Our goal at Maven is to never forget we’re in the business of recruiting and placing people. Actual people. Candidates are more than resumes and companies are more than quarterly earnings. We treat people as people. We’re honest with them. We meet them over coffee instead of over email. We celebrate what makes each person and company unique, instead of directing them to a webpage.
“I love your intensity and professionalism. Today was a better day because I met you."
SF native Jessica founded Maven in March 2010. Her mission is to cultivate our top-notch team and to distill our values and approach throughout the organization. A true lover of the ghost pepper (a love not yet shared by her 13-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son), Jessica is not only bold in her food choices and loud typing, but just about everything she does, including her hair colors.
“Kevin trailblazes the path to excellence in every professional endeavor.”
Kevin stumbled upon his passion for leading others and growing teams while building out a recruiting agency on Oahu – tough, right? Today, Kevin continues to live out his passion right here in SF where he still enjoys the blue water (though slightly colder) as an avid sailor. Kevin’s adventuresome spirit is represented through not only his one-of-a-kind stories, but also through the rotating photo album-travelogue sitting on his desk. Every day Kevin finds new ways to unleash our team’s potential - and every day his high energy and commendable work ethic is kick-started with an iced coffee with a dash of cinnamon!
“It’s so nice to come into the office and be greeted by a lovely smile and wonderful attention.”
As Business Operations Manager, Leslie handles many of the business tasks other than the actual recruiting. Leslie’s background in academia, including teaching English abroad, has honed not only her stellar editing skills, but also her ability to read several books in a week. Fun fact: she was the Arkansas State Spelling Bee Champion when she was in eighth grade! Her favorite aspect of working from home is all of the quality time she gets to spend with her kitty, Lucy.
"Job searches are basically the worst, but recruiters like you make things so much easier.”
Gillian’s background in wedding and private event planning for a CA winery made her a natural fit as a Maven matchmaker, guiding hiring managers and executives to their perfect hires, just as she did brides to their perfect weddings. When Gillian isn’t using her endless optimism and energetic personality to help build relationships with clients all while managing the business development team and training up new hires, she’s hittin' the gym or strolling the streets of Los Angeles with her two French bulldogs.
“You are really creating a great, recognizable brand.”
Haley is Maven’s creative storyteller who looks for new opportunities to strengthen our brand & drive leads. She leads all of our marketing initiatives from podcast production and content creation to social media and web design. Aside from being known as our Marketing Guru, she’s also known as the adventure queen who loves to spend her free time either surfing, baking bread or renovating her Santa Barbara home with John & baby Shepherd.
“Shirin could be a personal coach, if she so chose.”
Shirin found herself as an Account Director and Team Lead of Maven's temporary division after working at a company self-styled as the Airbnb of all water experiences – and after casually traveling to Peru and Machu Picchu! Aside from experiencing the world’s greatest wonders, she works with temp candidates and companies to provide a superior temporary placement experience. A total extrovert, Shirin’s love for improv and her mad karaoke skills translate seamlessly to the recruiting space. Her favorite brunch food is a mimosa (that counts!) and her favorite person is her rescue dog named Chappy (that counts, too!).
"Can we be friends in ‘real life’?”
As the Internal Recruiting & Training Lead at Maven, Julia loves working with new hires and team members to help them thrive in their roles. A true boomerang, Julia grew her career here, gained some valuable experience in big tech, and returned to Maven to be in her dream role with her dream team! As an avid coffee lover, you can find Julia sipping double macchiatos while checking her emails at different cafes scattered across Spain and Europe. Even though she might be abroad, Julia is in lockstep with her team helping them find success!
Kate spends every day chatting with Executive Assistants – she interviews them, advocates for them and matches them to their dream job. Although her official title is Recruiter & Team Lead for Maven's direct hire division, Kate’s candidates would likely refer to her as a coach, therapist, match-maker and friend. From her Anthropologie outfits and homemade lunches to her passion for health and wellness and love for French bulldogs – she's every candidate’s favorite Recruiter. When she’s not championing her candidates, she’s taking her pup on a walk to the park and enjoying a Matcha Tea Latte!
“Nerissa always goes the extra mile for others, and it definitely shows through her positivity and productivity.”
