How I got here.
Emily May • M.A., Instructional Design & Adult Learning
A learning architect shaped by storytelling, systems, and a career that never followed a straight line. My path has taken me through media production, project management, marketing, and instructional design.
Film taught me storytelling. Project management taught me structure. Marketing taught me to think about audience and context. Instructional design brought those perspectives together around how people learn, perform, and navigate change.
I tend to look beyond the immediate deliverable to the decisions, patterns, and structures underneath it.
“Emily asks the right questions and produces high-quality deliverables for top-notch results.”
Early on I was translating enterprise technology concepts into social media content, including AI and machine learning at IBM, then developing executive keynote and podcast content for brands like SAP, PTC, and Oracle.
Over the past decade, I've applied that mix across higher ed, SaaS, and beyond through my own consulting business, building learning workflows and instructional design functions, improving enablement outcomes, and teaching future Instructional Designers how to lead with confidence and clarity.
Living in Colorado, some of my best ideas begin on a trail. Spending time outdoors gives me space to slow down, step away from complexity, and return with a clearer perspective.
Principles
Core principles that shape what I observe, question, and decide.
Structure creates momentum.
Clear expectations and shared practices make work repeatable without heroic effort.
Learning is a business strategy.
Start with the outcome the business needs to move, then design toward it.
Technology should strengthen human judgment.
AI can accelerate and extend the work, but people still shape its quality.
Learning should build confidence in application.
People need meaningful practice to use what they know when it matters.
Good design removes barriers.
Accessibility comes from early choices about language, structure, and format.
How I use AI
I use AI as a thought partner to structure my ideas, stories, and point of view. Then I edit every draft against my own standards. The thinking and the judgment stay mine.
I'm continuously learning how to work with AI to improve workflows and expand what people are able to do.
Recent learning: Building agentic workflows with AI Build Labs, AI adoption and workforce readiness with Training Industry, and AI in L&D with ATD.
“I haven't seen anyone else figure out how to integrate AI into the coursework in a way that uses it as an acceptable tool instead of a crime/monster.”
Communities
The communities I'm part of reflect the things I value most: learning, leadership, service, and the outdoors.
