For over six decades, Kirkpatrick Partners has defined how the world measures learning.
Today, we’re leading the next transformation, from evaluating training to building Enterprise Performance Intelligence that connects people, systems, and results.
Our heritage gives us authority.
From Measurement to Intelligence
But today’s leaders need more than feedback forms and completion rates — they need clarity.
- Clarity about what’s working.
- Clarity about where performance breaks down.
- Clarity that connects learning, behavior, and business results.
That’s why Kirkpatrick Partners evolved the Kirkpatrick Model into Enterprise Performance Intelligence (EPI) — a connected system that integrates leadership, data, and performance environments to provide visibility into what drives success and how to prove value across the enterprise.
We envision a world where
The Model That Started It All
What began as a doctoral dissertation evolved into a global movement.
The model’s simplicity and power reshaped how organizations assess the effectiveness of learning and development, defining four essential levels of measurement:
Reaction
How participants feel about the learning experience
Learning
What knowledge and skills they gain
Behavior
How they apply it on the job
Results
The impact on organizational performance
Today, Kirkpatrick Partners continues that legacy, advancing the model to meet modern business demands and integrating it into the broader ecosystem of Enterprise Performance Intelligence.
From Four Levels to a Performance Operating System
The Kirkpatrick Four Levels® began as the world’s most trusted way to evaluate training. Over time, the model was refined to meet modern organizational demands—emphasizing behavior on the job, starting with business outcomes, and treating evaluation as a continuous cycle rather than a one-off report.
Today, those refinements power something bigger: using the Four Levels as a shared language and operating system that aligns learning with performance—and performance with results—across the enterprise.
Start with outcomes (Level 4), design backward.
Plan from results to behaviors to learning to experience so every activity ties to real business value.
Make the performance environment visible.
Use triangulated evidence, not single metrics.
Measure leading and lagging indicators.
Embed evaluation into operations.
Return on Expectations & Return on Performance™
Kirkpatrick’s Foundational Principles clarify that Return on Expectations (ROE) is the ultimate indicator of value and Return on Performance (ROP) is the ultimate indicator of effectiveness—both require partnership with the business and a compelling chain of evidence.
For Organizations
Embed systems → Centers of Excellence & Impact Studies
For Leaders
Build alignment → Alignment Workshops
For Learning Teams
Build capability → Certifications
Meet the Leaders Shaping
the Future of Performance
Each member contributes to advancing the Kirkpatrick legacy while pioneering new methods to help organizations measure and achieve what matters most.
Vanessa Alzate
President and CEO
Vanessa Alzate is the President and CEO of Kirkpatrick Partners. She is also the Founder and CEO of Anchored Training, a custom training development agency. She earned BAs in Communications and Political Science from Rutgers University and an MS in Corporate and Organizational Communication from Northeastern University.
Wendy Kayser Kirkpatrick
Senior Consultant
Wendy Kayser Kirkpatrick isn’t just a Senior Consultant and Founder of Kirkpatrick Partners. She is a global driving force for promoting and applying the Kirkpatrick Model. Wendy has made a career of leading companies to measurable success through effective training and evaluation practices.
Jim Kirkpatrick
Senior Consultant
Dr. Jim Kirkpatrick is a Senior Consultant for Kirkpatrick Partners. He is an expert in training evaluation and the visionary creator of the New World Kirkpatrick Four Levels®. With 15 years of experience in the corporate world, including eight as a training manager, Jim trains and consults for corporate, government, military, and humanitarian organizations around the world.
A Global Standard, Locally Delivered.
From government agencies to multinational corporations, our regional partners bring the Kirkpatrick methodology to life in diverse languages, cultures, and industries — ensuring consistent standards and local relevance.
Regional expertise with global alignment
Shared learning through the Kirkpatrick Collective™
Scalable support for enterprise initiatives
Join the
Kirkpatrick Collective