As a Recruiter for Maven’s Temporary Division, Nerissa takes pride in fostering authentic relationships with job seekers and creating the best candidate experience imaginable. Nerissa’s background in event planning, office management and community outreach make her a natural at connecting people to the right opportunities. Nerissa is known for her topnotch hospitality –whether it be a family BBQ or a game night in with friends, you name it and she’ll plan it. Outside of work, Nerissa enjoys exploring the best eatery San Francisco has to offer even if it means standing in the winding line at Devil’s Teeth Baking Co. But her go-to brunch food remains a classic eggs benedict with a side of hash-browns and a good ol’ cup of cold brew.
“You made this so easy for me!”
Meet Tareh, who works closely with our Account Directors within Maven's permanent division to find the perfect match for both our clients and our candidates. Prior to her role at Maven, Tareh worked in high-end hospitality at both Hillstone Restaurant Group and The Bay Club, needless to say she understands the art of client relationships and delivering white-glove service. Residing in the beautiful state of Colorado, it only makes sense that her favorite activity is hiking and exploring the great outdoors with her family. Tareh is also a licensed aesthetician, freelance makeup artist, lover of all things skincare and sucker for a spiced chai latte and avocado toast.
“Thank you for creating such a seamless process!”
Tiana is a lover of all things health and wellness– not only did she work in the industry for over 15 years, but her passion for fitness is apparent in her personal life too. When Tiana isn’t partnering with Maven’s clients on their hiring goals, she’s hitting the trails with her dog Oliver to train for her next Spartan Race. Fun fact, she completed the Spartan Beast Half Marathon last year! But don’t worry, she’ll still indulge in her favorite food... tacos! She’s also a sucker for a graham cracker oat milk latte paired with a great audio book (and she’s always open to new recs!).
“Thank you for constantly supporting me through every step of this journey. Not once did you ever give up!”
Samantha strives to provide every candidate with a 5-star recruiting experience as the first point of contact. Sam has a heart for helping others improve their quality of life, formerly in physical therapy focusing on physical health and now in recruiting focusing on career fulfillment. Samantha is an outdoor enthusiast who will never say no to a weekend camping trip. What fuels all of this energy? Steak and eggs, her favorite brunch food, of course!
“Thank you for going above and beyond for us. This process seemed like it would be so stressful, but you have made everything so easy.”
As an Account Director for Maven’s Direct Hire Team, Monique partners directly with organizations in fulfilling their administrative hiring goals. Prior to her role at Maven, Monique worked in Sales at ADP so she’s very familiar working alongside small and rapidly growing businesses. Residing in Tucson, Monique enjoys the Arizona sunshine and the Sonoran Desert sunsets and when adventuring with her three dogs or kicking back in her hammock. When looking for a creative outlet, Monique enjoys painting rocks, a hobby she picked up amidst the quarantine but hasn’t dropped since! As for brunch, her favorite combo is huevos rancheros paired with a michelada because #savoryoversweet.
Brianna is a Recruiting Coordinator for Maven’s Direct Hire Team, a role she views as laying the foundation for the candidate experience and providing support to the Recruiting Team. Brianna is a self-proclaimed “nerd” who enjoys reading fantasy fiction novels and playing video games. Residing in San Diego, she loves to discover new coffee shops and thrift stores. And her go-to brunch food? Eggs benny, of course!
CJ is Maven's Business Development Manager which means he works solely with our clients, bringing in new business & fostering existing relationships! Prior to Maven, he worked in Talent Acquisition in the cybersecurity space, so he’s no stranger to the world of recruiting. Outside of work, CJ enjoys going to the gym, watching sports, playing Xbox, spending time with friends and listening to 80s and 90s music (the best genres of music in his opinion!). As for his ideal brunch food -- cinnamon rolls, no doubt.
Melody is a Direct Hire Recruiter for Maven with a recruiting background across industries – IT, Accounting/Finance, and GTM to name a few. She’s thrilled to be able to spend every day focusing in on the admin niche, doing her favorite thing in the world - building intentional relationships! When she’s not getting to know her candidates and advocating for them in their job search, Melody can be found either curled up with her cat and a book or finetuning her skills on the country dance floor. Coffee (or anything with caffeine) is definitely her main energy source, and she loves to brush up on her Spanish whenever possible. As for brunch, Melody is lucky to live in San Antonio, the home of the USA’s best breakfast taco – ask her for recommendations!
We believe the greatest sign of respect is telling people the truth and not wasting their time.
We learn more through a handshake and eye contact than we do through a long email.
Discovering the imperceptible creates lasting relationships with candidates and companies.