“Leaders must lead from both
the head and the heart, but
the most effective leaders lead
more from the heart.”

Training and talent development expert Art Atkinson is Vice President of Express University at Express Employment Professionals, where he oversees various learning programs including, sales, service, and leadership as well as the online learning and certification programs.

The ability to inspire and ignite learners has taken Atkinson from the training room to the stage. His speaking engagements include being an emcee and mainstage speaker for Express events nationwide to inspiring and motivating franchise offices in North America and South Africa. Atkinson has appeared at the Oklahoma Association for Career & Technology Education conference and the Central Oklahoma Chapter of the Association of Talent Development conference.

He began his career with Express in 1983 and has since trained more than 6,000 new franchisees and staff members, as well as taught more than 3,000 small-business training seminars. Atkinson has coached and led 30 area developers and a training staff of 10. Under his leadership, Express University consistently receives a ranking of 98% to 99% satisfaction in the quality of franchisee training from the Franchise Research Institute.

In addition to his many skills, Atkinson holds a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University, is a Certified Staffing Professional, and a member of the American Staffing Association.