Bio: Todd Walther, M.S., M.S., SPHR

Senior Director, Learning and Development

Merkle, Inc.

www.merkleinc.com

About Todd Walther

Todd Walther currently directs learning and development for Merkle, Inc. Merkle is a $500M customer relationship marketing agency headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 2000 employees world-wide.  Merkle provides strategic marketing advice, management consulting, database management, marketing analytics, and comprehensive marketing technology services. Todd is responsible for all leadership and employee development, including talent assessment, career planning, social learning, and formal technical and professional learning programs offered through Merkle University.  

Additional Background:

Prior to working for Merkle, Todd worked as the director of learning for four years at Under Armour, building their entire learning organization from scratch into what it is today. Prior to that, Todd worked as a Principal Learning and Organizational Development Consultant for Constellation Energy.  He provided organizational development and change management consulting to BGE, a regulated utility owned by Constellation. He led a major organization redesign and built out long-term knowledge management and leadership development systems. Todd also spent time within Constellation Nuclear, where he led the change management function following the acquisition of R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Rochester, NY.   

Todd has also worked as a human resources and organizational development consultant for The  Baltimore Sun, where he created and deployed a new performance management strategy and a revamped their on-line learning management system.  He also directed the human resources function for the Advertising, IT, Marketing and on-line divisions. Todd has also worked as an organizational development consultant at Georgetown University Medical Center.  

Prior to working in corporate America, Todd worked for years in the adventure-based training and development industry, where he helped companies like Outward Bound translate their outdoor training programs into effective learning experiences for corporate and public sector organizations. Todd still runs his own adventure-based training company, Grand Dynamics (www.granddynamics.com), providing high end corporate retreats in mountain settings across the world to a very select clientele.  

Todd earned his Bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, where he majored in both English and Psychology.  He completed his Master’s degree in I/O Applied Psychology from the University of Baltimore. He also completed a second Master’s degree in experiential education from Minnesota State University. He is a Master of Managed Change (LaMarsh) and a certified Master Facilitator (Achieve Global) and a certified national program manager for Outward Bound Professional. 

A native of New Hampshire, Todd also spent eight years in Jackson, Wyoming developing a non-profit company that led the way in the de-institutionalization of state mental hospitals, promoting independent living for adults with developmental disabilities.  He also expressed his passion for the outdoors climbing, skiing, and paragliding extensively throughout the Teton mountain range.