faculty:
- Tojo Thatchenkerry
Developing a Human Capital Strategic Plan
The purpose of this session is to introduce participants to the concepts of developing a learning and talent strategy that creates value for the organization.
Faculty:
- Kimo Kippen
Managing the Learning and Talent Development Operation
The purpose of this session is to provide a framework for building and sustaining a systematic management, adaptable approach to Learning and Talent Development as an integral part of your organization’s talent management ecosystem. The session will focus on creating a well-managed, agile Learning and Talent Development (L&TD) operation that so that you, the CTO/CLO, can deliver the right people with the right skills at the right time, for the efficient and effective achievement of organization objectives and outcomes into the future.
Faculty:
- Dr. Shahron Williams van Rooij
Leadership and Organizational Readiness (Fulfills ECQ 3 & 4)
Analytical Decision Making
In this session, participants will explore the essential tools and techniques for making informed, strategic decisions in today’s fastpaced business environment. We will explore how leaders can summarize critical data, predict future outcomes, visualize complex information, and effectively communicate their findings to persuade stakeholders. Participants will also gain insights into handling uncertainty, avoiding cognitive biases, and incorporating ethical considerations into their decision-making processes.
Faculty:
- Bryan Sullivan
Understanding Organizational Change
Leading Organizational Change and Transition will focus on the unique dynamics of the complex human and behavioral components of the evolving change process in the context of some of our most familiar change strategies. In addition, we will introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a strategic tool for defining your organization’s unique change process.
Faculty:
- Victoria Grady
The Business of Talent
The focus of this topic is to better prepare participants to manage talent initiatives through the application of standard management practices as well as best practices designed just for the talent field. Many in talent positions do not have an MBA or any experience managing a profit and loss (P&L) center and thus have never been exposed to the basic concepts of planning and execution. Consequently, there is tremendous opportunity in the field to improve results without any increase in resources and to better demonstrate the value of investing in talent. Applying these concepts in your organization will also significantly increase your credibility with senior leadership and improve your ability to secure funding and staff. The reading and examples in this topic will focus on learning but the concepts apply to all HR disciplines.
Faculty:
- Dr. Dave Vance
Talent Measurement and Analytics
This topic provides an explanation of the what, why and how behind talent analytics; alignment with HR analytics; the development of measures/metrics for measuring the business impact of your talent and learning management practices; technologies for data collection, analysis and reporting, and communicating the contribution of talent and learning measurement and analytics to other C-suite executives using the language of business.
Faculty:
- Bud Benscoter
The C-Suite Leader in an Organization
This session will provide insight and perspective from a former Csuite executive about what it takes to transition to the next level. The skills and mental models that got you here may not be the same ones you’ll need to employ for future success. As you ascend to the top of your organization, the stakeholder universe becomes more complex and the demands placed on you will be even greater. Leading across the enterprise requires a different mindset and a real exercise in selfreflection. Adaptation is key. Together, we’ll address some common misconceptions about C-suite leadership, discuss the importance of it in today’s environment, and examine the types of adjustments that are necessary to be effective in these critical roles.
Faculty:
- Michael Derrios
Cultivating a Positive Organizational Culture
This session will introduce the construct of emotional culture and demonstrate the importance of cultivating a positive emotional culture for employees, teams, divisions, and organizations. We will distinguish among the key emotions impacting culture and describe how individuals and organizations can achieve enhanced employee health and well-being, higher functioning teams, and improved financial performance through engagement in business practices, work relationships, and culture change initiatives aimed at managing the negative effects of emotions and cultivating a positive emotional culture. We will highlight evidence-based techniques that individual contributors and managers can integrate into their daily work practices to increase personal and professional success.
Faculty:
- Mandy O’Neill
Communication Techniques for Dynamic Teams
Dynamic, interactive, and energizing, this session will highlight the tenets of improvisation and deftly tie them to real-world applicability in an extremely entertaining and thought-provoking way. Together we'll experience learning by practicing proactive techniques that bring the people skills needed for collaborative decision making to life.
Influencing and Negotiation
This is a session on the fundamentals of negotiation and conflict management theory and best practices in organizations. Most individuals have incorrect assumptions about the best ways to manage conflict in organizations and how to negotiate in the most effective way. Further, many people avoid conflict because of preconceived notions about what is going to happen to them and/or inherent fears. The purpose of this session is to both change those incorrect assumptions while getting participants to feel more comfortable in a variety of negotiation / conflict management contexts.
Faculty:
- Kevin Rockmann
“One of the exciting things about the CLO program is [that] participants are given the chance to identify a learning problem in their organization...with feedback from the program participants [to] create short-term and long-term goals. As a result, I put in place a strategic plan from inception, created the mission, vision, and values of the learning function that I led. To date, I still use the materials from this program and have developed great relationships with the participants.”