In this episode of the Learning Leader Spotlight podcast, Nicolle Billmyre, Senior Director of Talent and Organizational Development at Crossmark, shares a thoughtful and engaging conversation about her journey into L&D and OD, the shifting landscape of workplace learning, and the essential qualities she looks for in talent today.

From Law to Learning

Nicolle’s career didn’t begin in learning and development. With a background in government and law, her first professional role was at the American Arbitration Association, where she worked in the legal space. But even early on, she found herself gravitating toward people development. She was often asked to train, coach, and mentor colleagues—something she naturally enjoyed. When the organization decided to launch a corporate university, Nicolle was tapped to lead the initiative, launching her official career in learning.

That early experience helped her realize that while she had initially pursued law, her true passion was helping others grow. From that point forward, she never looked back, staying firmly in the L&D space and eventually expanding into talent and organizational development.

The Power of Combining L&D and Talent

While Nicolle began her journey on the L&D side, she quickly saw the deeper impact she could make by branching into talent management. Learning is crucial, but she points out that the real magic happens when you can tie development opportunities to career pathing, employee engagement, and succession planning.

By connecting learning to business outcomes and individual growth paths, Nicolle believes organizations can better retain top talent and keep people engaged. She sees the L&D and OD functions as deeply intertwined, both aiming to support the full lifecycle of an employee’s growth.

Adapting to a Virtual World—and Beyond

Reflecting on the last few years, Nicolle highlighted the sweeping changes brought on by the pandemic. Pre-2020, her teams had already begun to dabble in virtual learning, but the pandemic forced a full shift. She joined Crossmark in 2021 in a fully remote environment—onboarded, trained, and integrated without meeting anyone face-to-face. This meant that everything L&D and OD teams did had to be redesigned for virtual delivery.

Facilitators had to learn how to engage learners in a virtual space, and content had to be repackaged to work in shorter, more interactive formats. Even now, as some teams return to hybrid models, she sees that the lessons of virtual engagement remain crucial.

AI: Amplifier, Not Replacement

When asked about the future, Nicolle offered a balanced take on Artificial Intelligence’s  growing presence in the learning world. She acknowledged AI’s potential—especially in speeding up content creation and powering analytics—but she doesn’t see it replacing L&D professionals. Her concern? Chatbots and AI responses often feel impersonal and lack the empathy that’s so critical in development.

Instead, Nicolle believes AI should be viewed as a tool to enhance human-led learning—not as a substitute for it. As she put it, we still need the “human touch” to connect, engage, and personalize learning in ways that AI simply can’t.