Nominations for Volunteer of the Year will open in June. The ASA Volunteer of the Year awardee will be recognized on stage at Staffing World, the ASA annual convention.
2025 Volunteer of the Year Winner
Lori Malett
President and owner of Hatch Staffing Services
The national award recognizes one individual who made outstanding leadership contributions to ASA through a committee, council, taskforce, or working group. Honorees like Malett are nominated by their peers.
Over the last decade, Malett has been a leader in numerous roles within ASA. Having served twice as chair of the direct hire section council, she is currently holding the position of immediate past chair and member of the council’s ASA Central working group. In addition, her consistent involvement as a facilitator and participant on networking calls has strengthened the ASA direct hire section community.
Her leadership is recognized across the industry, including during her standing-room-only direct hire session at Staffing World® 2024.
“Lori Malett’s dedication to giving back to the staffing and recruiting industry has earned her the respect of her peers across the country, along with all of us at ASA,” said Richard Wahlquist, chief executive officer at ASA. “Through her selfless leadership, Lori has advanced the interests of our industry and helped countless ASA members embrace a more strategic mindset and make impactful connections that enhance both personal and professional growth.”
Reflecting on her journey with ASA, Malett shared “I wish I had started volunteering with ASA sooner—it has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The connections, insights, and professional growth I’ve gained have opened doors, provided valuable resources, and created a supportive network that I now rely on regularly.”
Here are past recipients of the ASA Volunteer of the Year award program.
John Ruffini
Vice President, Professional Development
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions
Ruffini’s impact on ASA over the past decade is extensive. Currently, he serves as the chair of the education and certification committee as well as the health care section council, where he leads the networking and events working group. In addition, he has twice been chair of the direct hire section council, has served on the search and placement council and the operational excellence task force, and is a mentor in the ASA Mentor Match program.
“John Ruffini’s commitment to leadership and service has earned him respect throughout the staffing industry,” said Richard Wahlquist, chief executive officer at ASA. “John’s tireless efforts to mentor and support his colleagues embody the spirit of the ASA community. We’re excited to celebrate John next month at Staffing World.
When asked why he volunteers with ASA, Ruffini stated, “The people you will meet through ASA will enrich your life professionally and personally…. The opportunity is there for you; you just have to take that first step.”
Sara Luchsinger, CSP
Vice President–Organizational Development SEEK Careers/Staffing
Over the course of two decades, Luchsinger has been an active and influential figure within the staffing community. Her leadership has been instrumental to several ASA volunteer groups, including the women in leadership group council, education and certification committee, and social responsibility committee. In addition to being a valued mentor in the ASA Mentor Match program, she serves on both the industrial section council and the staffing technology taskforce.
Luchsinger’s dedication to the industry extends beyond ASA, as evidenced by her contributions as a board member of the Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services.
During her tenure as the 2020 chair of the ASA women in leadership council, Luchsinger led her fellow council volunteers through a transformative year. Under her guidance, the council established impactful initiatives like ASA THRIVE and the ASA Women in Leadership Scholarship program, leaving a lasting impact on women in the staffing industry. Read more.
DeLibra Wesley
Chief executive officer of National Recruiting Consultants
Having volunteered with ASA since 2016, Wesley has exhibited a tremendous passion for ASA and devotes her time and dedication to the association and the staffing industry in a variety of ways. She currently sits on the ASA board of directors, serves as vice chair on the inclusion, diversity, and equity advocacy (IDEA) group council, and is a member of the ASA women in leadership council, as well as the ASA Texas Network council. Wesley has completed two cycles as a mentor in the ASA Mentor Match program and is a sought-out diversity, equity, and inclusion subject matter expert. She has been named to SIA’s DE&I Influencers list in 2021 and 2022, and was also named to the SIA Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
Kerry Sirkka
Head of Caregiver Experience TheKey
In 2021, Sirkka served as the senior vice president and general manager of local and international solutions with AMN Healthcare. Throughout her time at AMN, Sirkka volunteered with ASA for six years. In 2021, she served as chair of the Women in Leadership council and was a member of the health care section council, which she formerly chaired
Scott Bicksler
Lead Safety Manager Aerotek
Bicksler served as the co-chairman of the ASA employee safety committee, which he joined in 2013. He also is a volunteer with California Staffing Professionals, an ASA-affiliated chapter. In addition to giving back to ASA, Bicksler is a member of the services sector council of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Occupational Research Agenda, which helps stimulate innovative research and improved workplace practices.
Ken Taunton, CSC
President and Chief Executive Officer The Royster Group Inc.
In 2019, Taunton served as chairman of the ASA inclusion, diversity, equity, and advocacy (IDEA) interest group. He currently serves on the ASA board of directors. In addition to his leadership with ASA, Taunton serves on the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council board of directors and works with youth literacy and workforce development programs in Atlanta. He is a graduate of the Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection Program and has been recognized by the National Minority Supplier Development Council as Supplier of the Year.
John Thomas, CSP, CSC
Vice President, Franchise Operations Specialized Recruiting Group (An Express Employment Professionals Company)
Thomas has been an ASA volunteer for more than 20 years. During this time, he has served on the ASA board of directors, and on myriad association committees, taskforces, councils, and working groups. Notably, Thomas served one term as chairman of the professional‒managerial section council and two terms as chairman of the search and placement section council. At the ASA-affiliated chapter level, Thomas served three terms as president of the ASA Missouri and Kansas Search and Staffing Association and is currently the chapter leader liaison for ASA.
Nicole Bieker, CSP
Human Resources Manager Senior Home Companions
While volunteering with ASA, Bieker served as the vice president of operations with Milliner & Associates. She started her volunteer journey with ASA in 2014, when she got involved with the ASA-affiliated chapter in Indiana. In 2017, Bieker served as the chair of the ASA Indiana state network council and as chair of the ASA social responsibility committee. She was also a member of the ASA staffing as a career committee throughout her volunteer journey with ASA.
Robin Mee
President and Founder Mee Derby & Co.
In 2016, Mee served as the chair of the staffing as a career taskforce, was a leader in the ASA search and placement section council and the Capital Area Council and was a member of the education and certification committee and women in leadership taskforce.