Meet the SIS Trainers

Meet the Senior Trainers working on the Student Information System (SIS) Project. We come from a variety of backgrounds to assist in the design and delivery of training for the Triton Student System (TSS) Project, CourseLeaf Project, uAchieve Transfer Articulation Project and the Financial Support Payments Tool (FSPT). Read more about the team below!

Aj Anderson 

How did you get into training?
I have always loved supporting people to help them grow.  Coming from a long line of educators, it feels like it’s in my blood. Over the last 15 years I’ve jumped into this passion and trained people in a variety of areas, including food service, customer service, communication, and technical systems. I love supporting people on their growth journeys.

What is your learning philosophy?
I believe learning should feel empowering, not intimidating. My process is to make complex ideas approachable through conversation, relevance, and hands-on practice. I want learners to walk away not just knowing WHAT to do but understanding WHY it works and is important, leaving them feeling confident to keep learning long after training ends.

What is a fun fact about you?
I am a licensed cosmetologist!

Bri Vanderford Thomas 

How did you get into training?
While finishing my master’s program and looking for a new challenge outside of sales, my manager encouraged me to try a temporary assignment in Learning & Development—he thought it would be a great fit, and he was absolutely right! I fell in love with the work immediately. Since then, I’ve led learning initiatives across healthcare and service-driven environments, from onboarding and upskilling to leadership development and system transformation.

What is your learning philosophy?
I design learning experiences that help people grow in confidence, competence, and connection. I believe learning should feel meaningful, human, and actionable—grounded in clarity, relevance, and real-world application. When people understand the why behind what they’re learning, they engage more deeply and build skills that truly last!

What is a fun fact about you?

Since buying and renovating our home in 2022, my husband and I have DIY’d almost everything ourselves—we’ve only hired one professional, and that was to fix some wiring that… let’s just say… did not go as successfully as planned the first time.

Christopher Cruz  

How did you get into training?
I’ve spent most of my adult life working in healthcare. I started out in my family’s Adult Day Health Care business working with both mental health and elderly populations, then later moved into Pediatric Home Health. As my career evolved, I found myself stepping into bigger projects – system rollouts, organizational training, and workflow implementation. Somewhere along the way, I realized that this was the kind of work that felt right to me, which eventually led me to UC San Diego.

What is your learning philosophy?
I see learning as a way to make people’s lives a little easier. Training shouldn’t feel overwhelming or abstract. It should be practical, clear, and something people will actually be excited to use. My experience has taught me to meet people where they are.  I carry that same approach into training, designing experiences that leave people feeling confident, capable, and ready to tackle their work without second-guessing themselves.

What is a fun fact about you?

In 2008, American Idol came to San Diego. I knew I wouldn’t win but wanted to go for the experience. I got to the stadium at dawn, ready to soak in the experience...14 hours later, it was my turn to sing. I chose “Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder. I opened my mouth and “sang” my first note...a whole 5 seconds later, I was told, “No, thank you.” My American Idol dream was over at that moment.

Daniella Lockhart  

How did you get into training?
I got into training because I am energized by building people’s confidence, making complex information approachable, and using storytelling to connect ideas. I’m also continuously inspired by the expertise and passion of the teams I partner with, and I enjoy turning that into learning experiences that create a wider impact.

What is your learning philosophy?
I think good training should give people the tools they need to succeed and help them see how their work fits into the bigger picture. It should also create room for learning from both wins and mistakes. Since learning never really stops, regular practice over time can help build even the toughest skills.

What is a fun fact about you?
I enjoy strength training, and I recently hit a personal record of 315 lbs on one of my big lifts!

Katie Blackburn  

How did I get into training?

I entered the Learning & Development world by accident but fell in love with it on purpose. What began as a role supporting onboarding at California Pizza Kitchen turned into a career filled with a passion for simplifying the complex and helping people feel capable in fast-moving environments.

What is your learning philosophy? 

My learning philosophy blends structure and storytelling. I believe that great training turns information into insight, and that people learn best when the “why” is just as clear as the “how.”

What is a fun fact about you? 

I love the outdoors and adventure. My ideal weekend includes rock climbing, river trips, or exploring somewhere quiet with no cell service.

Niki Perri 

How did you get into training?
I wanted a career where I could make a more direct and meaningful impact, and training offered that path. I joined UC San Diego as a trainer in January 2023, and I truly love helping people build confidence, develop new skills, and navigate an ever-evolving workplace with less frustration and more clarity.

What is your learning philosophy?
I believe learning is a lifelong journey. The most impactful trainings are those that connect theory to real-world application, giving learners the tools, practice, and confidence they need to use what they've learned immediately and meaningfully.

What is a fun fact about you?
I’ve been learning Spanish for about two and a half years and practice every day.

Terry Sowers 

How did you get into training? 

After graduating from university, I was given a PC and a self-paced learning course on Microsoft Office. I loved the experience, and soon after, a temp agency placed me for, as fate would have it, a Microsoft subsidiary doing tech support. I began building a knowledge base, which became a team, and a training function was later added. I jumped at the chance to build the sorts of experiences that gave me my start. 

What is your learning philosophy? 

A great training experience is crucial to the learner’s success on the job, whether it is supporting the new hire, managing operational changes, or providing support tools along the way. Choosing from the different training mediums available to meet the learners where they are, and ensuring it is relevant to their work, for me is a gratifying aspect to being a training professional. 

What is a fun fact about you? 

I am a singer/songwriter and have performed all around California. I find many similarities to training and instructional design, from creating in timeline applications with a team (sometimes remotely), QA-ing the final product, and delivering it to a live audience!