Instructional Technologies Inc. (ITI) shared news that one of its employees, Laura McMillan, vice president of training development, passed away at her home on Friday, May 1. She was 56 years old.
Laura McMillan, vice president of training and development for Instructional Technologies, Inc.McMillan contributed to the growth of ITI and was “the consummate professional,” according to the announcement. She had a BS in business management and an MA in instructional system design and adult learning.
An active CDL holder and over 20 years of experience in the transportation industry, McMillan earned her Certified Transportation Professional (CTP) accreditation from the National Private Truck Council. She also spoke often at industry conferences, published articles, and helped ITI clients solve training problems.
“In many ways Laura had been responsible for the success of ITI in our early years,” said Dr. Jim Voorhees, chief executive of ITI. “In 2005, Laura came to Vancouver to see what this little company — there were only six of us then — had been developing in the realm of training. At the time she was working at Schneider National Trucking. I remember she asked us if we thought we could handle the workload of supplying training to a company as big as Schneider. We promised we would build the best training she had ever seen. She put her faith in us, and it was a huge step forward.”
“To say we will miss her is a huge understatement,” Voorhees continued. “We grieve along with her family, who have lost a wonderful sister and aunt. She leaves a hole in our hearts we can never fill.”
Don Osterberg, a strategic advisor to ITI and former safety executive at Schneider National, commented: “I had the privilege to work with Laura for many years. In short, she was brilliant,” he said. “Recruiting her into the transportation industry serves as one of my proudest accomplishments. I know without reservation that her efforts served to enlighten leaders in ways that ultimately served to save lives. Laura was soft spoken, pragmatic, selfless, and fiercely dedicated to improving the trucking industry. She flattered me recently by referring to me as her mentor, but truth be known, I learned far more from Laura than she ever learned from me. She was my hero. Her wisdom will live on in all who had the honor of knowing her.”
McMillan served on numerous committees and boards, striving to improve training and safety in the trucking industry, including:
American Trucking Associations
National Private Truck Council
Truckload Carriers Association
Professional Truck Driver Institute
FMCSA’s ELDT curriculum sub-committee
American Society of Training and Development
Women in Trucking
Commercial Vehicle Training Association
Laura was a writer, a marathon runner, a world-traveling SCUBA diver, and a watercolor painter. ITI has set up a memorial web page for Laura at https://www.instructiontech.net/laura.
