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Inaugural Talent Acquisition Leader Honorees
2024

We are thrilled to recognize the remarkable talent acquisition leaders who demonstrate resilience and dedication as they navigate the challenges presented by the dynamic landscape of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives in the ever-evolving tech industry. Their leadership has played a pivotal role in cultivating a workplace culture that celebrates differences and ensures everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive.
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About

Women Impact Tech has identified the most remarkable talent acquisition leaders who are driving forces in reshaping the landscape of tech careers by consistently championing initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

In a field where the importance of diversity and inclusion cannot be overstated, these professionals serve as prime examples of how the world can advance gender equity and build a more inclusive tech industry. 

2024 Women of Impact About
2024 Women of Impact Criteria Selection

Criteria Selection

Our distinguished panel of judges comprised of seasoned professionals from various sectors within the technical field, offering a wide range of expertise and experiences.

Each judge meticulously assessed the professional accomplishments and leadership qualities of the nominees. They were invited to evaluate the entries using our comprehensive criteria through an online judging system.

Meet the 2024 Talent Acquisition Leader Honorees

The Top 25 Women of Impact are at the forefront of empowering the next generation of women in the tech industry to flourish.

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Adonis Wooten-Herron

(He/Him)

North America Diversity Recruiting Lead - Women's Initiative, LGBTQ+ and PwD

Texas

Adonis is a champion for his diversity and equity recruiting efforts based on three pillars:

Ally in Action (intentional listening): Auditing the conversation to ensure that the proper voices are heard and represented in Accenture’s candidate outreach, interview representation, and process creation. Adonis consistently seeks to listen for understanding, knowing he may never fully understand their lived experiences, and utilizes his privilege to amplify and elevate for change. 

Speak up: Questioning policy, role qualifications, partnerships, and decisions to ensure that equity is not only a part of their processes but that it remains a foundational piece of recruiting. Adonis uses his voice to help create and amplify candidate and people engagement programs.

North America Partnerships: Aligning intentionally with organizations across North America that give them multiple pipelines of diverse talent to support current and future hiring demand. This helps his team ensure that their diverse hiring pipelines are healthy and robust, leading to successful hiring results and adoption.

Breana Tobias

(She/Her)

Employer Brand and Communications Manager

Michigan

Breana is a crucial partner to Motive’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team, along with each of their Employee Resource Groups, to identify and drive partnerships that will help them attract more diverse talent. This includes getting buy-in and mapping out the ROI for these initiatives and partnerships to their executive team each year.  

Breana’s team creates campaigns that highlight team members and underrepresented groups both internally and externally, which is integral to helping them attract, retain, and hire candidates from different backgrounds. Highlighting these individuals also allows the team and prospects the opportunity to connect and find communities at Motive.  

Breana also supports and enables the recruiting team with an outreach strategy to ensure that they are following up with 100% of the diverse prospects in each of their candidate pools. For those whose background/skillset doesn’t align with one of their current openings, her team nurtures each of them to keep Motive top of mind, notify them when new roles become available, and give them an insider look at what it’s like to work at Motive. 

Erica Pinkler

(She/Her)

Senior Talent Partner, Digital Business Acceleration

North Carolina

Erica is a talent acquisition leader who always leads her sourcing with care, community, and curiosity in mind. She ensures an inclusive hiring strategy by intentionally seeking out candidates through various channels, which has led to a team of new hires that represent a best-in-class diverse workforce at Constellation Brands.  

Erica actively advocates for DEIB through participation in their internal Business Resource Group’s workshops and awareness campaigns, all while fostering a culture of understanding and appreciation for different perspectives and driving innovation through diversity hiring.  

Erica also has remarkable skills at bringing great people together. She continues to build connections and nurture networks within and outside of Constellation Brands to create opportunities for underrepresented groups, encouraging a sense of belonging and providing support for professional growth to all candidates. 

