A former Syracuse Orange rower, Chrissy Chamberlain graduated in 2005 with a B.S. in English and Textual Studies and Inclusive Elementary and Special Education. Also holding a master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology from San Diego State University, she is a Certified Professional in Talent Development. Chamberlain joined FICO in 2007 as an education consultant and has risen through the ranks of this analytics software company to become Senior Director of Digital Learning.
Describe your current roles and its responsibilities.
FICO is most well-known for our FICO Scores, the industry standard to measure credit risk, but our software has been on the forefront of applying artificial intelligence since the early 90s.
As Senior Director of Digital Learning, I run our digital learning practice, including our online learning ecosystem and the development of learning programs, and I work on myriad talent development initiatives across the company for employees, customers, and partners.
How did the School of Education prepare you for this role?
Studying the theories behind how people learn, the psychology of learning, and human behavior all contribute to my job today.
What current trends do you see in your specialty and how are you addressing them?
A strong talent development strategy is important for employee engagement. People need access to quality learning resources and experiences to continuously develop new skills, grow their talents over time, build relationships, solve problems, and to sharpen meaningful behaviors such as influencing others and effective communication.
It’s important we align our talent development efforts with the intended business outcomes set at the highest levels of the organization. This way we can help people engage and grow in ways that are both meaningful to their careers and the company
What academic program stood out for you most as a student at SOE?
In my junior year (in 2004), we were given the option to present our final teaching portfolio in a digital format (PowerPoint) for the very first time.
Historically, your teaching portfolio was more like a giant craft project on poster boards and in three-ring binders. I was one of only two students to present digitally, and I had a blast demonstrating what digital transformation could look like for the program.
The professors liked it so much, the next year it was mandatory to create your teaching portfolio as a digital presentation. I’ve always loved technology and knew that education technology was my future. I always thought I would end up in the classroom teaching kids, but I found my true passion in adult learning. I truly enjoy working within the high-tech corporate sector.
Make a pitch for SOE—why should a prospective student choose the School of Education?
SOE provides a practical and meaningful education that will set you up for a happy and healthy career, whether you take it to the classroom or apply your new knowledge and skills in the business sector.
There is so much opportunity and now more than ever, we need more people to create immersive, quality education opportunities to keep our society and work environments informed, healthy, inclusive, fair, and strong.