Genny Kelly, PMP

Learning Tree instructor Genny Kelly's leadership experience spans across telecommunications, finance, airline and retail industries. Her expertise includes project, change, and program management, with a focus on the implementation of advanced technology.

Genny's consulting firm, E-Magine IT Inc., is focused on bottom-line results, and formulating advanced technology to meet the diverse needs of today's business.

Genny led multiple projects for one client that included managing infrastructure initiatives, overseeing network and cabling, and deploying a new warehouse management system into distribution centres and warehouses. She led a diverse team in the migration of key supply chain systems from old to new hardware with minimal disruption to the company during the Christmas season.

Another client asked Genny to lead a challenging application and infrastructure project that involved managing the migration of Email to MS Exchange 2003 throughout the enterprise within six weeks. She also managed the integration of a third-party application which allowed an airline to reach compliance with the Canada Border Services Agency.

Genny is the author and technical editor of Business Analysis courses and teaches Course 211, "Introduction to Business Analysis." She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University and a Masters Certificate in Business Analysis.

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Gord Maric

For over 25 years, Gord has been spearheading new ways to identify and implement the use of modern software to drive efficiencies in business systems. Currently, he is principal consultant and president of CiRAM eSolutions Ltd., a computer consulting company specializing in development using Microsoft technologies and business intelligence systems.

Recently, while working with the Government of Nunavut, Gord delivered a critical reporting system that incorporated multiple data sources as well as created a user-friendly system that was easy to administer. Based on Gord's work, a highly efficient reporting system was developed, greatly reducing the manual efforts previously used to deliver reports.

In addition, Gord untangled a complex accounting system for a Toronto-based food distribution company, delivering an easy-to-use intranet information dashboard. This eliminated the accounting reports that had previously been difficult to work with, saving the company a considerable amount of time and money.

Gord is coauthor of Mastering Crystal Reports 9 as well as Learning Tree Courses
Hands-On Crystal Reports, SharePoint 2010 Technologies: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction, and Building Applications and Workflows with SharePoint Designer 2010: Hands-On.

"I love taking complex tasks and explaining them simply. It's a huge benefit to the students— making it easy for them to immediately apply what they learned back at the office," says Gord.

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Larry Barnard, P.M.P., R.M.P., and Learning Tree blog contributor

Larry Barnard works closely with organizations around the world, helping them achieve their strategic goals. Drawing on his more than 16 years of project and people management best practices, tools and techniques, Larry has helped world-class organizations like CIBC, Afilias and Goodyear to streamline their project management processes and increase efficiencies.

Larry has also worked with the Department for International Development (DFID)(UK) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help develop their global project management offices. In each case, Larry guided decisions on the type of project management each office needed and how best practices could be realized through their efforts. With enhanced oversight and the application of the latest project management software, the DFID was able to better track project spending around the world.

In addition, Larry provided strategic risk management planning for the Library of Congress, where he helped develop a set of sequential steps they now use to identify potential risks and coordinate risk response plans. This enabled them to build a project culture of risk awareness and to proactively reduce the probability of risk for all future projects.

Larry is the author of Xplore the Core: The Art of Personal Development in a World of Change and coauthor of Sample Exam Questions for the IIBA® CBAP® Certification. In addition to being an instructor, Larry has developed the curriculum for several Learning Tree Courses and teaches a variety of courses, such as: Preparing for the PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® Exam, Management Skills, and Management Skills for an IT Environment. He has a B.A. in History and Political Science from McMaster University.

“One of the things I like about Learning Tree is their ongoing focus on bringing real-world experience into the classroom to make learning as practical as possible. It gives me great personal satisfaction to help other professionals working in the same field,” says Larry.

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Peter Vogel

With over 25 years of information technology experience, Peter Vogel provides both management and technical support to companies that include Bayer AG, Exxon, Volvo and Microsoft. In 1994, as a member of the IT department for Imperial Oil, Peter received the President’s Award for Excellence, and while working for Bayer AG he won the company’s Quality in IT award. Peter has three published books, including Visual Basic Object and Component Handbook.

Peter also blogs on technical writing topics and authors the weekly Practical ASP.NET column for Visual Studio Magazine, as well as a frequent contributor to the Learning Tree .NET blog. Additionally, he edits Learning Tree’s Management Insights monthly series featuring practical management tips and has written four courses for Learning Tree. 

Peter currently teaches a range of Learning Tree IT and writing courses, including ASP.NET WebForms: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction , NET Best Practices and Design Patterns, MBA Essentials: Enhancing Organizational Performance and more.

“What I enjoy most is teaching the introductory courses…starting with people who want to be able to do something and then getting to the point when they walk out the door capable, competent, and confident they have the skills they wanted on day one. That's a real thrill,” says Peter.

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Gary "Buddy" Burge, Ph.D.

For over 25 years, Dr. Burge—a leading corporate communications expert—has helped company executives master the principles and practices of negotiation. He has worked for many major organizations, including SAP Software, Nike, Symantec, Magna International and Bell Canada.

A Toronto-based consulting firm, Sixth Sense Inc., was very concerned about their clients' lagging sales. Dr. Burge was called in to give the associates intensive sales coaching and mentoring based on one of his highly regarded sales programs. The results were astonishing. Within six months, annual sales tripled and since then, sales have doubled on top of that.

In another quick turnaround, Dr. Burge recently met with the president of a steel manufacturing firm. The president was seeking to increase profit levels and improve morale. After a thorough evaluation, Dr. Burge developed a communication plan for key personnel; within four weeks, performance had improved dramatically; and within three months, the company's profits were increasing.

Dr. Burge is a former faculty member at Humber College School of Business and a leading expert in the use of the MBTI personality type paradigm for organizational communication and executive coaching. He was trained at York University, the University of Toronto and the Alfred Adler Institute. He holds a master's degree from The Fuller School of Psychology in Pasadena, California and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the International Graduate School of Business at Berne University.

Dr. Burge is the author of It Is Easier to Change Other People than It Is to Change Yourself and Getting to the Future...before the Future Gets to You!

Gary is an instructor for several popular Learning Tree Courses, including Influence Skills: Getting Results without Direct Authority, Communication Skills: Results through Collaboration, Time Management Essentials, and more!

"My goal as a Learning Tree instructor is to help students not only learn the material and apply it productively to their personal lives, but to help them 'think about what they think.' This is important because the self-actualization of the learning process is what they can take with them and apply every day for the rest of their lives," says Gary.

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