Kimberlee McAuliffe

(She/Her)

Talent Acquisition Manager

New York

Kimberlee is a dedicated advocate for the diversity of Peloton’s teams. She has successfully backed an initiative to hire a sourcing team to help outwardly search for candidates, which resulted in two new employees who have diversified their candidate pool. She has also managed Peloton’s summer associate program, where they successfully hired 6 new women in technical roles. 
 
Just recently, Kimberlee accepted a leadership role in the Women’s Alliance employee resource group at Peloton where she plans to make an even broader impact, empowering females throughout Peloton and the broader community. 

Kimberlee has also partnered with Woman Impact Tech to host an event at Peloton HQ. She moderated the panel session alongside women in tech leadership roles who spoke about the challenges that females face in a traditionally male-dominated space.  

Kulwinder Verma Scott

(She/Her)

Global VP, Talent Acquisition

California

At The Trade Desk, their people are their top priority. They know that their company culture is key to their success and that they need a diverse set of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences to achieve their mission of protecting the open internet. This is why they embrace inclusion and belonging in everything they do, from celebrating the diversity of their workforce to making a positive impact on their industry.  

As the Vice President of Talent Acquisitions, Kulwinder fulfills this mission by building their global talent pipeline to reach women and underreported groups, which includes sponsoring and recruiting at diversity-focused conferences. She also partners with organizations and nonprofits that work to improve and diversify their industry. Additionally, Kulwinder creates inclusive hiring practices within the overall recruitment process that include diverse interview panels, a framework for objectivity, and uncovering unconscious biases within the interview process. 

Nikisha Ramsey

(She/Her)

Director Talent Acquisition

Illinois

In 2021, Nikisha returned to United Airlines to re-centralize the Talent Acquisition function. During that time, she developed a Diversity Sourcing team that is responsible for engaging and cultivating talent for United. This team develops relationships with diverse professional organizations to amplify the opportunities that United provides and ensures that they have the best talent for their professional roles. 

In addition, Nikisha owns the Early Careers program, which is critical to the future of United’s workforce.  The program has doubled in size since 2021, with over 400 students and early career professionals joining the organization. This program keeps diversity and equity top of mind, providing students with access, opportunities, and skills to start their careers.  

Additionally, Nikisha is actively involved in her community and mentors young professionals both inside and outside of United.  

Sophia Chin

(She/Her)

Executive Director - Communications, People & Client Experience

California

Studying psychology and sociology in college, Sophia Chin has always been intrigued by the mind, human behavior, and the incredible influence of the environment on both.  

Sophia is involved in UBS’s global program, which is focused on increasing the representation of women in leadership roles. This involves working closely with executive sponsors and core team members in multiple locations to support the development of female directors across five regions, ten countries, and six functions. Sophia is dedicated to elevating women within the fintech sector, serving as a mentor, and continually seeking opportunities to showcase UBS and their commitment to diversity in their tech communities. 

Rebecca Ramos

(She/Her)

Chief People Officer

Milwaukee

Rebecca Ramos is a strategic and forward-thinking Chief People Officer at Caresyntax with a talent for creating a culture of trust and open communication. She is passionate about fostering a people-first culture that prioritizes integrity, open communication, and continuous growth.  

Rebecca works tirelessly to elevate the role and perception of women both in her organization and beyond. She supports women to be decisive, daring, ambitious, and persistent all while striving to grow into leadership within their organizations. 

Adrian Russo

(He/Him)

VP of Talent

Maryland

In concert with the leadership at Swish Analytics, Adrian and his team have been able to partner with amazing organizations to more than triple their representation of women employed at Swish Analytics. 

They’ve invested in strategic partnerships with multiple organizations inside the sports industry and the technology field to onboard the best female talent available. 

Adrian is proud that leadership trusts his hiring teams to partner with them on this journey.



