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Nicole Ann Hargrove

Leadership & Communication

  • Employee, Client, & Partner Enablement

  • Training Development

  • Sales Methodologies

  • Communication Materials Development

  • Needs Assessments

  • Strategic & Visionary Execution

  • Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner

  • Agile Program & Customer Success Management

  • Cross-Functional Partner

  • Clear & Impactful Communicator

  • Revenue Growth & Expansion

  • Engaging Speaker & Trainer

  • Critical Thinker & Solution-Oriented

  • Co-Author of Three Technology Manuals

Technical & Creative Skills

  • IBM Artificial Intelligence Fundamental Cert.

  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

  • Cloud Solutions Architecture

  • AI Services: Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, Azure AI Services, AWS SageMaker, OpenAI ChatGPT, Custom GPTs & Chatbots

  • Data: Tableau, PostgreSQL, MySQL, IBM DB2

  • OS: Linux, IBM Z, Windows, iOS

  • DevOps: Docker, GitHub, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS CloudFormation

  • Adobe Premiere Pro, Wonda VR, FrameVR, Canva, Canvas LMS, Articulate Storyline & Rise, Notion

Skills

Professional Experience

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Graduate Assistant for Generative AI (GenAI) Services

 June 2024 – Present​

  • Award inaugural Hunt Fellowship to advance GenAI digital literacy and innovative library technology in research, instruction, and operations for 1000+ faculty, staff, and students across the university.

  • Spearhead a GenAI Unconference, mobilizing 40+ faculty and staff to drive 10+ AI transformation projects within UNC University Libraries.

  • GenAI consultations, providing guidance to 100+ faculty, staff, and students on GenAI applications and best practices.

  • Author a comprehensive staff LibGuide for GenAI, featuring education, best practices, ethical considerations, and learning resources, increasing GenAI resource engagement by 35%.

  • Speaker at the Computer in Libraries 2025 conference, sharing insights on AI’s role in library innovation with 100+ Library Directors, IT Leaders, and Content Managers.

  • Pioneer a prompt library to promote best practices in GenAI prompting across research, instruction, operations, and collections, ensuring effective and ethical AI use.

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Instructional Strategist for Instructional Design Internship

 August 2024 – Present​

  • Partner with a Senior Instructional Designer to transform research, knowledge, and teaching into interactive distance-based learning experiences.

  • Co-author the research paper, Scenario Planning AI Capabilities in Three to Five Years with Relevance to Instructional Design.

  • Identify workflow inefficiencies in the instructional design team and propose actionable improvements by 30%.

  • Develop AI-driven recommendations to improve instructional design efficiency by 25%.

  • Design customized GPTs and policies for instructional design workflows.

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Technology Enablement Program Manager DevOp

August 2021- October 6, 2023

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  • Established technical strategy for the Enterprise Simulator (8-week training), setting quarterly goals, and designing dashboards to track the progress of 100+ early-career technologists, improving job placement rates from 0% to 35%.

  • Directed a team of four employees, delivering training to 100+ participants and improving retention by 30%.

  • Collaborated with 5+ clients and industry experts to assess workforce skill needs, shaping innovative training programs for technical and professional development.

  • Developed real-world enterprise training covering both technology and professional growth, including networking for introverts, imposter syndrome, personal branding, resume reviews, mock interviews, and coaching/mentoring.

  • Cultivated a community-driven learning culture by sharing best practices via social media and coaching/mentoring early-career technologists into future leaders.

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  • Led discovery sessions, developed PoCs, and presented Salesforce Platform, Heroku, and AppExchange solutions with Sales teams, influencing $2M+ in deals across the Southeast U.S.

  • Designed AI-powered Einstein Vision and Workflow solutions by creating datasets, training models, and configuring workflows to enhance automation efficiency by 30%.

  • Developed a Community Cloud and automated approval workflow demo for a major DoD contractor, reducing visitor registration time by 50% and improving process efficiency.

  • Mentored 50+ customers, technical architects, and solution engineers on Salesforce products, partner solutions, certifications, and career growth.

Principal Technical Architect

April 2018 – June 2020

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Client IT Architect

July 2014 – April 2018​

  • Drove innovation and built trusted client relationships with Government, Healthcare, and Life Sciences clients using Design Thinking and Consultative Selling, contributing $200M+ in enterprise solution sales.

  • Navigated IBM Sales ecosystem and partner network to design solutions, point of view (PoV), and proof of concept (PoC), led workshops, positioned proposals, and resolved critical issues.

  • Presented cloud brokerage services solutions to a $1B+ life sciences client, enabling multi-cloud management and a self-service catalog to reduce costs by 35%.

  • Led a Watson API natural language process and Watson Explorer PoC, helping business partners accelerate decision-making by searching prior research in real time.

  • Deliver a Watson chatbot AI solution to state agencies, improving customer service efficiency by 40% and shifting representatives to Tier 2 support.

  • Served as a board member of the IBM Global Technical Sales Leadership Council, advising the VP of Technical Sales and shaping technical sales enablement strategies. 

  • Designed a mobile education platform on IBM Cloud Video to train 500+ sales professionals on emerging technologies.

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  • I have 14 years of demonstrated expertise in technical sales support, solution design, and client engagement across multiple industries, including Government, Healthcare, and Commercial sectors. 
    I led discovery sessions, developed proof of concepts, and created innovative solutions such as AI-powered workflows, eCommerce, Digital Experiences, IBM Z, Services Oriented Architecture, and DevOps. 

  • My work has consistently focused on integrating advanced technologies to enhance client operations and drive business success.

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Consulting Technical Sales Engineer

March 2000 – June 2014​

Education

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MA, Educational Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

MS Information and Telecommunication Systems eCommerce and Advanced Technology, Johns Hopkins University

BSBA, Accounting and Management Information Systems, Old Dominion University

Community

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Board Member, INTech Foundation.  Serves on the programming committee and grant writing.

Mentor, ODU Strome College of Business: Empowering students for career success.

 

A dynamic leader specializing in technical enablement and EdTech solutions, with a proven ability to design and deliver impactful training programs and drive employee, client, and partner success.  With a strong background in Cloud, Data, AI and Instructional Design, Nicole excels at driving digital transformation and enhancing learning experiences.  Here expertise includes developing AI-driven strategies, leading technical training programs, and fostering community-driven learning cultures.

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