West Corp.’s Hajdrowski 2016 Chicagoland Learning Leader of Year

Caveo Learning announces that Nicole Hajdrowski of Chicago-based West Corporation has been named the 2016 Chicagoland Learning Leader of the Year.

The Chicagoland Learning Leader of the Year award honors the ideal of a modern learning leader—thoughtful and strategic, willing to question the status quo, and most importantly, aligned with the goals and objectives of the business. The winner was selected by Caveo Learning, which is committed to elevating the learning & development industry by helping learning leaders deliver significant and measurable value to their businesses.

Hajdrowski, the vice president of training and development for West’s Unified Communication Services business unit, has spent 17 years with West, building its learning organization from the ground up. Hajdrowski is responsible for training more than 6,000 internal associates, as well as more than 50,000 external customers annually.

In her role at West, Hajdrowski leads a team of 60 instructional designers, trainers, and managers to implement learning solutions for employee development, sales training, new-hire training, career and management development, leadership training, instructional design, and customer training for the global organization.

Rob Bellmar, executive vice president of business operations for West UC, lauds Hajdrowski’s proactive approach to delivering business value through learning & development. “Nicole has been a tremendous asset to the organization across the spectrum of impacts,” Bellmar says. “She is flexible and dynamic in her approach to solving business challenges. Her delivery is high-quality, and she always keeps an eye on the measurable impact to the business.

“Her greatest asset is her team; I think a great team is a true reflection of the talent of a leader. The true impact is the amplification, not the individual contribution, and Nicole has that in spades.” 

Hajdrowski was twice named to Training magazine’s 40 Under 40 list, in 2009 and 2010, and she won Chief Learning Officer magazine’s Business Impact Award in 2008. She holds a master’s in training and development from Roosevelt University and a bachelor’s in communications from the University of St. Francis.

She is passionate about charitable work. In 2012, Hajdrowski helped launch Caring About People, a program that provides financial assistance to West employees in crisis situations. She is also the co-chair for the West UC Chicago Diversity and Inclusion Council.  

Caveo will honor Hajdrowski at the ATD Chicagoland Holiday Party on December 8. Caveo will make a donation on Hajdrowski’s behalf to the Dr. Deborah Colky Student Award, a scholarship fund benefiting college students pursuing a career in learning & development. For more information on the Colky Award or to contribute, visit www.gofundme.com/atdchi_colky.