L&D Strategy · AI Enablement · Global Talent Operations
Dolores Henry Gaut, MBAL&D Strategy & AI Enablement
Sole L&D function for a ~500-person global recruiting operation across six countries.
I am a learning strategist and global training lead. I have more than 10 years of experience. I build learning that changes how people work, in recruiting and operations teams.
At Cognizant I was the whole L&D team for a global recruiting group of about 500 people in six countries. I owned the plan, the design, the delivery, and the stakeholder work. That covered onboarding, compliance, a systems move, and AI enablement.
My job is to turn messy, unclear requirements into clear guidance frontline teams can use. Then I build the system so it keeps running without me.
I am what happens when a curious nerd who values good work relationships enjoys solving problems. I work well alone or on a team. I work well with a clear brief or with no brief at all. I speak the language of business, and I stay close to the people the change lands on. And I can scale this, too.
Open to: Senior Enablement Experience Manager · Learning Success Partner · L&D Manager · Talent / People Programs Manager
Each one starts with the business problem, then what I built, then what changed. Numbers are the ones I can source.
01
Recruiter Onboarding Curriculum
Cognizant Global Talent Acquisition · 365 learners worldwide
Digital learning
Articulate Rise
Compliance
The situation
Recruiters did not handle candidates, job requisitions, and compliance rules the same way. That caused back-end errors that were hard to fix, slow replies to candidates, and different habits in each region. The only reference was a 200-page Word document. It was hard to use, out of date, and mostly ignored.
What I built
I worked with experts in Talent Acquisition, HR, Operations, and Compliance. Together we turned the 200-page document into five e-learning modules of 30 to 45 minutes, built in Articulate Rise. I added 10 to 15 job aids for the steps people get wrong most. I set up a formal review group, so content owners had one clear contact when a process changed. I also wrote step-by-step guides (SOPs) for the operations staff who catch errors early.
What changed
~30%
fewer process errors
30–40%
fewer ATS dispositioning errors and repeat questions
200 → 5
pages replaced by modules, plus 10–15 job aids
Team leads no longer had to sit in on approvals. Compliance, Recruiting Ops, and the expert teams each noticed the change on their own. Some people came back to retake the modules after the live workshops started.
ATS means applicant tracking system, the tool that holds every candidate record.
02
Creating the Conditions for AI Adoption
Copilot enablement series · Cognizant HR · 4 Centers of Excellence
Workshop design
Live virtual training
AI enablement
The situation
Cognizant told everyone to use AI in daily work. There were no metrics, no playbook, and no support built for teams like HR that do not bill clients. Thirteen sub-functions sat across four Centers of Excellence, with very different comfort levels. HR had been left out of the rollout.
What I built
I designed four 50-minute workshops, one a month. They sat next to 30 hours of required leader-led training instead of competing with it. I did not teach AI at people. I built the conditions for them to teach themselves: breakout rooms for low-risk practice, room to try things and fail, and time to link what they already knew to the new tool. Each group moved through three stages: AI basics, then AI inside their workflow, then applied prompt writing. The series grew from the Americas to EMEA and APAC.
What changed
4
Centers of Excellence reached
13
HR sub-functions included
30 hrs
of required training made usable over 4 months
Copilot use and confidence both went up. People also said they felt less alone and more willing to share what they were trying.
“You have truly become our go-to person when it comes to AI — not just because of how well-informed you are, but because of the way you share that knowledge... Your office hours are something special. You've created a space where everyone feels safe to ask questions — no matter how basic or advanced — without any fear of judgment.”
Vibe Builders Award, Cognizant, May 2025
03
When E-Learning Is Not Enough: A Compliance Redesign
EEO and compliance sessions · Cognizant Global Talent Acquisition
Workshop design
Active learning
Coaching
The situation
People finished the required e-learning and still made the same compliance mistakes. The content was fine. The delivery was the problem.
What I built
I partnered with the EEO manager to rebuild the quarterly session, and I coached him on how to run it. We replaced the lecture with practice: short concept primers, scenario-based detective stories, quizzes, breakout talks, and role-play. People with repeat errors on record had to attend. Everyone else could watch the recording and confirm they understood it.
What changed
~30%
fewer process errors (curriculum and sessions together)
Quarterly
now a standing session on the TA calendar
Coaching the manager mattered as much as the redesign. A good session run badly is still a lecture. Because his delivery got stronger, the program can run without me in the room.
EEO means equal employment opportunity, the rules on fair hiring.
04
Using AI to Build a Living Prompt Library
Copilot enablement program · Cognizant HR
AI-assisted design
Performance support
The situation
HR associates in 13 functions needed prompts they would actually use. No single designer can guess the daily tasks of that many specialists. A generic prompt guide would not help.
What I built
I turned the workshops into a content engine. In Teams breakout rooms I told people the chat was visible to me, and I asked them to share the prompts they were testing. I used Microsoft Copilot to pull the chat content together across groups. Then I used Claude as a thinking partner to sort it into a two-page prompt reference, grouped by function. Built from the learners, for the learners.
What changed
13
functions represented in the library
Days
from session to usable document
Repeatable
same process works for the next group
Typing in a breakout room gave quieter people a low-risk way to take part. The document keeps the team's own words and real tasks.
05
People, Performance, Priorities
Conifer Health Solutions · 1,500 frontline leaders nationwide
Leadership development
Live virtual training
Psychological safety
The situation
Conifer was losing a lot of staff across hospitals, clinics, call centers, and corporate teams. Exit surveys showed a pattern. Managers micromanaged, set goals people could not hit, and blamed 'bad hires' instead of looking at their own leadership.
What I built
I was the subject matter expert and content partner on a three-part leader series. My main piece was the People module. It used psychological safety, so team members can speak up without fear of payback. I also shaped the hiring content — how to check skills, fit, and willingness to learn — and the guardrails against biased interview questions.
What changed
96%
average learner approval across 3 modules
1,500
leaders reached in 3 months
1 month
to adoption in all new-leader onboarding
It went into new-leader onboarding within the first month. That told us the company saw it as basic training, not a nice extra.
06
Building a Leadership Pipeline from the Ground Up
Southern Methodist University · 65 student workers
Curriculum design
Career pathways
Leadership development
The situation
Student worker performance was uneven. People took shortcuts, cash counts were off, and reconciliation errors kept coming back. Turnover was high because accountability was low.
What I built
I joined the redesign group as a student, picked for the best accuracy record in the department. Later I was hired full time to lead the rebuild with four facility and operations managers. I started with a task and skills review of every function and mapped it to each role. Then I built a three-step career path. Desk Attendant was the base level for everyone. Point of Sale Attendant needed a passed money-handling test and four weeks or 15 shifts with zero errors. Staff Supervisor needed shadowing, a formal interview, and eight weeks or 30 shifts with zero errors. I also built the support around it: onboarding, a policies manual, a mentor program, and continuity documents.
What changed
>50%
drop in frontline turnover
65
student workers on the new path
3 tiers
career path with clear, testable steps
Students stayed with the program for all four undergraduate years, and many through two or three years of graduate school. Our time moved from onboarding new people to growing the people we had. When I moved to another part of campus, several students asked to come with me. A few said the work helped them grow up and learn responsibility. No completion rate shows that.
Speaking & media
Podcast guest
I've talked about onboarding design, AI enablement, and building learning systems from scratch. If you want me to speak on one of these topics, email me.
The L&D Hot Seat
L&D Workload, Difficulty with Job Searching and Determining Your Worth
September 7, 2025
On the hidden workload of solo L&D roles, and how to set your own price during a job search.