Rick Joslin Joins HDI as New Executive Director of Training to Manage Association’s Newly Expanded Training & Certification Division  (email this article)

Colorado Springs, Colo. – September 12 2006 – HDI, (http://www.thinkhdi.com) (Company Profile, Past Stories, Case Studies) the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced that industry expert Rick Joslin has joined the organization as the executive director of training. In his new role, Joslin will manage an expanded training department, following HDI’s recent exclusive licensing of STI Knowledge’s education offering.

Rick Joslin is acknowledged as one of the most influential luminaries in the support industry. Prior to joining HDI, he was a principal consultant with IHS Support Solutions. He is a certified Knowledge-Centered Support (KCS) instructor and a certified instructor for HDI Certification. He was also the VP of Customer Care for ServiceWare, VP of RightAnswers.com and VP of Knowledge Engineering. He is also an active member of the Consortium for Service Innovation’ KCS Program Committee.

Joslin has been actively involved with HDI for many years. He was a founding member, chairman and director-at-large of HDI’s Member Advisory Board and continues to serve as a chairman emeritus. He also served on the HDI Strategic Advisory Board, the HDI Training Advisory Board and the HDI International Certification Standards Committee. He was the author of the HDI Focus Book on Knowledge Management, the Knowledge Management Maturity Model and the Knowledge Management chapter in the HDI Service and Support Handbook. In addition, he was the president and chapter advisor in the Pittsburgh Chapter of HDI and has served as a judge for the HDI Team Excellence Award.

“We are delighted that Rick has joined the HDI team,” stated Peggy Libbey, president, HDI. “Rick has a long-standing and deep connection to our organization, and we are confident that his reputation and expertise in the service and support industry and his long-standing commitment to HDI will be an immense benefit to our growing training and certification division and the industry at large.”

“The consolidation of STI Knowledge’s best practices with HDI’s internationally-recognized certification standards represents an exciting opportunity for HDI and the support industry,” stated Rick Joslin. “I am honored to be selected as a member of the HDI team and to lead the efforts that will result in the industry’s strongest certification program for support professionals. HDI will leverage the best instructors in the industry from both the former STI Knowledge team and the large global network of HDI-certified instructors. This will result in a highly knowledgeable and well respected faculty who will deliver the highest quality training experience for our customers.”

About HDI
HDI is the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry. Founded in 1989, HDI's mission is to lead and promote the IT service and support industry by empowering its members through access to timely and valuable industry information, including reports and publications; encouraging member collaboration through events and online forums; and establishing internationally recognized, standards-based industry certification and training programs. In addition to membership, certification and training, HDI produces the world's largest and highest-rated event for service and support professionals, the HDI Annual Conference & Expo. HDI is member-focused, and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information sharing across its global association network. HDI has more than 7,500 members worldwide including most of the Fortune 500, 60 local chapters in North America and membership offices on every continent. For more information, visit http://www.thinkhdi.com or call (800) 248-5667.