ASTD Celebrates 70 Years of Serving the Training and Development Professionals

Seven decades. The world is a vastly different place today than it was in 1943. As ASTD celebrates 70 years of serving the training and development profession we note that despite many important developments that have occurred in the world, there remains a consistency of purpose for the work of this society.

In 1943, when 15 men gathered for the first meeting of the American Society of Training Directors, the world was ensconced in World War II, Duke Ellington played at Carnegie Hall for the first time, and the world’s first computer, Mark I, a behemoth that occupied an entire room at Harvard University, was nearing the end of its development which began in 1939. Three years later, in 1946, a constitution was adopted at ASTD’s conference held in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The stated goals were to raise the standards and prestige of the industrial training profession, and to further the training professional’s education and development.

Today, in the age of technology-driven advancements and a membership that spans the globe, ASTD’s mission statement is not so different from those stated early goals: empower professionals to develop knowledge and skills successfully. This mission points to ASTD’s broader vision that our global community of professionals aspires to: Create a World that Works Better.

We’re looking forward to celebrating our 70th anniversary at the ASTD 2013 International Conference & Exposition. Stop by ASTD Central to see the 80-foot timeline we’re constructing, get your picture on the cover of T+D, and put your predictions about the future of the profession in the time capsule. Join us as we look back on where the profession has come from—and look forward to where we’re headed.