UVA_HRMeet the Learning Design & Technology (LD&T) Team
The Learning Design & Technology (LD&T) team within UVA Human Resources (HR) is part of Talent Management in the Talent Community of Expertise (COE). The LD&T team provides instructional design, Workday technical training, and Workday Learning services for UVA Academic and UVA Health. We partner with schools, departments, units, teams, and individuals across Grounds to ensure people, teams, and organizations can do their best work every day. We hope you enjoy getting to know our team members!
Will Davis
Manager, Learning Design & Technology
As the manager of the Learning Design and Technology (LD&T) team, Will oversees a talented group of team members that maintain an active pace providing instructional design, content development, learning management, and technical training expertise to the University. Will received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in Instructional Technology and has worked in corporate, non-profit, and academic settings as an Instructional Systems Designer, Adjunct Professor, Project Manager, and Consultant.
Fun Fact: Will has coached numerous sports including lacrosse, wrestling, cross-country, and various martial arts.
Carrie Miller Payne
Senior Workday Learning Analyst
Carrie Miller Payne is a Senior Workday Learning Analyst specializing in strategic consultation and the design of optimized learning structures within Workday Learning. She partners with administrators across the UVA community to streamline processes, enhance system usability, and build scalable learning solutions that support long‑term organizational growth.
Fun Fact: Carrie is an avid art collector with a particular passion for sculpture, prints, painting, and textile arts. She is also a dedicated runner who participates in the Loop de Ville every year!
Sarah Simpkins
Workday Learning Specialist
Sarah Simpkins is a Workday Learning Specialist on the Workday Learning Design and Technology team, where she provides support for Workday Learning courses, programs, and campaigns, as well as one-on-one consultations with customers. She began her career in Facilities Management as a Landscaper before transitioning to Occupational Programs, where she served for three years as an Occupational Health and Safety Technician. Sarah brings a strong interdisciplinary background, holding associate degrees in Arts and Sciences and Horticultural Technology, along with a certificate in Sustainable Agriculture. She also holds an OSHA Safety and Health Fundamentals for General Industry certificate, reflecting her commitment to workplace safety and continuous improvement. A lifelong learner, Sarah enjoys expanding her knowledge and finding innovative ways to support learning initiatives.
Fun Fact: Outside of work, she enjoys camping, kayaking, and spending quality time with her family.
Kirsten Engleman
Workday Learning Specialist
Kirsten Engleman is a Workday Learning Specialist and James Madison University graduate who has been part of the UVA community since 2023. She enjoys helping other understand and fully utilize Workday Learning so they can navigate training and development resources with confidence.
Fun Fact: In her free time, she enjoys traveling and knitting.
Christopher Birkl
Senior Learning Experience Instructional Designer
With over a decade of experience designing learning solutions, Christopher has embraced the role that technology plays in making learning more accessible. He enjoys working with subject matter experts to find ways to create or adapt training to meet the needs of a changing workforce with increasing digital fluency.
Christopher’s always looking for ways to simplify and streamline the Instructional Design process; working smarter, not harder, to meet the learning needs of the UVA Community.
Fun Fact: Christopher once fronted a punk band.
Francis Duncan
Instructional Designer
Francis (she/her) uses her M.S.Ed. from JMU to build learning that works for the adult learner, first and foremost. She builds eLearning and a variety of training materials, consults on adult learning principles and instructional design tools. Much of her focus is on UVA Health, compliance training, and simplifying processes. All work has the goal of providing learners a better experience and tracking if the training met its goals for UVA.
Fun Fact: Francis has seen over 200 concerts.
Ty Ferrell
Instructional Media Designer/Developer
Ty believes, at its core, instructional design is about achieving results. To achieve results, he identifies what success looks like and starts with the end in mind. He believes instructional design and visual design are equally essential to the success of his projects. Ty is also highly organized in thought and action and is a great problem solver. He organizes and prioritizes what problems are most important and takes a systematic process so that an effective root cause can properly be identified.
Fun Fact: Ty enjoys listening to Taylor Swift.
Sue Simpkins
HR Specialist, Workday and Technical Training
Sue uses her 33 years of UVa experience to offer digital solutions to the UVA Community so they can facilitate successful transactions within Workday, via Job Aids, short videos, or Workday Digital Assist.
Fun Fact: Sue made over 4,000 masks and gave them away during the pandemic.