Bio:
Amy Trail - Learning and Development Innovator
Hi, I’m Amy Trail. I am a Learning and Development leader specializing in efficient, effective and experiential education for employees. I started my journey in Learning and Development when I became an Adjunct Professor for Loyola University in New Orleans. It was here that first learned about curriculum development when I created my course, "Practical Songwriting". I found myself so inspired by the work of creating a learning experience that I realized that I wanted explore Learning and Development on a more intentional level.
My first L&D position was as an instructional designer at St. Luke's Hospital in Boise, Idaho. It was here that I worked on a multitude of projects, such as eLearning development, video editing, voice-over work and project management. Much of the learning I designed here was based around compliance training and nursing upskilling. During my time here, I created an employee lactation course that taught employees their rights and also upskilled managers in the logistical requirements of lactation spaces. This project gained notice and was showcased by Medela™ as a case study example for other organizations to emulate.
From there, I moved to a software start-up at Funnel Leasing and started to learn about the world of software development. Funnel Leasing is a web app that covers the renter experience from all angles. The renter perspective and the property management perspective. At this position, I was able to learn a wide variety of new skills and the ins and outs of the software development process.
One of the first major initiatives that I led was cataloguing our entire knowledge base. I created a manifest of the documentation for our product. I then edited and standardized the language and formatted of all the documentation. Our team then transferred the entire contents of the knowledge base from Zendesk to Salesforce. During this time, I was the lead designer of the new support site, the Pink Portal.
In this position, I've also fine tuned my video editing skills by creating the first instructional video series for our product, "Getting Started with Funnel." This is an eight-part video series that covered all of the fundamental aspects and workflows for our product. I wrote the scripts, did the voice-overs and edited the videos.
After Funnel, I moved to my current position at Simplot Company, which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. During my time at Simplot, I have been the project lead or co-lead on several key learning initiatives for the company. These include everything from compliance training, to leadership development. I have doubled down on my belief that skill practice is the best and easiest way for a human to learn something new. I thrive on creating unique ways to practice everything from how to have a difficult conversation to accountability. During my first year at Simplot, our team was awarded the Simplot Innovation award for our work in upskilling our employees.
What I'm interested in next? How we can get from business need to training solution quicker, easier and in a way that incorporates customization and skill practice.
Amy Trail- Musician
Amy Trail is a singer, songwriter, and pianist originally hailing from Idaho. Amy left Idaho to study jazz in New Orleans. At the University of New Orleans, Amy was awarded the Basin Street Jazz scholarship. She was the first woman recipient of this full-ride scholarship.
After graduating with a degree in Jazz Studies, Amy gained a position at Pat O'Brien's piano bar. She played in the piano bar for many years, while also maintaining several side projects. Noted side projects included her own solo work and as a founding member of vocal group, The Asylum Chorus.
Songwriter// Amy Trail’s music, a roots influenced soul pop, creates a sound that’s familiar yet fresh. Amy’s songwriting is heavily grounded in 1970s and 80s influences such as Steely Dan, Bill Withers, Rickie Lee Jones and Prince. Her songwriting harkens back to the great analog era of early FM radio while at the same time carving out a niche that is uniquely her own.
Amy has recorded five albums of original material and has collaborated with many New Orleans artists/bands. Most recently as a founding member of the vocal group The Asylum Chorus and Bedouin Soundclash.
In addition to her personal projects, Amy’s compositions have been featured on Margie Perez’ “Offbeat” album of the year nominated “Love is All” release and spots on the internationally syndicated television program, “NCIS: New Orleans”.
Session Vocalist// Amy is a seasoned session vocalist, working with a variety of artists including Tom Waits, Clint Maedgen (Preservation Hall Jazz Band) and Rich Collins (Imagination Movers). Amy sings in the Mezzo, Soprano I and Soprano II ranges.
Vocal Arranger/Vocal Producer// Amy has worked extensively in creating vocal arrangements for small ensembles. Most notably for the New Orleans vocal ensemble, The Asylum Chorus. Amy also has experience as a vocal producer and studio vocal coach.
Piano Bar Entertainer// From 2004-2020 Amy was a dueling piano bar entertainer at Pat O’Brien’s piano bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The nature of an all-request dueling piano show is half entertainment and half musical mastery. Over the years, Amy amassed a thousand-song repertoire that represents many genres. Amy still performs in this format once a month at the Brickyard in Boise, Idaho.