Duke Corporate Education has put executives on trial, coached high-potentials in investment banking, and scoured New York City to find young Brazilians with insights for energy company leaders. These are actual examples of how the firm has fostered learning for its clients, and these methodologies along with the firm’s distinct commitment to outcomes-based education were the key topics of discussion at the Educators Reception on May 11.

The event, welcoming educators both familiar and new with Duke CE to the firm’s newest office, was held just one day after its grand opening in New York. Attendees were a mix of educators—executive coaches, marketing experts, and business strategists—who have worked with Duke CE in the past and others who have only recently become familiar with the company. Michelle Hoover, who leads the Global Learning Resource Network out of the New York office, along with Pat Longshore—the global director of the GLRN team—hosted the event in an effort to build and deepen relationships with these educators.

“Working with Duke CE does not mean that it will be a ‘transactional experience,’” Hoover said. “That is, when thinking of our educators and how they might fit into a client program, it’s not just about whether their expertise matches the client need. It’s about whether they have the chemistry and fit that will complement the client and the learning methodologies we plan to use in a particular client program. Events like these help us articulate that, and at the same time, educators get a chance to better understand how we work.”

They learned about three particular programs Duke CE has executed from Executive Director Gil McWilliam and Managing Directors Jared Bleak and Greg Marchi, showing the range and variety of learning methodologies of which Duke CE is capable.

The educator network draws members from around the world: coaches, facilitators, academics, subject matter experts and retired executives bring content and industry expertise to the table as well as regional and cultural familiarity. While more than 500 educators have taught in these programs—a key differentiator for Duke CE—the network has a certain intimacy about it, too, since its members work very closely with Duke CE employees to design and deliver each program using a unique mix of methods from the tried-and-true to the radical in order to create learning that “sticks.”

In this, the first New York educator event, Duke CE President Judy Rosenblum provided perspective on the collaborative design model, explaining how GLRN educators partner with teams committed to designing to client outcomes.

This approach, suggested Rosenblum, begins with a deep understanding not only of the client’s destination in their business, but of their current reality. “It’s not that they can’t see the solution,” as G.K. Chesterton put it. “They can’t see the problem.” Rosenblum underscored Duke CE’s diagnostic efforts in the context of its commitment to helping companies solve real-time, real-world predicaments. “Without an understanding of what is really happening today, we can’t help our clients develop the capabilities and skills needed to make their destination the new reality,” she said. 

Longshore’s eight-member team plays a large role in that function, establishing and maintaining relationships around the world in order to match educators to client needs—and its new regional base provides a connection to even more resources. “Our New York office affords my team the chance to collaborate daily with so many great educators in the city and the Northeast,” Longshore explained. “We want to give them the chance to be more and more connected—not just to us but to one another—through our local presence.”