Taylor Blake

I lead Degreed's AI Labs to explore how AI can be leveraged in workplace learning. Feel free to connect or message me.

We’re here to make sure education and skills stay the key to economic opportunity in an AI-driven world—because the future shouldn’t just work for those who own all the capital or compute.

We aim to do this by:
- Helping people handle the changes AI brings to work and life.
- Teaching people how to use and get the most out of AI tools.
- Finding ways to use AI for more than just cutting costs—so we can invest back into people.

Our AI-related experiments help position L&D be at the forefront of navigating this change. Follow along, and let’s ensure human expertise continues to drive progress and opportunity.

Why Degreed? We started Degreed with a passion for lifelong learning and have since seen what works (and what doesn’t) across hundreds of the most innovative learning organizations. After we established the category of Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) at Degreed, I left to tackle a new set of ambitious challenges and cofounded Learn In. In 2022, through acquisition, we combined the latest innovations from Learn In with Degreed’s market-leading platform to build the next chapter of products to support lifelong learning.

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer

Rising Tide Cooperative

Helping organizations through critical transformations, including:
- The evolution to becoming a skills-based organization
- Executive AI strategy planning
- Maturing from startup to scale up
- New product launches and GTM coordination
- Entering new markets
- Product leadership: driving innovation, team structure, process improvement, and establishing operations

Engage with us through consulting, workshops, advisory, and coaching.

Co-Founder

ZipID, Inc.

Form I-9 compliance software that is easy to use for both employer and new hire, automated, remote, and private. A fast, efficient workflow seamless integrates employer and employee to accurately, securely and privately complete the I-9 end-to-end in just a few minutes.

Business Strategy and Operations (Fractional)

Knex

Fractional Executive driving customer retention (NRR), executive leadership and company culture

Fractional Executive

Cardagraph

Helping organizations predict, plan, and execute product development to deliver exceptional outcomes while aligning teams, reducing risk, and creating predictable success at scale.

Head of Customer Success

Lotus Transformation Group

I help B2B SaaS startups scale through post-sale operations and customer management support. As a tech startup founder, you have built a great product and generated revenue. When you reach the point where you need support in managing customers and operations post-sale, I can help, and together, we will bring your vision to life.

Founder and CEO

Untethrd Education

AI is opening up a new world of opportunities for organizations. Are you ready?

Partner

Birdie

Passionate about transforming customer experiences into strategic advantages, I champion smarter, data-driven CX operations that empower companies to truly prioritize their customers. As a Customer-Centricity Ambassador, I advocate for leveraging advanced insights and AI-powered solutions to drive impactful decisions, reduce churn, and amplify the voice of the customer. By putting actionable data at the heart of strategy, I help organizations align their efforts with what matters most to their audience. Together, we’re redefining customer-centricity and building a future where the customer inspires every decision.

Customer-Centricity Ambassador

Skill Collective

Working with some of the best brands to define and drive forward their HR transformation strategy.

Principal Consultant

Degreed

Elevated to VP role to drive transformative change and maximize organizational impact.

• Achieved 100% roadmap adherence, bolstering client trust and satisfaction.
• Spearheaded the scaling and enhancement of feedback, localization, and innovation processes.
• Successfully launched prototypes for scaled nudging technology and AI assistants.
• Spokesperson for Degreed's Innovation at marquee events: Degreed LENS and Degreed Vision
• Co-founded and co-chaired the Culture and Gender BRGs, fostering an inclusive organizational culture.

VP, Product Operations and Innovation

Connector between clients and Degreed, and among Degreed teams, by socializing and operationalizing the product roadmap and strategy and empowering clients and client-facing teams to execute decisively to deliver the most important results.

• Orchestrated seamless collaboration between clients and internal teams by operationalizing product roadmap and strategy.
• Established a robust product enablement team and led cross-functional enablement efforts.
• Ensured consistency in product release timing and communication, enhancing stakeholder alignment.
• Led initiatives to update and align accessibility standards, promoting inclusivity across products.

Director, Product Operations

Promoted to this position to lead a team of Client Engagement Partners who partner with Mid-Market organizations to drive value with Degreed.

