At age 13 I was fired from my first job. At age 14, I got my first W-2 and never looked back. I had 16 different jobs all before graduating college. Since then, I’ve made a career about the meaning, value and importance of work, and how to find and keep talent in organizations.
I've spent over two decades in human resources, recruiting, employer brand, and talent strategy studying the intersection between business and behavior. From in-house recruiting to career services and talent acquisition functional management to in-house employer brand leadership, I've seen all corners of employment.
Prior to starting exaqueo, I was the global employer brand leader for Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. I was compelled to start exaqueo because HR was missing a major opportunity to look at candidates and employees the same way organizations look at customers--something I pioneered at Marriott.
Employer brand shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be the driver of your business and talent strategy. Successful employer brands are not about stereotypes or assumptions. I love that our work is grounded in authenticity and our clients aren’t afraid to share strengths and realities. Our research methodologies and process at exaqueo allow us to dig so deeply into who employees are, how they feel. I love being on the leading edge of employer brand and testing and tempting our clients and the industry to push boundaries and go farther than they’d imagined.
As a working mother and entrepreneur, I’m also passionate about women at work – the challenges they face and how organizations can respond and shift to adapt to the changing needs of new generations.
Outside of work, my energy goes to my family first – my husband and two children (ages 4 and 6). We take advantage of the outdoors here in the lowcountry of Charleston, South Carolina, whenever and however we can. I love live music, college football, and a really great front porch.
Education
MBA, Human Capital and Marketing and Dean’s Scholar
The Owen Graduate School of Management
Vanderbilt University
MA, Human Resource and Organization Development
The George Washington University
BA, Communications and Public Relations
Virginia Tech
Industry Experience
Marriott International, Global Employer Brand and Marketing Leader
The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, Senior Director, Talent Management and Employer Brand
CEB (now Gartner), HR Practice Client Leadership
Arthur Andersen, Staffing and Recruiting
The Home Depot, Talent Management and Employer Brand
Johns Hopkins University, Career Services
My First Paycheck
Working at the Rose Tree Swim Club Snack Bar, (I got fired for forgetting to come to work!) and customer service at the Drug Emporium.