TrainingPros Sponsors the 2026 Southwest Learning Summit for Sixth Consecutive Year
September 29, 2026. TrainingPros returned to Plano, Texas, as a Platinum Sponsor of the 2026 Southwest Learning Summit (SWLS), hosted by ATD Dallas at the Plano Event Center. This year marks TrainingPros’ sixth consecutive year supporting the summit, which brought together almost 350 learning and development professionals under the theme People First. Always.
TrainingPros President Leigh Anne Lankford, Learning and Enablement Strategist Frankie Robinson, and Relationship Manager Chenier Mershon, who also serves as President of the ATD Dallas Chapter, represented TrainingPros throughout the day.
Keynote: Knowing the Value You Bring
Dr. Keith Keating, Chief Learning and Development Officer at BDO Canada, opened the day with Hidden Value: Making the Impact Visible. Keith challenged attendees to stay clear and intentional about the value they bring to their organizations as the profession evolves. He encouraged L&D professionals to let go of a “not my job” mindset and to resist boxing themselves into roles that stand still while the work around them moves forward.
His message set the tone for the day: L&D teams that make their impact visible, and keep redefining their contribution, stay essential to the business.
TrainingPros was proud to sponsor a free copy of Hidden Value for every SWLS attendee, and Dr. Keith Keating signed books at the TrainingPros table throughout the day, giving attendees a chance to continue the conversation with him one-on-one.
Keynote: Finding the Way Through the Messy Middle of AI
When L&D teams have more projects than people™, TrainingPros provides experienced learning and development consultants who can step in and help move the work forward. Our relationship managers are L&D practitioners themselves, helping clients identify the right expertise for instructional design, custom content development, eLearning, facilitation, learning strategy, project management, learning technology, change management, and other learning initiatives.
TrainingPros is a certified woman-owned business and has been helping organizations find experienced L&D professionals since 1997.
TrainingPros Wins Three 2026 ATD Dallas AXIS Awards
This year, ATD Dallas brought its AXIS Awards into the summit for the first time, recognizing winners during a luncheon celebration in front of the SWLS community. The AXIS Awards honor outstanding learning and talent development work across the Dallas-Fort Worth region, along with the teams and partnerships behind it.
TrainingPros was honored to receive three AXIS Awards, presented by members of the ATD Dallas Executive Board:
- Career & Leadership Growth: De-escalation Learning Lab
- Talent Strategy and Management: Center Manager Training Program
- Performance Improvement: Leasing with Impact: Conversations that Convert
Each program reflects the collaboration between TrainingPros and its client partners to design learning that builds real capability on the job.
Hallway Conversations with the L&D Community
This year, TrainingPros took to the hallways with a series of short interviews, asking attendees about the skills and challenges they see surfacing in L&D today. The responses offer a snapshot of a profession in motion, with practitioners sharing what they are learning, what they need, and where they see the work heading.
Watch the interviews on TrainingPros’ LinkedIn and Instagram channels.
TrainingPros at SWLS 2026
As Platinum Sponsor, TrainingPros helped bring the day together:
- Free Signed Books: TrainingPros sponsored a copy of Dr. Keith Keating’s Hidden Value: How to Reveal the Impact of Organizational Learning for every attendee, with Keating signing copies at the TrainingPros table.
- Popcorn Break: TrainingPros once again treated attendees to an afternoon popcorn break, a favorite from last year’s summit.
- Sponsor Blackout Bingo: Attendees stopped by the TrainingPros table as part of the chapter’s sponsor bingo activity, learning about the support available for their L&D projects along the way.
- Chapter Leadership: Chenier Mershon continued to lead ATD Dallas as Chapter President, reflecting TrainingPros’ commitment to the communities its Relationship Managers serve.
A Model for Partnership
ATD Dallas made a lasting impression on its sponsors this year. Its thoughtful touches ranged from welcome gifts and warm greetings from volunteers to recognition from the stage and handwritten thank-you notes.
Leigh Anne reflected on the experience:
“As a sponsor, we felt seen, appreciated, and genuinely included in the community. Thank you to the ATD Dallas team and all of the volunteers who put so much care into the Southwest Learning Summit. You gave us a wonderful example of what partnership can look like. We were proud to be part of it.”
Looking Ahead
SWLS 2026 showed a profession ready to grow with the changes AI brings while keeping people at the heart of the work. TrainingPros thanks ATD Dallas, its volunteers, and every attendee who stopped by to connect, and looks forward to returning to the Southwest Learning Summit in 2027.
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TrainingPros is a learning and development company that connects organizations with experienced instructional designers, eLearning developers, and performance consultants. We’ve been named a Top 20 Staffing Company by Training Industry and a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), recognition that reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored learning solutions. To hear ongoing conversations with senior learning leaders, listen to our Learning Leader Spotlight podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
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