Our Leadership Team
In 2012, an early plan for an association was outlined by founders Ben Gotkin and Gerry Crispin.
In 2016, the Association of Talent Acquisition Professionals was brought to life by a community of inspired and engaged volunteers.
Board of Directors
Each member of our volunteer board is elected to a two-year term. It’s with gratitude and pride that we announce our board members.
Kristen LeBlanc
Executive Director, ATAP
Kristen LeBlanc, MPA, CAE is Executive Director of ATAP. Kristen’s career spans 15 years in nonprofit and government organizations. Based in Washington, DC, she is a Certified Association Executive, holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from North Carolina State University.
Jim Schnyder
Founder & Principal Consultant, Recruiting Advisors
Jim Schnyder is the 2014 & 2011 SourceCon Grandmaster with over 20 years of success in Talent Acquisition. He is the Founder and Principal Consultant for Recruiting Advisors, a Talent Acquisition focused consulting firm helping clients with recruiting technology, training, and best practices in sourcing.
BJ McGuire
Director, Enterprise Talent Acquisition, The Walt Disney Company
BJ McGuire is an executive with nearly 20 years of experience in talent acquisition. He has led talent acquisition teams within technology search firms, financial services, and media and entertainment. Based out of Burbank, CA, BJ currently leads the talent acquisition function for the Walt Disney Company Corporate responsible for strategy, operations, and recruitment delivery.
Melissa Thompson
Talent Acquisition, SVP, Nielsen
Melissa Thompson is a strategic and collaborative executive with more than 25 years of experience in Global Human Resources and Talent Acquisition. Melissa joined Nielsen as the SVP, Talent Acquisition in early 2020.
During her career she has held recruiting leadership roles at Dell, Citrix, Siebel, Lenovo, and McGraw-Hill. She is a results-oriented, strategic Talent Acquisition leader with expertise in designing and executing cutting-edge recruitment programs. Melissa has held progressively broader recruiting roles in the technology space over the past 15 years.
Melissa is based in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
Mike Cohen
Founder of Wayne Technologies, a Contract Sourcing and Recruitment Training Organization
Mike “Batman” Cohen is the Founder of Wayne Technologies, a Contract Sourcing and Recruitment Training Organization. His approach to sourcing is one based on deliverables, transparent data, and using multiple sources/platforms to find the greatest diversity and quality of candidates.
He has worked with a diverse group of clients including: Whole Foods, The New York Times, Waste Management, GIPHY, Walter P. Moore, etc. He contributes articles to SourceCon and RecruitingDaily, helps run SourceHouston, and is a Brand Ambassador for ERE.
Jim D’Amico
Global Talent Acquisition Leader, Celanese
Jim D’Amico currently leads global talent acquisition for Celanese, a chemical innovation company based in Dallas, TX. He has over 20 years of experience in talent acquisition and human resources. He is also a co-founder of the Michigan Recruiters Conference and is active mentor in our field.
Eric E. Dunlap
Global Talent Acquisition Leader, Previously with Baylor Scott & White Health
Eric E. Dunlap, MHRIR, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, RACR, is a human resources executive with 18 years of strategic experience. He previously led recruiting at Baylor Scott & White Health and prior spent 13 years with Citigroup. He currently oversees talent acquisition efforts for various global organizations as Vice President, Recruitment Client Services at Cielo Talent. He is recognized as a thought leader with proven ability to build and manage high performing, diverse teams.
Allison Kruse
Head of Global Employer Brand, Baxter
Allison Kruse is passionate about elevating the talent acquisition industry and working alongside a global community to solve challenges. She is responsible for developing and implementing global employer brand and recruitment marketing strategies to establish Baxter as an employer of choice and attract key talent to drive Baxter’s mission.
Cathy Henesey
Director of Talent Acquisition, Adventist Health System
Cathy Henesey leads talent acquisition for Adventist Health System headquartered in Orlando, FL. She has more than 25 years of talent acquisition and sourcing experience in a variety of industries, including IT, manufacturing, banking, and healthcare. Cathy’s expertise includes transforming teams to maximize process efficiencies using innovative sourcing strategies, funnel analytics, and workforce planning. Cathy has spoken at many national conferences, including the ITAA CEO Summit, ERE Expo, ASHHRA, and SOURCECON, and has been quoted in various newspapers including the Wall Street Journal. She has represented the recruitment industry in Washington D.C. as an advocate for the Immigration Visa Quota bill and healthcare initiatives.
Chloé Rada
Director, Global Recruitment Marketing and Branding at Syneos Health
Chloé Rada brings 20 years of marketing experience and is known for driving big ideas and empowering others to make a positive change in the future of Talent Acquisition. Leading Recruitment Marketing and Branding globally for Syneos Health, an integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization that reinvents the way therapies are developed and commercialized, she supports the Commercial Solutions division and is responsible for driving talent attraction and candidate engagement strategies to compete in the Life Sciences industry.
Have a question for the board?
ATAP’s Executive Operating Council
- Christine Johnson
- William Uranga
- Ryan Christoi
- Gerry Crispin
- Michael Kannisto
- Carl Kutsmode
- Scott Weaver
- Kara Yarnot
- Nicole Dessain
- Cindy McGregor
- Chloé Rada
- Sarah Brennan
- Steve Levy
Special Thanks to Our Founding Volunteers
- Dan Black
- Tom Brown
- Bryan Chaney
- Gerry Crispin
- Dean DaCosta
- Matthew Doucette
- Rob Dromgoole
- Chris Gould
- Suzie Grieco
- Lance Haun
- Eric Jacquith
- Michael Kannisto
- Ric Klinger
- Susan LaMotte
- Jer Langhans
- Steve Levy
- Rob McIntosh
- Diana Meisenhelter
- Crystal Miller
- Danielle Monaghan
- Chris Murdock
- Chloé Rada
- Pete Radloff
- Tracey Richardson
- Robin Schooling
- Rayanne Thorn
- Kara Yarnot
- Derek Zeller
Become a Sponsor
The success of our organization includes having partners aligned to our mission. We are looking for sponsors who want to help shape the future of the profession.
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