D. Lee Kizer, EdD
Lee
Learning Strategy &
Organizational Effectiveness Leader
Designing human systems that help people learn, lead, adapt, and commit.
Helping organizations understand people and improve performance through learning strategy, leadership development, organizational assessment, and change adoption.
Selected experience includes enterprise onboarding across 1,100 locations, learning programs serving thousands of participants, 15 university courses, and national research translated into practical leadership tools and publications.
“I help organizations understand what people and leaders need, then design learning strategies, leadership initiatives, change supports, and assessment systems that strengthen performance, commitment, and organizational effectiveness.”
My Approach
I don’t begin with solutions. I begin with questions.
“Without questions, there is no learning.” -D. Wilhite
I begin by understanding the people, the environment, and the organizational conditions influencing performance. I listen, gather evidence, test assumptions, and clarify what is actually getting in the way.
From there, I help determine whether the right response is learning, leadership development, change support, process improvement, assessment—or a combination of them.
The goal is not simply to deliver content. It is to create practical, measurable improvement.
Core Capabilities
Organizational Assessment & Insight
Understanding people, culture, commitment, and performance through research, stakeholder listening, assessment, and evidence-based analysis.
Leadership Development
Helping leaders build healthier teams, stronger cultures, and environments where people can contribute, adapt, and grow.
Learning Strategy & Program Design
Designing scalable learning strategies, leadership programs, and experiences connected to real organizational needs and performance goals.
Change Adoption & Continuous Improvement
Helping organizations implement change, support adoption, measure progress, and improve programs through feedback, dashboards, and evaluation.
A Career Built Around How People Learn, Lead, Contribute, and Grow
My work has always centered on how people learn, lead, contribute, and grow. That began in experiential education, where learning happened through action, reflection, challenge, and shared experience. It continued through multi-site leadership, volunteer development, organizational research, curriculum architecture, enterprise onboarding, and large-scale learning programs.
Across those settings, the central questions have remained consistent: What helps people engage? What gets in the way? What support do leaders need? How do organizations create the conditions for meaningful contribution, adoption, and sustained improvement?
Learning Has Always Been Experiential
Before digital platforms and authoring tools, I spent years facilitating wilderness learning, challenge-based programs, team development, and experiential education. Those experiences shaped my belief that people learn through action, reflection, feedback, uncertainty, and shared experience—not through information alone.
That foundation still informs how I design leadership development, learning strategy, and organizational change.
What Helps People Stay Committed
Much of my research and leadership work has focused on what helps people contribute, remain engaged, experience belonging, and find meaning in their roles. That work began in volunteer systems and has expanded into broader questions of employee commitment, leadership, culture, and organizational health.
Through Patina Talent Works, I take on selected research, assessment, and advisory projects for organizations seeking a clearer understanding of their people and programs. The work may include survey design, organizational research, pulse surveys, interviews, field observation, artifact review, school climate research, volunteer engagement studies, analysis, and leadership advisory.
One developing area within Patina Talent Works is the Human Commitment Framework, which is designed to help organizations identify early signals of disengagement before they become burnout, withdrawal, or departure.
Across these efforts, the central question remains the same: “What helps people remain meaningfully committed to the places where they work, learn, volunteer, and belong?”
Selected Work
Beyond the Work
Determination, service, and time to think
Completing Ironman Chattanooga 140.6 in 2021 was the result of years of preparation, consistency, and the willingness to keep moving when progress felt slow. The experience deepened my respect for long-term effort and the cumulative power of repeated practice.
I also have an enduring pull toward volunteer service, not only as a way to give back, but as a way to keep learning. I have served as an election poll worker, supported the Mag 7 pit crew at the Baja 1000, participated in community initiatives, and contributed to philanthropic efforts. Each setting offers a different view of people, teamwork, responsibility, and what it means to contribute without needing to be at the center.
Outside those commitments, I find perspective through hands-on and outdoor pursuits. Wrenching on buggies, welding, riding motorcycles, paddling, and spending time away from the usual noise create space for reflection and grounding. They remind me that learning often happens while doing, through attention, experimentation, failure, adjustment, and the shared experience of solving something real.
Let’s Connect
D. Lee Kizer, EdD, SHRM-CP
Atlanta, Georgia
lee@dleekizer.com
LinkedIn
To request a résumé or discuss a potential role, please contact me directly.