Carli Chiodo

(She/Her)

Senior Program Manager, Talent Brand

Houston

At GitLab, Carli is committed to fostering an equitable and inclusive workplace. Her major contributions include ensuring their brand messaging is inclusive and accurately represents both their current workforce and the talent they are seeking to attract; identifying sponsorship opportunities that offer networking, learning, and speaking opportunities for their Team Member Resource Group (TMRG); and enhancing brand visibility within diverse communities to demonstrate their commitment to inclusion and their efforts towards creating a more diverse workforce. 

Johna Little

(She/Her)

Director, Talent Acquisition

Ohio

Johna and her talent acquisition team at NiSource have a deep commitment to bringing in high-performing and diverse talent to build out their teams. Their mission is fueled by their dedication to prioritizing social and economic equity of not only their employees but of their customers and the communities they serve. Johna and the NiSource team consistently strive to cultivate an equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplace that is rich and rewarding for each and every member of their team. 

NiSource has aligned its organizational DEI goals to achieve these overall company objectives by driving an enhanced talent strategy, which elevates support from all levels of leadership and fosters a culture of accountability. They offer a slate of opportunities to advance their initiatives, including a Women’s Summit, Inclusive Leadership Training, a series of diversity-focused conferences, seven dedicated Employee Resource Groups, and more. 

Kimberly Johnston

(She/Her)

Director of People and Talent

Florida

Kim Johnston brings over two decades of extensive experience in talent acquisition and people business to her role as Director of People and Talent at Henry Meds. Transitioning into the position just a year ago, Kim’s leadership has been instrumental in the company’s growth and development. Joining as the 39th employee, she has witnessed and contributed to Henry Meds’ remarkable expansion to almost 400 employees across the United States and Poland. Kim’s expertise and dedication underscore her pivotal role in shaping Henry Meds’ workforce strategy, fostering a culture of inclusivity, and driving organizational success through effective talent management practices. 

Henry Meds prioritizes skill sets over educational backgrounds, ensuring that degrees are not required for roles within the organization. With a fully remote workforce policy, Henry Meds is committed to hiring the best person for the role regardless of their geographical location, fostering inclusivity and diversity. The company’s global presence, including a significant workforce in Poland of almost 100 employees, highlights its commitment to international diversity. Additionally, Henry Meds aligns its marketing and communication strategies to maximize outreach to underrepresented groups, actively promoting diversity and equity within its workforce. Looking ahead, the organization plans to further strengthen its commitment to diversity by creating Employee Resource Groups in 2024, aimed at building strong communities within the company and supporting initiatives for inclusivity and belonging. 

Loni Olazaba

(She/Her)

Talent Acquisition Professional

California

Loni has recruited technology professionals and led recruiting teams in the valley for 20+ years, working for established organizations such as Google, PayPal, TiVo, LinkedIn, and Robinhood.  

In 2020, after becoming Co-Chair of LinkedIn’s Employee Resource Group, Hola! (Hispanics of LinkedIn Alliance), she decided to dedicate her career to inclusion, equity, and belonging in the workplace with a focus on advocacy and inclusive hiring efforts. Loni has a sincere passion for equality, helping people gain access to opportunities and flourish in their careers.  

She is also a wife and the mother of four children, and she enjoys quality family time, music, meditation, nature, and yoga! 

Priscyla Temblador

(She/Her)

Senior Manager, Management & Tech Recruiting

California

Priscyla has a deep commitment to recruiting, engaging, and retaining people from all backgrounds. At McMaster-Carr, she has established recruiting partnerships with organizations that support the advancement of female technologists to engage with this talented pool on their career goals and share their opportunities. 

Priscyla has also co-led the creation of an inclusive new-hire onboarding curriculum to ensure that every new team member has access to similar support and knowledge about their workplace at the start of their career. 

Priscyla has also spent her time mentoring dozens of employees at McMaster-Carr, including those from underrepresented groups, to provide them with advice, support, and guidance as they navigate the workplace. 

Amy Civilikas

(She/Her)

Director, Human Resources, Digital Products

Maryland

Amy and the Marriott International Global Technology & Digital HR team have several initiatives to be proud of, focused on the advancement of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in their workplace.

