People

Eunbi Sim, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning at Boise State University. As an international, first-generation student-turned-scholar in the United States, Dr. Sim draws on her positional identities and lived experiences to amplify the voices and needs of marginalized groups and advance social justice in the workplace. Her research examines how sociopolitical environments, sociotechnological entanglements, and intersectional identities shape workers’ learning, careers, and organizational life. As a trans-methodologist, she employs diverse and innovative approaches to study complex organizational phenomena, pushing theoretical, methodological, and practical boundaries to advance critical inquiry across educational and organizational contexts. Her research has been recognized with multiple awards from the Academy of Human Resource Development, where she serves on the Board of Directors (2024–2027). She is also committed to bridging scholarship and practice through collaboration with community-based organizations and by supporting professional students in applying research to real-world organizational challenges. See her scholarship, teaching, and service experiences in her Google Scholar Page or Curriculum Vitae.

Bryant Davis is in his second semester in Boise State’s OPWL Program. Bryant currently works for the City of Greenville in the City Manager’s Office. In his role, Bryant focuses on coaching, training, and development for the city’s senior leadership team, including departments and teams. Davis provides customized training and development through extensive research and utilizes the importance of psychological safety to improve employee engagement and workplace culture. Davis has used surveys and assessments to assist in establishing workplace and engagement metrics. Bryant completed his bachelors and master’s degree at Gardner-Webb University.

Kristy Forman is an Academic Project Manager and graduate student in Boise State University’s Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) program. She supports career readiness and workforce development initiatives for virtual students, with a focus on instructional design, student engagement, and process improvement. Kristy’s work centers on developing scalable systems that connect career pathways, certifications, and workplace skills to meaningful opportunities for students. With experience in educational leadership, training, and program development, her interests include workplace learning, organizational performance, workflow automation, AI integration, and human-centered instructional design.

Jocelyn Jackson is a graduate student in Boise State University’s Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) program and has six years of experience in learning and development and organizational performance. Most recently, she worked as a Training Senior Analyst at Del Monte Foods, designing learning experiences, managing a learning management system, and working with stakeholders to enhance workforce performance. She held leadership and training positions that focused on continuous improvement and employee development. She is interested in learning technologies, AI, and linking research to workplace learning. When not at work, she likes to crochet and care for her six pets.

Lunting Thao is an aspiring Human Resources professional and graduate student in the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning program at Boise State University. Her journey in HR started with a B.S. in Business and Marketing Education from the University of Minnesota. Lunting spent 9 years in South Korea as an educator and curriculum developer specializing in English language programs, cross-cultural communication, and adaptive instruction. Building on her international education background, she seeks to integrate her educational experience with human resource practices to optimize performance, foster inclusive cultures, and empower employees through continuous learning and development.

Nora Trentacoste spent the past decade as a Regional Director at a growing software company, leading onboarding, sales enablement, and performance initiatives. She earned a Workplace Instructional Design Certificate from Boise State and will complete her M.S. in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning and a WiPI certificate in December 2025. She holds a B.A. in South Asian Studies from UC Berkeley and has volunteered as an ESOL tutor in India and the U.S. Her interests include remote work and equity, demonstrating ROI for inclusion, leadership in collaborative cultures, communities of practice, and neurodiversity inclusion.

Duong (Dori) Trinh is a graduate student in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) at Boise State University. She brings an interdisciplinary background, combining five years of legal experience with two years as a learning designer in Vietnam, where she designed and facilitated leadership and talent development programs. Her interests center on organizational performance, workplace learning, and equity. She is passionate about bridging theory and practice to help organizations enhance performance while fostering fair, effective, and supportive environments.

Yaning Cao is a doctoral candidate in Human Resource Development at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on two main areas. First, she examines individuals’ career development and how it can be supported at individual, organizational, and policy levels. She has conducted mixed-methods and qualitative studies with diverse populations, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and international job seekers. Second, her research explores how emerging technologies shape individuals’ career development. Her dissertation examines doctoral students’ research self-efficacy in relation to their use of generative AI.

Hoda Parvaneh Shirazi is a PhD candidate in Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University. Hoda’s research in critical human resource development investigates how gender, culture, and organizational structures shape leadership, equity, and recognition in organizations. Drawing on an intersectional lens, her research highlights the leadership contributions of women in informal roles, employs innovative mixed-methods designs, and seeks to transform the study and support of leadership in organizations. Using mixed methods, her research aims to better understand individual and organizational development and to inform practical, data-driven approaches to women’s leadership and career development.