Steve Berchem, CSP
Berchem is the chief operating officer of the American Staffing Association. He has general management responsibilities with principal oversight of the association’s public relations, publications, marketing, research, corporate alliances, information systems, and meetings and events. Serves as spokesperson and chief economist. Named one of the 100 most influential executives in the industry. Before joining ASA in 1998, he held executive positions with Washington, DC, think tanks and associations. Berchem’s background includes service in government and experience in advertising and public relations agencies, where he handled marketing and public affairs for food and pharmaceutical clients.
Adam Bleibtreu
Bleibtreu is chief marketing officer for both ASGN, a leading global provider of in-demand, skilled professionals in the creative, interactive, technology, health care, and life sciences sectors; and Creative Circle, a specialized staffing agency that connects innovative advertising, marketing, creative, digital, and interactive professionals with companies seeking talent on a full-time or freelance basis. Bleibtreu has also been a television executive (supporting the launch of the WB network and its shows) and is an award-winning commercial director and documentarian. He co-founded Gas Station TV, the largest digital signage network in North America. He also has received numerous creative awards from Emmys to Addys. Bleibtreu is a thought leader in the current digital marketing age as a result of his career as a creative director, senior marketing executive, and media expert.
Claudette Cunitz, TSC, CSP
Claudette brings a rare combination of successful staffing firm ownership, sales acumen, and operations excellence to her clients. Over the course of her career, she has a proven track record of improving sales by growing the bottom line, managing operational standards, and finding efficiency opportunities. By continually improving her own firm for the changing demands placed on staffing, she is an expert in assisting owners and leaders in change management. Additionally, Cunitz served as a board member and officer of the American Staffing Association board of directors for 12 years. She holds both the TSC and CSP credentials through ASA.
Kevin Delaski
Delaski is vice president and chief information officer for the TemPositions Group of Cos., one of the nation’s largest regional staffing firms. He has more than 30 years of experience in information technology, with the last 15 years spent in the staffing industry. At TemPositions, Delaski focuses on leveraging the company’s cutting-edge technology and emphasizing business process automation to increase overall business efficiency. In 2010, Delaski received a prestigious CIO 100 Award from CIO Magazine. He serves on the ASA education and certification committee and regularly leads webinars for the association on technology issues pertinent to the staffing industry.
Brian Delle Donne
Delle Donne has been a leading force in driving innovation through his career in operating roles in the industry. After serving as chief operating officer at both large public and privately held IT staffing, engineering, and HR solutions firms, he has amassed a wealth of insight into effectively applying innovation. One of the original founders of Talent Tech Labs, Delle Donne stepped in to head up this unique entity, which is focused on promoting technological developments in the field of talent acquisition. At Talent Tech Labs, Delle Donne and his team identify and assist emerging companies with breakthrough ideas to gain commercialization and scale. He has guided the company in being both a unique accelerator and the leading authority on emerging technology addressing talent acquisition.
Kelly Irons
Irons is the chief executive officer of developUs, a Charlotte, NC-based employee development firm. With 20 years of training design and delivery experience, 10-plus years in leadership development roles, and a master’s degree in adult education, Irons has a long history of working with those in the learning and development field as well as audiences from a multitude of backgrounds and industries. Her leadership style and commitment to individual and organizational excellence have earned her multiple awards throughout her career. Today, her roots in human development have remained a core to her business practice, and she operates under a guiding philosophy that to make an impact on a group, you must make an impact on the individuals that make up the group. From this foundation, her work in coaching, mentoring, and leadership emerged.
Scott Love
As a professional speaker and trainer, Love shortens the learning curve of new recruiters and salespeople and helps experienced ones break through barriers and reach their full potential. He has nearly 5,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Huffington Post, Selling Power Magazine, and dozens of trade journals and business publications around the globe. More than 4,500 recruiting and staffing companies from more than 36 countries have invested in his tools and systems. Love is a frequent industry presenter and is a member of the National Speakers Association.
Shawn W. Poole
Poole co-founded Employbridge Holding Company in 2000. He served as executive vice president, president, and chief financial officer at Employbridge until January 2018 when he retired from daily management. He remains active with the company, the largest industrial staffing firm in the U.S., by acting as an adviser. Poole was instrumental in growing the company into a nationally recognized firm that earned more than $3 billion in revenue in 2017 and now has more than 95,000 associates working at some 10,000 companies. Poole is on the Board of Directors of MDI Group, an IT staffing company, and Leadpoint, a recycling solutions provider, along with being a board adviser to Protos, a security guard MSP/VMS platform. In addition, he is an adviser/investor with multiple private equity firms focusing on the human capital sector. He is an executive in residence at Appalachian State University’s Walker College of Business.
Brittany Sakata, Esq.
Sakata is associate general counsel for ASA. She is an experienced labor and employment attorney with over 15 years of experience counseling and litigating matters on behalf of individuals and employers. She advises members on labor and employment law and policy issues, including EEO, wage and hour, immigration/I-9, OSHA, and NLRB issues.
John Thomas, CSP, CSC
With more than 30 years of staffing industry experience, Thomas is an expert in talent acquisition, strategic hiring processes, organizational development, and business trends. Thomas is a professional staffing field consultant and the national recruiting center manager for Express Employment Professionals, where he assists franchisees with growing their businesses. He is a master at locating talent and providing training, tools, techniques, coaching, and onsite support. A Kansas City native, Thomas has served on the board of directors for a variety of organizations such as the Kansas City Workforce Investment Board, Platte County Economic Development Council, and ASA. Thomas has earned both the ASA Certified Staffing Professional® and the Certified Search Consultant® credentials. Thomas has received an ASA Legislative Merit Award and is a Kansas City 40 Under 40 Award recipient.
Jill M. White, Esq.
White represents employers in a wide range of labor and employment disputes, including actions involving discrimination and retaliation claims, leave of absence issues, wage disputes, unemployment claims, and employment agreements and covenants not to compete. This includes claims asserted under the FMLA, ADA, ADEA, FLSA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, among others. Jill has experience successfully defending lawsuits filed in state and federal courts, as well as in proceedings before administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor.
