Owen is another ASTD member born and raised in NC.  He is a graduate from East Carolina University.  A few short years after graduation Owen made a big change in his life.  He had always wanted to try life in a big city and in a different country! "I didn't want to turn forty and find myself asking what if ? With no regrets, Owen took the plunge and loaded up a U-Haul and moved to Toronto, Ontario.  Not long after arriving in Toronto, Owen met his wife Priscilla.  They have three children; Vanessa, Devon and Shannon and reside in Huntersville.  During his time in Toronto, Owen joined TrainingFolks, a performance improvement consulting firm.  One of the firm's primary goals was to establish a solid presence in the United States.  In 2003, Owen became Managing Director and moved back to the Charlotte area to spearhead the opening of their U.S. Operations.  "I had more than just a U-Haul full of stuff when I came back!" recalls Owen.

As Owen turns forty later this year, he is again taking stock.  He says that these days he is not so much concerned with asking “What if?”  But more with asking “”What’s next?”  “I’ve hit that point in life where I feel like I have accomplished a lot.  I have a great family, success in my career and a competitive golf score,” reflects Owen.  I find myself being motivated more by things and people other than myself - family, clients and my team at TrainingFolks.   

To that end, Owen decided to become a member of the Chapter’s board (in 2010 Owen will be the Chapter President). When asked why he joined the chapter, Owen’s answer was, “because it was the right thing to do.”  When asked why he joined the board, the answer was:”to help others understand why involvement in the chapter is the right thing to do”.

“The chapter offers great value to those who seek it out.  This past year has been tough on our members and the community. Kary has done a great job in implementing changes the membership has been requesting. There are more and more influences capturing at our members’ attention every day.  There is the obvious impact of the economy, new organizational startups and changes and social networking among others.” With regard to leadership of the 2010 ASTD Charlotte chapter, Owen says,
“I have very few goals for next years Chapter:

1. Foster a board that feels like a team through shared objectives across roles.
2. Encourage innovation and new ideas that increase value to the membership and community.
3. Leave the Chapter a little better for Bruce Oberle, the 2011 Chapter president.”