• Led a team of Client Engagement Partners, driving value for mid-market organizations.
• Pioneered implementation success standards for the mid-market client segment.
• Championed a strategic project introducing skill measurement to the market, subsequently leading client rollout of related products.
• Established a strong presence as a published author and industry speaker, representing the organization in webinars and conferences.

Director Client Engagement Mid-Market

Promoted to this role based on success in leading large, complex global enterprise clients to success, and demonstrated leadership of the Client Engagement team.

Engagement Director

Led and developed innovative learning solutions and strategies that drive impact within the client organization from post sales to launch and measurable success.

Partnered with clients to consult, plan and deliver the optimal user experience in Degreed.

• Launched one of the first, and many subsequent international clients, including the first in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Met global standards for privacy and exceeded cultural expectations.
• Established and governed process improvement within the team to ensure consistency where necessary and to allow for customization as appropriate.
• Delivered consistently strong results with clients at launch and beyond.
• Customer Advocate of the Year for 2017

Client Engagement Partner

Anthem, Inc.

• Pioneered an integrated learning roadmap encompassing year 1 plan, year 3 strategy, and year 5 vision, integrating social learning, mobile learning, gamification, and emerging technology trends.
• Successfully managed solutions through the product lifecycle, delivering prototype solutions resulting in significant reductions in content development effort and absenteeism, along with improved learner assessment scores.
• Established an innovation framework, governance, and metrics, enabling the delivery of products two times faster than the enterprise team.
• Expanded function to 40+ people as well as introduced first content curation and performance support positions, filling nine roles across these teams to enhance learning and performance outcomes.
• Conducted monthly reverse mentoring sessions with the Chief Learning Officer to foster knowledge exchange and drive innovation.

Director/Manager, Strategy and Innovation

• Led the introduction of a new learning management system, earning a Gold Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning award, and achieving significant course registrations and completions per month.
• Launched a department collaboration community, earning a Bronze Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning award, with high readership and contribution rates, fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Implemented a collaborative recognition program, driving high associate engagement and participation.
• Expanded team size by over 100% within two years, enhancing services, support, and consistency to business partners.
• Optimized Content Management System, leading to improved efficiency and effectiveness across development and maintenance processes.

Manager, Learning Technology

AI is changing everything… but most leaders haven’t had the time to plan for it.

Operations, people, and performance take daily priority. AI feels important, yet abstract. There’s pressure to “do something,” but no clear, confident path forward. 

We help leadership teams design practical, human-centered AI strategies that strengthen, not replace, their people. The work starts with clarity and alignment. What does readiness look like for your business? Where can AI actually drive value? What skills and leadership capabilities will ensure your organization thrives?

Our approach helps organizations:
• Translate AI potential into clear, actionable priorities
• Build trust and reduce fear across teams
• Prepare leaders and employees for new ways of working
• Align AI adoption with company values, culture, and strategy

The result: confident leaders who can speak about AI with credibility and conviction… teams that are informed, capable, and ready… and organizations positioned to lead change rather than react to it.

I’ve worked across startups, scale-ups, and global companies as a strategist, integrator, and facilitator. My clients often tell me they value my ability to make complex transformation simple, human, and actionable.

The truth is, successful AI integration isn’t about technology first. It’s about people. It’s about designing systems and mindsets that make innovation sustainable.

What others are saying ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Kristi’s expertise in driving strategic innovation and operational excellence is unmatched, and she has a proven track record of delivering transformative results.”

“Kristi’s leadership and client-focused approach were instrumental when I was a client of Degreed … ensured that our needs were not only met but often exceeded, leading to a successful implementation and a full expansion afterwards.”

“Kristi’s strategic vision and innovative approach have resulted in the development of cutting-edge product solutions, and her leadership has been pivotal in navigating complex challenges and seizing new opportunities.”

“Kristi has expertise in leading large-scale initiatives globally and delivering results from client-facing roles to leading product innovation and new product launches.”
“Kristi’s ability to resolve complex conflict and create mutually successful outcomes for clients and the business … translate technical concepts into simple ideas that inspire.”

How you can reach me:
💬 If you are interested in learning more, reach out to me directly here on LinkedIn.
📞 Schedule a call at calendly.com/kristi-risingtidecooperative/30min

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Taylor Blake

Kristi Broom

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