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ABOUT US > OUR TEAM
More Than Just Good Looks
With more than 100 years of recruiting and human resources experience among the core team, it's no wonder that some of the nation's leading companies are turning to Talent Connections for recruiting advisement, staffing and search. Rest assured that you will receive only seasoned professionals during your engagement. Meet the core team:
Tom Darrow, Principal
Susan Kent , Director
Mary Reany, Director
Gary Shaar, Director
Jenny DeVaughn, Senior Talent Consultant
Teela Jackson, Senior Talent Consultant
Ginger Wallis, Senior Talent Consultant
Vernesha Smith, Talent Coordinator
Principal
Email: TomDarrow@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 770-552-1550 EXT. 111
Fax: 770-992-3521
A leader by nature, Tom Darrow founded Talent Connections in January 1999, leading the company for nine years now. The Atlanta-based firm provides recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), executive search, recruiting process consulting and contract recruiting services. He later founded www.ForContractRecruiters.com, an online resource for a network of professionals that had yet to be brought together.
Tom has more than 19 years experience in the human resources and recruitment profession—including nine years of combined experience at Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Accenture. Overall, Tom has led the design and implementation of a variety of recruiting programs in fast-paced, highly competitive environments. He has extensive experience recruiting executives, middle management, and entry-level candidates within multiple disciplines—including human resources, high-tech, consulting, and accounting/finance.
Tom earned a bachelor's of business administration in accounting from the University of Notre Dame. He was the 2006 and 2007 President of SHRM-Atlanta (Society for Human Resource Management) and serves on the Board of Directors. Under his leadership, SHRM-Atlanta grew over 40% to over 2300 members to become the largest city chapter of the 575 SHRM Chapters nationally. During that time SHRM-Atlanta won the prestigious Pinnacle Award from SHRM. He also serves on the Staffing Management Special Expertise Panel of SHRM and is the 2008-2009 SHRM Georgia State Council Director-Elect. Tom is President of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Leadership Council, is on the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee of the Board, and is the founder and Co-Chair of the TAG Recruiting society.
Tom is dedicated to community service, a culture he instills at Talent Connections. He lives in Roswell his new bride, Anne. Tom and Anne occasionally rest at his cabin in Murphy, North Carolina (www.mountainmajesty.com). He enjoys golf, Notre Dame Football, concerts at Chastain, shows at the Fox and Alliance theaters, spending time with family and friends, and comedy. In 2004, he made his stand-up comedy debut at The Punch Line.
Director
Email: SusanKent@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 770-552-1550 EXT. 212
Fax: 770-992-3521
As Director of Business Development, Susan is focused on building customized recruiting solutions that enable companies to build world-class recruiting functions.
Susan has thirty years experience in Human Resources within the energy industry at Southern Company, Georgia Power Company, and most recently at Mirant, a global competitive energy provider. She has led two recruiting functions in these corporate environments and has experienced the challenges of recruiting during times of growth and times of rightsizing. Susan was a Principal Consultant in Organizational Effectiveness & Staffing at Southern Company, designing and implementing efficient and compliant recruiting processes during times of transition. She also led leadership development and professional development programs, succession planning, and overall talent review processes.
Susan understands the client’s perspective, especially when there is a need to hire quickly and with quality, while managing budget constraints and executive expectations. She’s a proven business ally - - someone who can empathize with client’s needs, seek win-win solutions and build business relationships based on integrity.
Susan has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Georgia State University, and has held numerous leadership positions in both professional and community organizations. In her spare time, she enjoys golf, ALTA tennis, volunteering for mission work through her church, and vacationing at the beach. Susan and her husband, Ron, reside in the Smoke Rise community of DeKalb County. They also enjoy college sports as their son, Jesse, is a junior at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Mary Reany
Director
Email: MaryReany@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 770-552-1550 EXT. 214
Fax: 770-992-3521
Making sure client needs are met and expectations are surpassed is Mary's top priority when it comes to Talent Connections. With more than 15 years of experience in professional services consulting, she has what it takes to bring Talent Connections to the next stage and is responsible for the company's marketing and business development efforts.
Mary has managed some unique programs that give Talent Connections a broadened look at recruiting and business development. She designed and implemented student recruitment programs for the University of Phoenix, the nation's largest private university, specializing in the education of working adults. She has a plethora of expertise in building project teams responsible for the delivery of consulting services, especially for human resources executives. In addition, she has developed strategic marketing solutions for high profile companies and directed teams implementing global business-to-business events and trade show programs.
Mary holds a bachelor's of arts in political science - public administration from UCLA. She has lived in France for a year and enjoys time with family and friends, a good book, UCLA Football, time in the garden and a quiet hike in the North Georgia Mountains.
Gary Shaar
Director
Email: GaryShaar@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 770-674-4685
With more than ten years of experience in contract recruiting and executive search and more than 20 years in government and corporate leadership roles, Gary has a wealth of know-how and contacts. He has conducted hundreds of searches in his career across a number of industries and is excellent at defining job roles and placing long-term candidates in them. He is expert in finding and hiring hard-to-fill skill sets.
