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Sonia Iong

@soniaiong

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L&D professional designing measurable workforce and leadership programs that improve outcomes and placement.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead L&D and workforce development programs end-to-end—designing training from scratch, aligning to real employer needs, and using evaluation data to continuously improve learner outcomes and placement.

I design programs from scratch and rigorously measure whether they work—especially where training must translate into real job performance. I’m currently leading a 100-learner workforce development fellowship at KindWork, building and delivering an 8-module, simulation-based CX curriculum aligned to employer hiring requirements.

At KindWork, I’ve supported strong placement outcomes (~80% placement rate) by grounding the curriculum in real employer needs through job-posting review, hiring-manager interviews, and structured mock interview rounds. I improved learner confidence by ~10% and ticket-handling performance by ~20% using AI workflows (Zendesk Co-Pilot, prompt engineering) and standardized QA scorecards (SPARK) across facilitators.

Previously at AllCloud, I redesigned compliance training using LRN Catalyst for ~70 employees (20% increase in course satisfaction) and developed a CORE leadership program for ~25 mid/senior managers, driving ~30% improvement in manager effectiveness scores. My background also includes org-wide needs assessment, participant analytics (Excel-based tracking), and research-informed inclusive design using Qualtrics XM, R, and Dedoose—plus earlier clinical experience leading strategy meetings and delivering training for clients and teams.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Lead Instructor, CX Fellowship

Current

Brooklyn Workforce Innovations

Jul 2025 - Present (11 months)

Designed and delivered an 8-module, simulation-based customer experience curriculum for 100+ learners across daily 4–6 week cohorts, aligned to employer hiring requirements and on-the-job workflows. Placed ~80 fellows into B2B/B2C support roles (~80% placement rate) and improved learner confidence by ~10% and ticket handling scores by ~20% through AI workflows and standardized QA scorecards.

Instructional Design Curriculum Development Simulation Based Training Workforce Development Zendesk Intercom Program Evaluation QA Scorecards

Coaching Certification Associate

Teachers College, Columbia University

Jun 2024 - May 2025 (11 months)

Built Excel-based program analytics to track participant census and key metrics, informing cohort planning and reducing participant drop-offs. Improved program enrollment by ~15% and supported professional development intensives for 40+ participants by managing digital engagement, badging, and logistics.

Excel Cohort Planning Digital Engagement Logistics Coordination

Research Assistant

Teachers College, Columbia University

Nov 2023 - Dec 2024 (1 year 1 month)

Contributed to inclusive leadership research presented at the AOM 2024 Conference by conducting mixed-methods analysis using R (quantitative) and Dedoose (qualitative) on 355 responses. Designed accessible Qualtrics XM surveys tailored to Disabled participants using inclusive design principles.

Mixed Methods Research R Dedoose Qualtrics Survey Design Quantitative Analysis

Learning & Development Intern

AllCloud

May 2024 - Aug 2024 (3 months)

Analyzed onboarding survey data for 300+ employees to identify gaps in trainer quality and social integration, and presented findings to leadership. Redesigned compliance e-learning in LRN Catalyst for ~70 employees and developed a CORE leadership program for ~25 managers, improving course satisfaction by 20% and manager effectiveness scores by ~30%.

Instructional Design Compliance Training LRN Catalyst Learning Program Redesign Leadership Development Program Evaluation

Student Consultant, Org Dev

Teachers College, Columbia University

Jan 2024 - May 2024 (4 months)

Conducted an organization-wide needs assessment for a NYC-based NGO (10 employees) using survey analysis and delivered leadership recommendations on motivation and internal process gaps. Designed a targeted workshop series to improve supervisor engagement, driving ~15% gains in staff motivation scores.

Organizational Development Needs Analysis Survey Analysis Workshop Facilitation Employee Engagement Program Implementation

Speech and Language Pathologist

The International School of Macau

Aug 2018 - Jul 2023 (4 years 11 months)

Led 150+ multi-stakeholder educational strategy meetings and revamped service delivery to drive ~20% client gains, ~80% goal achievement, and 50% program capacity expansion. Designed and delivered 15 communication training sessions for 200+ employees and clients and co-chaired an Engagement Committee to improve engagement scores by ~20%.

Program Delivery Service Delivery

Speech and Language Pathologist

Macau Government, Education and Youth Development Bureau

Feb 2014 - Jun 2018 (4 years 4 months)

Identified training and development needs for educators and clients serving 100+ children with disabilities (ASD, ADHD) and designed training grounded in adult learning principles. Expanded subsidized speech therapy access for 500+ children by coordinating with education schools and nonprofits and ran monthly structured mentoring sessions for fellow therapists (48 sessions over 4 years).

Speech Therapy Program Design Training Delivery Service Access Expansion Mentoring Program Coordination

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Teachers College, Columbia University

Master of Arts, Social-Organizational Psychology

2023 - 2025

Grade: GPA: 4.0

Activities and societies: Teachers College Scholarship (2023–2024).

Hold a Master of Arts in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Received a Teachers College Scholarship (2023–2024).