FKA Team
Michael Nolan
Michael Nolan is President of Friesen, Kaye and Associates. Michael’s extensive experience in both the private and public-sector spans more than 40 years in Performance Improvement, Learning and Development, Management, Sales, and Communication.
Michael has acted as a Training and Organizational Consultant for senior executives and human resource directors throughout North America and Europe. He has personally trained over 35,000 participants and worked with such clients as: Allied Learning Solutions, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Canon, Department of Defence, FEDEX, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Microsoft, Petsmart, Pfizer, Rogers, Scotiabank, Siemens, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Suncor, The Hartford, Verizon Wireless, United Nations, University of Phoenix and Walgreens.
Michael was a committee member of the Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+) Program which determined the scope, content and specifications of the CTT examinations. Prior to FKA, Michael was Director of Corporate Learning and Development at Mitel Corp., an international manufacturer of telecommunication systems. His public-sector experience was with the Dept. of Revenue as Head of Management Development and as a Learning and Development Consultant and Specialist with the Dept. of Health.
He has presented key learning and performance issues at major industry events including: Association for Talent Development (ATD – formerly ASTD), Institute for Performance and Learning (formerly CSTD), International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), Training Magazine’s Annual Conference & Expo, Training Solutions, On-Line Learning, TechLearn-Masie Center, and Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA).
Michael is a sociology major from Carleton University and a member of: International Society for Performance Improvement, Association for Talent Development, and Institute for Performance and Learning.
To learn more, and to read Michael’s blog articles, please visit his blog profile page.
Jim Sweezie
Jim Sweezie is the Vice President of Research and Product Development and a partner at Friesen, Kaye and Associates. Jim’s involvement with training and performance improvement spans more than 40 years.
His expertise includes work with Fortune 500 companies, technology/telecommunications, government, and education sectors in the analysis, design and development, evaluation and validation of training programs and training software development.
Jim Sweezie has presented sessions at Training Magazine’s and the Institute for Performance and Learning’s (formerly Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD)) Annual Conferences. He was actively involved in the development and delivery of technology-based training from its early years. Jim was also heavily involved with the introduction of Plato through the PC-based CBTs, to the current evolution into e-Learning.
In addition to heading up FKA’s Consulting Services Division, Jim is also responsible for the development of a curriculum of e-courses and the implementation of FKA’s e-Learning platform to support their delivery.
Jim has a computer science degree from the University of Waterloo (B.Math.). He also has an education degree from Queen’s University (B.Ed.).
To learn more, and to read Jim’s blog articles, please view his blog profile page.
Tracey Briscoe
Tracey has been an integral part of FKA’s relationship management and learning advisory team for more than a quarter of a century. Tracey is an experienced and motivated account executive with a proven background in developing solutions to meet business and performance improvement needs for organizations and professionals.
Geoff Nolan
Geoff has been in the training industry for close to 20 years providing sales and marketing for all of FKA’s training products and services. Geoff produces all of FKA’s virtual programs for clients around the world along with representing FKA at local and international tradeshows.
Dave Burniston
Dave has over 25 years of experience working in the High Tech and Training sectors with 16 years at FKA. Dave is responsible for all technology related items and the production environment at FKA. Dave has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Windsor and a Diploma in Electronics Engineering Technology from Algonquin College.
Our Team of Facilitators and Learning Consultants
Our world-class facilitators are CompTIA CTT+ certified instructors with backgrounds and expertise in workplace learning and performance. On average, they have been with FKA for more than 18 years. They have worked in various learning and development roles including learning managers, course developers, training needs analysts and performance consultants in a wide variety of industries.
What sets them apart is their mastery of facilitation and engagement, coupled with their intimate knowledge and experience of instructional design, for both live face-to-face and virtual learning environments. They are master learning practitioners, who model the concepts presented in our programs.
All of our facilitators must successfully complete FKA’s rigorous, 8-step certification process to facilitate all programs in FKA’s curriculum, beginning with CTT+ certification. This ensures the highest standards for quality and consistency in both content and process. It also allows for a continuous improvement cycle and the sharing and integration of best practices by our facilitators and learning consultants.
In FKA’s Consulting Division, our learning consultants, like our facilitators, work collaboratively with our clients to provide learning solutions that meet business needs. They have years of experience in all aspects of the learning function including project management, needs identification, course design, development, implementation and evaluation.
The FKA Instructional Systems Design Methodology is an integral component of every learning and performance project that our consultants complete. Their in-depth experience with the methodology allows them the flexibility to modify, enhance or adapt to meet our clients’ needs and requirements.