KMI Instructors - Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM)

As a leader in the convergence of Knowledge Management (KM) and Organization Development (OD), John Hovell is Managing Director and Co-Founder at STRATactical International. He is a practitioner, speaker, and author in OD/KM strategies and their application to current challenges.

John has led 5 different teams that have won awards from Chief Learning Officer magazine. In 2015, he was named the 8th most influential person in KM.  He published “Creating Conversational Leadership” in 2023. In 2009, he was honored by Training Magazine as one of the "Top Young Trainers" after being honored in 2008 as one of the top “Young Trainers to Watch.”

He earned his Master’s degree from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. He is also certified in Organization Development as well as Gestalt Psychotherapy in Organizations.

John has been a KMI Instructor for nearly 10 years and in addition to the CKM, teaches several CKS (Specialist) courses: Organization Development, Conversational Leadership, and Knowledge Transfer.

‍Rooven Pakkiri is a leading KM Consultant and Author and an acclaimed Instructor, primarily focusing on the symbiotic relationship between AI and KM. A digital evangelist and veteran of the dot-com era, Rooven's expertise lies in how technology transforms organizational communication and collaboration.

He has taught AI methods and KM strategies to senior leaders at major corporations and global organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations, Google, PWC, and the US Military. His work emphasizes the practical, real-world application of AI to enhance knowledge capture, organization, retrieval, and transfer within an enterprise, moving beyond theoretical concepts to actionable strategies. He is also the Founder and Lead Instructor of The AI for Kids Academy.

Education: B.A. LLB from the University of Bristol, UK.

Rooven teaches the CKM for Europe and Certified AI Manager (CAIM™) Program for North America and Europe.

Jack Merklein has been teaching for KMI for nearly 10 years, but has been practicing KM for over 30 years.  Jack is the only KMI Instructor to have led KM teams in all sectors: Government, Commercial, Non-Profits and NGOs.

KM professional work: Director of KM and distance learning for the US ArmyIG School; Director of Knowledge and Learning for Xerox Global Services; worked for Northrop Grumman as a KM consultant to the USPSOIG; Chief of Knowledge and Learning for Peace Corps; Director of KM for World Vision International, and is an adjunct professor teaching KM for the University of Maryland University College and serves as the course chair for their KM program.

Education: BS in Engineering from West Point; MS in Human Relations -Organizational Development from Golden Gate University; PhD candidate in Knowledge Management from Walden University.
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Jack teaches the CKM for North America and specializes in Government, Military and DoD clients.

Barisa Abdifatah recently joined the KMI CKM Instructor Team.  She is the Director of Knowledge Management at STRATactical International, where she drives strategy, operations, and client solutions that deliver measurable impact. She applies proven KM practices—such as Knowledge Cafés, Communities of Practice, and Organizational Network Analysis—to drive collaboration, innovation, and better decision-making.

With over twenty years of global experience in academia and professional settings, Barisa has worked as an educator, administrator, translator (English/Arabic), and librarian. She is passionate about building people-centered KM frameworks that unite process and technology
for sustainable value.

Barisa holds a Bachelor's in English Language and Literature and a Master's in Library and Information Science. She is a Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM), Certified Knowledge Specialist in Organization Development (CKS-OD), certified educator with a Certificate for English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), and upcoming Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

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