People love to talk about teamwork.
They reach for familiar metaphors. A rowing crew. A jazz band. A pit crew. All good. All true. And all slightly incomplete when it comes to what it took to bring the CHART LMS to life.
Especially when that work culminated in the introduction of The Lobby at our February 2026 Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Because this was not about everyone doing the same thing at the same time. It was about knowing when to run, when to hand off, when to receive the baton again, and when to trust someone else to take it further.
In other words, this was a relay.
Why the Relay Metaphor Fits
Relay teams are brutally honest. You can be the fastest runner on the track, but if you fumble the handoff, the race is over. No amount of effort makes up for a dropped baton.
That reality mirrors LMS implementations perfectly.
This project moved through phases that required different expertise at different moments. Platform configuration. Structural alignment. Messaging. Member experience. Strategic guardrails. And then, just when you think a leg is complete, the baton comes back around again.
What made this team successful was not a single anchor leg. It was the willingness of every core team member to both receive and pass the baton multiple times as the work evolved.
The relay was fluid. The exchange zones kept moving. And the baton never hit the ground.
The Core Relay Team
Every relay works because runners respect their role and stay ready for the next exchange.
Audrey Benet ran the technical leg and often ran it more than once. As our LMS platform wizard, she translated vision into functionality and complexity into capability. When the question was “Can the platform do this?” Audrey made sure the answer was not just yes but done right.
Susan Diepen ran the meaning-making leg, repeatedly and intentionally. She ensured membership, competencies, and learning pathways were not just present, but coherent. Susan made sure the LMS reflected how CHART members grow and develop, not how a system assumes they should.
Lisa Marovec ran the brand translation leg, then circled back repeatedly. She took evolving ideas and made them clear, engaging, and accessible. Her work ensured The Lobby did not just function, but invited members in and made them want to stay.
Tara Davey ran the grounding and reality-check leg throughout the race. She kept the work connected to CHART’s purpose, members, partners, sponsors, and Board. Tara made sure decisions passed the test of relevance and impact, not just creativity or convenience.
And then there was my role.
The Baton Steward Role
If you are looking for a single anchor, you will not find one here.
My role was less about running a single leg and more about stewarding the baton. Watching the exchange zones. Knowing who needed it next. Clearing obstacles. Protecting momentum. Making sure no one had to sprint someone else’s race.
In a fluid relay like this one, that role becomes essential. When the baton moves smoothly, it looks easy. It never is.
The Support Relay That Made It Possible
No relay team succeeds without training and support crew behind the scenes.
Our LMS platform partner and CHART Gold Sponsor, Wisetail, played that role brilliantly. Jamison MacKillop, Kat Claypool, and Brianna Perrett, along with the incredible IT team supporting the work behind the scenes, were the coaches, trainers, and pit support that every great relay depends on.
They helped anticipate issues before they showed up on the track. They adjusted when conditions changed. And they ensured the team was prepared for the moment it mattered most, the live introduction of The Lobby to our members in New Orleans.
Their work may not always be visible, but it was foundational to the success of this launch.
Why The Lobby Exists
The introduction of The Lobby at the Winter Conference was an important milestone, but it was never meant to be the finish line.
The Lobby exists to give CHART members the same level of development and resources they work so hard to provide to their own teams. It is a place where members can grow through our Hospitality Training Competencies, but also access broader resources that support personal development, professional growth, and deeper connections to one another beyond the conference experience.
At its core, The Lobby reflects a simple belief. If our members are expected to pour into their people back in their organizations, then CHART has a responsibility to pour just as intentionally into them.
Learning does not stop when the conference ends. Neither should connection, development, or support.
Why This Matters for CHART
This project reflects what CHART values most. Learning that is intentional. Collaboration is real. Respect for expertise. Systems designed to serve people. And a willingness to build for the future while staying grounded in who we are today.
The LMS is not just a platform. It is an investment in how CHART members learn, connect, and grow over time. It is a commitment to meeting members where they are and walking with them well beyond a single event.
The Real Win
In the end, the success of the CHART LMS implementation was not about how fast any one person ran. It was about how intentionally the baton moved from one set of hands to another, sometimes forward, sometimes back, always with trust.
That is what great teams do.
And that is how CHART continues to build what comes next.
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