by Brian Allain
CEO, IEA Training
December 18th, 2025
As 2025 winds down, I’ve been reflecting on the incredible conversations, collaborations, and moments of progress we’ve shared this year. Every time I connect with someone in our community – whether it’s a claims examiner, an HR leader, a nurse case manager, or a supervising attorney, I’m reminded that our work at IEA is about more than professional development in workers’ compensation and disability management. It’s about trust. It’s about support. And it’s about walking alongside a profession that quietly carries some of the most important responsibilities in the workforce.
Continuing to Build Programs with Purpose
This year, we continued strengthening our core professional development programs, while also preparing for what’s next in workers’ compensation and disability management. We are excited to introduce our upcoming microcredential, the Disability Management Compliance Specialist, designed to give professionals practical, clarity-driven training in one of the most complex and consequential areas of HR and absence management. It reflects our ongoing commitment to developing education that is grounded, accessible, and rooted in real-world experience.
Shaped by Thought Leaders Who Elevate the Field
Many of you joined us for webinars this year, and I want to recognize the incredible expertise behind them: Ann Kuzee and Azucena Coronel. Their wisdom, generosity, and deep industry insight shaped some of our most impactful learning experiences of 2025. Through their partnerships and guidance, we continue to deepen the relevance and richness of our educational offerings.
Expanding Pathways Through Meaningful Partnerships
Our professional network also grew in meaningful ways this year. We deepened our partnership with the Professionals In Human Resources Association (PIHRA), offering members preferred pricing and a customized CPDM learning experience. We continued building momentum with DMEC, engaging in strategic planning to better support employers managing disability and absence programs. We also expanded the HR learning ecosystem through our partnership with microHR, powered by HRCP, giving our community access to hundreds of practical micro-credentials.
This year also marked the launch of a new partnership with UC San Diego Extended Studies, creating a clear pathway for graduates of their Human Resource Management certificate program to earn the Certified Professional in Disability Management (CPDM) certification. This collaboration reflects our shared belief in connecting academic achievement with applied, real-world professional development, and in supporting HR professionals as they move confidently from education into practice.
Showing Up for the Community
It was also a year of reconnecting in person. We had a fantastic time with so many of you at DMEC in Washington, D.C. this August, and at numerous PIHRA and CELU events throughout the year. Each conversation reinforced something important: our industry thrives when we learn from one another. These moments reaffirmed why we do what we do—and how essential it is to keep building pathways for professional growth.
Reinforcing Trust Through Every Experience
Behind the scenes, our team continued refining our tools, improving our website, enhancing our learner support systems, and strengthening the overall customer experience. As always, Malaysia and Martina poured their care and creativity into making sure learners feel welcomed, guided, and supported. Every update we make—no matter how small—is rooted in the belief that your learning experience should be efficient, intuitive, and empowering.
Moving Forward Together
At IEA, we believe we’re not just serving an industry – we’re in partnership with it. We share the same goals: to raise the bar for excellence, to prepare professionals for the realities of workplace injury, disability, and compliance, and to ensure organizations are supported by knowledgeable, well-prepared people.
Whether you’re new to IEA or have been with us through many chapters, thank you for placing your trust in us. We look forward to building, improving, and innovating with you as we head into 2026, always with the goal of helping you grow in confidence, mastery, and impact.
Disability Management Compliance Specialist:https://ieatraining.org/certification-courses/disability-management-compliance-specialist/
Disability Management Employer Coalition: https://dmec.org/
Professional in Human Resources: https://pihra.org/
UC San Diego Extended Studies: https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/