A former Navy officer and pilot, Gary holds a master's degree in finance and management from Webster University and a bachelor's of science in biology from Rutgers University. He is co-chairman of the TAG Recruiting Society and on the leadership teamfor the the Roswell United Methodist Church jobs ministry. Gary enjoys traveling, weight training and quality time with his 13-year-old daughter.
Jenny DeVaughn
Senior Talent Consultant
Email: JennyDeVaughn@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 770-552-1550 EXT. 215
Fax: 770-992-3521
Jenny DeVaughn, a Senior Talent Consultant, specializes in the recruitment of executive level candidates, including HR and recruiting talent. For over six years, Jenny has successfully connected her candidates with many of Atlanta's top firms and corporations. Jenny genuinely listens to her clients and candidates to help them achieve their unique short and long term goals. She provides her candidates with ideal opportunities based on their individual aspirations and qualifications. She gives valuable insights to employers on cost-effective methods to improve employee retention, collegiate recruitment, executive search and the hiring processes of her clientele. While at Talent Connections, Jenny has earned the nickname, "Bring It On" DeVaughn due to her consistent success in completing hard-to-fill searches.
Jenny is active in a variety of community activities and professional organizations, with leadership roles in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and the Networking Committee of the Atlanta chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She is also involved in the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) and Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Recruiting Society.
Jenny attended The College of New Jersey and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing through The University of Phoenix. Jenny is an avid Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan who loves to watch NASCAR races with her husband and their daughter. She has her scuba diving certification and motorcycle license. Jenny also enjoys cooking and spending any extra moments with her friends and family.
Teela Jackson
Senior Talent Consultant
Email: TeelaJackson@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 770-552-1550 EXT. 216
Fax: 770-992-3521
Teela Jackson focuses on recruitment of executive level Human Resources professionals for Talent Connections. Teela has more than ten years in agency and corporate recruiting in the areas of human resources, information technology, accounting, legal, marketing, procurement, and engineering and has proven ability in sourcing and placing top talent across industry lines, at all levels.
She began her recruiting career with CIGNA Healthcare, a Fortune 100 provider of benefits where she was responsible for recruiting for a large, high-volume call center and claims service center. Following her corporate experience in Tennessee, Teela moved to Atlanta and began working with a national search firm that specialized in placement of HR talent. During her tenure with the firm, Teela developed and implemented new sourcing and recruiting processes that ultimately resulted in the successful addition of two divisions and the ability to focus on clients’ needs in other areas.
Following her search firm experience, she worked for Georgia Pacific, a Fortune 100 forest products company, where she was responsible for recruiting for their corporate office and 55 field locations. Teela has full life cycle corporate and agency recruiting experience and has been most complimented for her ability to listen to a customer’s needs and provide top-notch talent quickly.
Teela earned her master’s of business administration – management from Mercer University and her bachelor’s of science – human resources from The University of Tennessee. A native of Nashville, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband, reading, making beaded jewelry and is active in her church.
Ginger Wallis
Senior Talent Consultant
Email: GingerWallis@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 770-552-1550 EXT. 217
Fax: 770-992-3521
As a past right-hand to the owner of two small businesses herself, Ginger Wallis adds a great deal of assistance to those interested in growing their own businesses. It takes more than just rolling up your sleeves; it requires the addition of good talented people to help you get there. Ginger has 17years of recruiting and search experience in the areas of human resources, technology, accounting and administrative assistance. She also has 11 years of staffing industry management experience in the areas of contract and permanent placement. It's a role she takes quite seriously at Talent Connections, and she proves to exceed client expectations time and time again.
Ginger has a bachelor's of science in business - human resources from Auburn University. She is a volunteer with the Job Seekers Network and Crossroads Career Network. She also has developed and delivered training programs for the staffing industry. When given the opportunity, Ginger loves to spend time with her husband and two young daughters. She is active in her church and children's school and also enjoys bike riding, swimming and hiking.
Talent Coordinator
Email: VerneshaSmith@talentconnections.net
Telephone: 404-474-0505
Fax: 770-992-3521
Vernesha first joined the Talent Connections team three years ago as a part of the Habitat for Humanity RPO project . Vernesha has managed applicant tracking systems, written job descriptions, found creative advertising venues, and assisted with the recruiting process for Talent Connections.
As Talent Coordinator, Vernesha is focused on making sure that Talent Connections has accurate contact information for our strong network of more than 14,000 contacts, keeping our network informed of full-time and contract opportunities, updating the resources section on our webpage with key human resources and recruiting events, and supporting our marketing and branding initiatives. Vernesha plays a crucial role in enabling our Senior Talent Consultants to effectively fill their open positions in record time.
Vernesha earned a bachelor’s of science in business-human resources from Georgia Southwestern State University. In her spare time, Vernesha enjoys playing various sports, traveling, and spending time with her family.
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