Brandi Hernandez is a learning and development specialist and a Certified Professional in Talent Development with the Association for Talent Development. Brandi’s passion for training started when she gravitated toward training roles within the food service jobs she held while working her way through college.It wasn’t until she started working with Whole Foods Market in 2008 that she realized her true passion for developing people, public speaking, and training facilitation. When Brandi joined the learning and development team at the Southern California regional offices of Whole Foods Market in Los Angeles in 2010, her career as an L&D specialist took off. Brandi helped develop and deliver training material that supported the onboarding and role development of thousands of new employees between 2010 and 2016. In 2017, Brandi was offered a senior learning and development specialist role at Whole Foods Market’s Northern California regional offices and relocated to San Francisco to support and lead the region in operational development. Her role advanced to supporting the development and facilitation of a company-wide, tiered leadership development program. During her time in San Francisco, Brandi positioned herself within Whole Foods Market as a keynote speaker for the region’s Inspire Day and delivered talks about growth mindset to groups of thousands. Brandi works as a learning and development specialist with Great Expressions Dental Centers in Detroit, Michigan. She supports the organization with a reinvention of their onboarding program as well as helps develop a series of leadership programs, which will bring GEDC leaders to the next level. Brandi holds an associate of arts degree from the Fashion Institute of Design in merchandising in cosmetic and fragrance marketing and a BBA from Eastern Michigan University. She is progressing toward a certificate as a professional in human resources with the goal of transitioning her role to organizational development specialist in the future.