Mid NJ ATD Learning & Development Conference 2025: Active Learning

Dr. Eugene Kutcher III

Dean - Norm Brodsky College of Business

Dr. Thomas O’Connor

Using improvisational humor to improve communication

This interactive session explores how improvisational humor enhances workplace communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Participants will engage in fun, structured improv exercises designed to boost confidence, listening skills, adaptability, and collaboration.

Dr. Thomas O’Connor - Rider University

Change Management

In this module, we will explore and examine the people side of change, and how to effectively lead people through times of change. To set the stage for that, we will assess our own attitudes toward change. Then we will incorporate principles for leading individuals during times of change, and managing our own reactions to change. We will examine a recent change to discover new opportunities for overcoming the challenges of change. By becoming aware of attitudes and the history of change in our organization, we can take a more strategic approach to leading people through organizational change.

Andy Zinsmeister - Director Dale Carnegie

Building Culture

In this session, we'll explore how meaningful active learning events can build culture in your organization. The interactive session will demonstrate several teambuilding exercises that you can use to build a positive culture in your organization.

Dr. Thomas O'Connor - Rider University

Dr. Eugene Kutcher 
Business Dean - Rider University

Eugene Kutcher is currently serving as the Dean for the Norm Brodsky College of Business. Prior to this, he chaired the Department of Management where he has been a faculty member since 2007. Dr. Kutcher received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, where he majored in Business Management and Psychology, his master’s degree from Montclair State University, and his Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Virginia Tech. His published and presented research has focused on employee engagement, social elements of employee selection, and work-family balance. His applied professional experience has been in the realms of training and development, employee attitudes, and program evaluation. At Rider, Dr. Kutcher teaches courses in Employee Selection & Training, Employee Engagement, Management Skills, and Human Resource Management, and received the university’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2013. He has served the university as the Director of DAARSTOC (an executive skill-building program), co-chair of the Faculty Mentoring Committee, co-chair of the Norm Brodsky College of Business Core Curriculum Revision Task Force, as well as several other high-impact committees and initiatives.

Dr. Thomas O’Connor
Assistant Professor - Rider University

Thomas M. O’Connor joined Rider University’s Norm Brodsky College of Business as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Management in the fall of 2019 after twenty-five years of corporate experience with Merrill, a Bank of America Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers as well as fifteen years of adjunct college teaching experience on both the graduate and undergraduate level. O’Connor created and facilitated a highly rated leadership skills training program at Merrill that ran for fifteen years. He also won an innovation award at Merrill for creating a web video tool for training and communication.

Dr. O’Connor also serves as the faculty advisor to the Rider chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), in which he guides HRM majors and supports their activities. In addition, he heads the HR Advisory Board and meets with executives regarding curriculum matters and ideas to enhance the major. Dr. O’Connor also serves as faculty advisor to the Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Leadership Honor Society. He is also active in The Mid New Jersey Association for Talent Development.

Andy Zinsmeister
Managing Director - Dale Carnegie