Creating Leaders Who Lift Others
March 30, 2026
By Kiersten Caputy
When Karrin Lukacs opened the email congratulating her on being named the 2025 Leader in Talent Development by the Metro DC chapter of the Association for Talent Development, her first reaction was disbelief.
“Honestly, I was shocked when I opened the congratulations email,” Lukacs said. “There are so many well-deserving people in the area doing the super important work of helping people be the best versions of themselves.”
The recognition honors professionals who make a lasting impact on how organizations develop and support their people. For Lukacs, the award also prompted a moment of reflection on a career path that began at George Mason University.
“Personally, I was very humbled to be recognized in this way,” she said. “Professionally, it helped me to realize how proud I am of my career journey, which began at George Mason.”
Lukacs earned her PhD in Education from the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) in 2008. Today, she works in talent development and organizational learning while also serving as an adjunct faculty member in CEHD, teaching Educational Change and mentoring the next generation of leaders.
Her leadership style is grounded in trust, humility, and the belief that growth happens when people feel supported. “Ultimately, my leadership philosophy is to trust the people with whom I’m working until they give me a reason not to,” she said. “And to very much avoid micromanaging at all costs.”
Lukacs believes that vulnerability is an essential trait for effective leadership.
“It’s fascinating to me how many leaders are afraid or unwilling to admit that they are human,” she said. “That they don’t know the answer or that they made a mistake. A big piece of my leadership philosophy is modeling vulnerability.”
Those values have helped her create environments where colleagues feel empowered to grow and lead.
One nominator for the award shared that Lukacs helped them recognize their own leadership potential when they doubted it. Lukacs approaches mentoring with the mindset she developed as an educator.
“In K-12 teaching, we talk a lot about meeting students where they are,” she said. “That’s my approach to helping others grow.”
She describes herself as a supportive guide rather than someone who dictates solutions.
“I like to think of myself as a guide on the side,” she said. “But a lot of the people with whom I work would say that I am their biggest fan, their number one cheerleader. And I’m good with that.”
Throughout her career, Lukacs has built programs that strengthen organizations and help people succeed in their roles. One initiative she is particularly proud of focuses on supporting social workers in Fairfax County.
“I created a trainer toolkit for social workers in the Department of Family Services,” she said. “These folks work in the jobs that make sure every Fairfax County resident is living their success story and thriving.”
The six-part training series introduces adult learning theory, instructional design, and curriculum development for employees who are responsible for training their colleagues but may not have formal teaching experience.
“Nearly one hundred Department of Family Services employees have completed the series,” Lukacs said. “That ultimately means hundreds, if not thousands, of employees and residents have experienced an effective and well-designed curriculum.”
Her work is guided by values that include partnership, equity, innovation, and accountability. She credits consistent practice for bringing those principles to life.
“There’s a saying that practice makes perfect,” she said. “But I think it’s more accurate to say that practice makes permanent. In other words, I practice these principles every chance I get.”
Lukacs also believes that leadership should be accessible and collaborative. “I have experienced enough gatekeeping in my professional life that I am very committed to being an open-source sort of leader,” she said.
In addition to her professional work, Lukacs continues to give back to George Mason by teaching graduate students at CEHD. Her experience across education, academia, and talent development shapes the way she approaches the classroom.
“Before I was a talent developer, I was a tenure-track faculty member at a small liberal arts school,” she said. “And before that, I was an elementary school teacher. Each of these experiences has profoundly affected the way I teach.”
The PhD program at George Mason also left a lasting mark on how she mentors emerging leaders. “What the PhD in Education program taught me was to ask the next best question,” she said. “That’s especially helpful when designing learning experiences. It’s also helpful when mentoring. Sometimes that next best question is what helps your mentee get unstuck.”
Lukacs’ doctoral research focused on teacher change agents, educators who drive innovation and improvement within their organizations. The lessons from that work still shape the advice she offers future leaders.
“It’s very difficult to do change alone,” she said. “My advice would be to find your allies, your fellow changemakers, and then work from there. Don’t worry about the naysayers. Just walk with the willing.”
Looking ahead, Lukacs sees the field of talent development continuing to evolve as new technologies and workplace trends reshape how people learn.
“Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence these days,” she said. “I think that will be interesting.”
Yet she believes one constant will remain: “It continues to be true that teaching is the mother of all professions,” Lukacs said. “No matter what the trend or innovation, there will always be a need for someone to help others learn how to use it effectively.”
For Lukacs, the most rewarding part of her work is helping people experience those moments of clarity and growth. “I’m not sure what’s next,” she said. “But I do know that I want to keep making ‘a-ha’ moments happen.”