Christine Hass isn’t just a leader in learning—she’s been a driving force in digital transformation and talent strategy for the last 35 years. Now the VP of Leadership Strategy at ELB Learning, Hass has built her career on a foundation of fostering continuous learning and business impact.
Her expertise, honed through influential roles at giants like HP, Motorola, Walmart, and Northwestern Mutual, focuses on three key areas: talent development, talent management, and organizational effectiveness. Hass’s work is instrumental in cultivating environments where career growth is a core value, not just a perk.
From Training Registrar to Visionary VP
In collaboration with her team and stakeholders at ELB Learning, Hass has cultivated a culture that thrives on innovation and operational excellence. She has empowered employees through targeted skills development and strategic career programs. Her deep expertise spans change management, performance management, and crafting comprehensive talent strategies that directly align with the organization’s goals.
How She Found Her Calling
“I began my career at Motorola in 1990 for no other reason than I needed a job!” Hass admits. “But of course, I fell in love with it.”
She started as the “registrar” for the training department at one of the world’s largest telecommunication companies, which happened to host one of the first corporate universities. That initial role proved to be incredibly fertile ground.
“As a young person, I credited the fact that my father was an engineer and my mother was a teacher, so naturally, this was a fit for me,” she explains. “But as I grew in my roles, so did my confidence.”
Hass learned she was naturally skilled at more than just administration. She discovered she could diagnose complex business problems, envision successful outcomes, and create strategic solutions for employees. This not only helped employees on their individual learning journeys but also provided the critical skills development an organization needs to meet its objectives.
In our latest Faces, meet Christine Hass.
Who is/was your biggest influence in the industry?
I’ve had so many amazing influences in this industry, though they haven’t all been in the L&D field. John Romero, a great friend who is now 7-Eleven’s Chief Talent Officer, worked with me in the early days at Motorola and HPE, and his impressive inroads in this field have always been nothing short of inspiring. Likewise, Karenann Terrell, Walmart’s first female CIO, left a huge impact on me. I loved her ability to be direct, yet nurturing. She took a vested interest in developing women in technology and was so generous with her time. We sometimes overlook that development goes way beyond educational opportunities, and that experiential learning drives greater impact.
What’s your best mistake and what did you learn from it?
Early on, I made the mistake that so many L&D practitioners make–not speaking the language of the business. Talent is a company’s greatest asset, and one they invest in almost more than anything else. Once you realize that and understand it, you can speak to your executives in a way that helps them see the value an L&D team or resources can add. If you’re in it just for design, delivery, attendance and satisfaction rates, you become an overhead expense without a clear value proposition.
What’s your favorite part about working in the industry? What’s your least favorite part, and how would you change it?
I’ve made a 35-year career out of it, so it’s safe to say I have a lot of favorite parts! My strength has always been in operations and execution. I’ve partnered closely with instructional designers and multimedia creators to build training programs, whether that’s onboarding sessions, leadership workshops, or digital simulations.
The exciting part is when everything aligns: executives fully back the program, employees commit the time, and you can see measurable shifts. Employees want development opportunities, but they also want to know their time is well spent. When those pieces connect, you see real progress.
My least favorite part is when it doesn’t work out that way, which is the reality. Measuring skills development is tricky, and ROI isn’t as simple as sales numbers or production output. Sometimes leaders hesitate to invest because the results feel intangible. That gap between knowing what’s right for people and proving its business impact is the ongoing tension in this field.
It sounds like through your experience, you really care about people, and you want to help them feel safe and comfortable, which is important in the industry. Please elaborate here.
I care about people. I care about the business. One of the top things I hear from leaders is that they have a skills deficit, and from learners, it’s that they don’t have time to learn, given their job responsibilities. We need to strike that balance, and it happens in two ways. First, leaders must provide space for their employees to learn. Second, L&D practitioners must be creative and efficient with the learning solutions they develop.
How can company leaders make HR a value within their organization?
This is a great question because the HR industry has already come such a long way. When I started working, the sign on the door still said “Personnel!” L&D isn’t far behind with leaders already being asked to become business-facing and strategic. If your company is not there yet, then it’s incumbent upon the HR teams to bring your leadership team along. How leaders perceive HR shapes the culture within that company and how so many people employed their view HR. Your HR teams are not simply transactional or dealing with your employee relations. They lead the attraction, acquisition, development, and retention of your workforce. If those things are important to you, then hire HR professionals who excel at that, and you will see their value.
Where do you see the industry heading in five years? Or are you seeing any current trends?
L&D specifically will be impacted heavily by GenAI, because our workforces are being impacted by GenAI. That’s why it’s so important for L&D practitioners to expand their skillsets beyond design or delivery into the strategic diagnosis of skills gaps, which drive strategic workforce planning and transformation.
Know your business. Know your roles. Know your skills. Future-proof those skills. Ask yourself, “What skills might my company need 5 years from now that we don’t possess today?” Hint: data science skills in LLM development are an example of something most organizations weren’t thinking about five years ago, and yet now there have been roles created that focus on that work exclusively.
What are you most proud of?
I’ve had the opportunity to work on so many cool things throughout my career, and I’m proud of all of them. I’m most proud that I have created ways for people to grow and excel in their professions, and I’m thankful for the opportunities and trust my leaders have placed in me to make that possible. And now, at this stage in my career, versus when I was the youngest in the room learning from my own mentors, I’m so grateful that I can now guide and mentor others on their journeys.