Debra is an instructional designer, facilitator, writer, and all around content guru with the Bunnell Idea Group.  She played a key role in the development of the GrowBIG sales training program and is one of the top facilitators of the course, for both our public and private sessions.  Debra also certifies other BIG facilitators to ensure that every client gets a top-notch, high-quality training experience.

In addition to her passion for GrowBIG, Debra helps BIG clients implement various aspects of the sales program, from writing positioning statements for new products to custom-designing activities and workshops.  Debra’s knowledge of GrowBIG and her extensive design experience means clients quickly receive high-quality deliverables at reasonable rates.

Debra’s experience includes more than 30 years in sales, sales training, leadership, team building, mentoring, coaching, and facilitation.  She has managed profitable training, documentation, and knowledge management organizations for Fortune 100 corporations.  While VP of Knowledge Management at a premier HR/Payroll software firm, Debra grew revenue by 500% over a four-year period by implementing innovative new training methods to allow a broader base of customers to access the training.  Debra has a deep understanding of adult learning methods and various delivery techniques, including elearning, multimedia, classroom, and other forms of blended learning.

Debra graduated from Penn State with a degree in Communications, Film, and Television.  After graduating, she spent a few months at the University of Manchester in England studying film and television production and subsequently completed graduate courses in instructional design and curriculum development at the University of Maryland.  Debra was an early innovator in technology-enabled training, having worked with Apple, IBM, Sony, and other manufacturers of computer-enabled learning systems throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Even as technology for learning has become more pervasive in the past few decades, the way people learn and acquire new skills has remained virtually unchanged for generations.  In 2005, Debra became certified to facilitate the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument^TM (HBDI^TM), a behavioral assessment that reveals how people naturally learn, think, communicate, and solve problems.  The HBDI forms the basis for some of Debra’s current work, which includes workshops on sales techniques, leadership, team-work, communication, and strategy.   She is also certified in Advance Consulting’s The Consultative Approach™ and Change Strategies International’s MyMotivators™ Assessment.

Debra is an avid amateur golfer who enjoys playing in tournaments at the local, state, and national level.  When not on the practice green or driving range, Debra loves working in her garden, home remodeling, performing stand-up comedy, hiking, camping, fishing, walking her dogs, and reading.