Rising Stars

About the Award:

The Talent Development Rising Star Award honors emerging professionals in Utah who are making a meaningful impact in the field of Talent Development. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional promise through their engagement, contributions, and leadership within the local TD community.

Whether they are designing innovative learning experiences, leading initiatives that build capability, or actively networking to grow themselves and others—our Rising Stars are helping shape the future of Talent Development right here in Utah.

Nominees for this award:
 • Show a strong commitment to professional growth
 • Actively contribute to the talent development field through work, volunteering, or thought leadership
 • Participate in local learning networks or communities
 • Demonstrate passion, innovation, and potential to lead in the TD space"

Know someone who's making waves in L&D? Nominations are open for future quarters!

Please reach out to President@utahatd.org



January

Daniel Caudel, is the Lead Academic Program Manager for WGU’s B.S. in Strategic Communications and B.S. in User Experience Design, where he leads program strategy, curriculum quality, faculty engagement, and student experience for the Business School’s Creative Impact portfolio. He brings together expertise in technical and business communication, product education, and human-centered design to help students build the practical skills today’s workforce demands.

With a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Technical Communication and Rhetoric, Dan began his career as a technical writer, creating documentation and training for SaaS products. He quickly grew into leadership roles overseeing knowledge management, help centers, and product documentation operations before moving into program management roles in product education and leadership development.

Dan has also contributed to higher education as an adjunct philosophy instructor and as the designer of Writing for Design at Utah State University, a course that blended technical writing, information design, and design thinking for emerging learning experience designers.

Passionate about experiential, industry-aligned learning, Dan approaches his work with systems thinking, creativity, and a learner-centered mindset. His goal is to empower people with the skills, confidence, and clarity they need to thrive in modern communication, product education, and UX-focused careers.


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