International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame - Oklahoma Center of Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma

Curtis Plott

Curtis Plott is President and CEO of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), the world's premiere professional association in the field of workplace learning and performance. As President, he represents the interests of the Society's more than 58,000 members who work in 15,000 multinational corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, government agencies, and universities in over 100 countries.

Since joining ASTD in 1980, he has promoted the importance of workplace learning to improve employee productivity and business competitiveness. He has expanded ASTD's activities to include workplace-based research, policy representation, and international membership. Under his direction, ASTD has more than doubled its membership and has grown in revenue from almost $4 million to more than $17 million.

A leader in the association field, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Association Executives and received its 1994 Key Award, presented to executives who demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities in their own association and exemplary devotion to voluntary membership organizations as a whole.

Before joining ASTD, he was Director of Employee Relations for the Johns Hopkins University Medical Institutions in Baltimore, CEO of the Illinois Education Association, and Assistant Executive Director for the California Teachers Association.