Annie Michaels Liao

EXPERIENCE

Annie brings more than 15 years of experience designing and scaling learning, organizational development, change-management, and operational systems across nonprofit and enterprise environments. Her work focuses on translating strategy into practical learning experiences, tools, technologies, and processes that improve performance and support adoption at scale.

At Dine Brands Global, the parent company of IHOP and Applebee’s, Annie led enterprise learning and organizational-development initiatives serving a workforce of more than 100,000 employees. She implemented a learning management system for more than 50,000 users, directed the development of learning resources and assessments reaching 75,000 employees, and led technology and operational change initiatives across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Her work improved training participation, strengthened communication and execution across corporate and field teams, and produced measurable operational efficiencies and cost savings.

Earlier in her career, Annie served as Director of Educational Outreach at MakerGear, an industrial 3D-printer manufacturer, where she built partnerships with universities and schools, translated complex technical information into accessible learning resources, and trained faculty and students in emerging manufacturing technologies. This work strengthened connections between education and technology-driven industries and expanded the company’s educational partnerships into new regions.

Annie is a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner and brings particular expertise in instructional design, digital learning, organizational change, technology implementation, and scalable operations. At QA Commons, she helps translate employability concepts into practical learning experiences, learner-recognition systems, and technology infrastructure that institutions can implement and sustain.

EDUCATION

M.A., Wheaton College Graduate School
B.A. with Honors, The College of Wooster