Amy and her team have established the Women in Tech Forum for their Global Technology and Digital associates. This is an associate-led effort designed to accelerate the development and movement of women technologists into roles of increasing responsibility and influence in the workplace. 

They also hosted their first-ever Codefest. Over 100 associates from across the globe came together to brainstorm, design, and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.  One of the winning teams was a team of two incredibly talented women who called themselves the AI Wonder Women!

They have also worked to expand their Global Technology and Digital internship programs and develop career path planning for early career professionals to establish and grow a diverse tech talent pipeline. 

Diana Frascella

(She/Her)

Senior Director, Talent Acquisition

Massachusetts

Diana has made significant strides in promoting gender equity at DraftKings. One of her major, ongoing accomplishments includes spearheading initiatives in Talent Acquisition over the past four years that have increased female and ethnic diversity within the organization. 

Diana has also developed an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and employer brand that authentically portrays the inclusive culture of DraftKings, effectively communicating what it’s like to work there, which has helped them attract a more diverse pool of candidates. She has also implemented Talent Acquisition dashboards to track funnel metrics for candidates, ensuring their interview processes are equitable across genders and ethnicities.

Katherine Burnham

(She/Her)

Talent Acquisition Advisor

Tennesee

Kat sits on the Women of Kellanova (WOK) Business Employee Resource Group (BERG) Leadership Team and provides strategic advisement to the BERG on partnership and networking opportunities to enhance the attraction of female talent to Kellanova.   

In addition to her leadership and partnership with Women Impact Tech, Kat has been instrumental in championing relationships with other diverse organizations, which have resulted in more equitable hiring at Kellanova.  

Kat is a natural leader and connector. She drives inclusivity and engagement within the North America TA Team by leading a culture committee that brings the virtual team together in fun ways throughout the year. 

Kimberly Prescott

(She/Her)

Director Talent Acquisition, Global Strategic Skills & Pipelining

Missouri

At Bayer, Kimberly and her colleagues are dedicated to helping employees find their sense of purpose, achieve success, inspire others, and grow both at work and at home.  Putting these values into practice has ensured Kimberly’s ability to achieve a balance between her work and personal priorities, allowing her to excel in my career and as a female leader. It is Kimberly’s goal to also cultivate this experience for the talent that Bayer interacts with. 

Kimberly consistently strives to meet this goal by, aligning organizational marketing and communication strategies to maximize outreach to underrepresented groups with a special focus on attracting female talent. She regularly connects with talent to provide mentorship, skill building, job opportunities, and ways to grow their professional network in and outside of Bayer. She also operationalizes diversity initiatives into Bayer’s recruitment standard processes to ensure a constant focus on diverse panels, diverse slates, gender bias language via detection software, and stakeholder upskilling, which includes interview and unconscious bias training.

Mayokia Fowler

(She/Her)

Global Talent Acquisition & DEIB Professional

Texas

Mayokia was most recently the Director of Global Talent Acquisition at Vercel, where she collaborated closely with executives to shape the company’s talent strategies.  

Mayokia plays a pivotal role in constructing and scaling world-class People organizations, leveraging industry-leading technologies, AI, and data insights to advance inclusive hiring practices and foster a sense of belonging within hyper-growth companies. 

During her time at Vercel, Mayokia authored the company’s DEIB framework, implemented inclusive hiring best practices globally, and served as a leader of the Black ERG and mentor to junior employees of color. 

Brea Hall

(She/Her)

Manager, Recruiting Events

Pennsylvania

Brea Hall leads the Recruiting Events team at Roblox, which is responsible for creating unique and meaningful opportunities for external talent to get to know Roblox as a product and as an employer. The top priority of these experiences is to help their external community understand the technical challenges that Roblox is solving through interactions with their internal team. 

At Roblox, they believe that their employee base should be as diverse as the experiences that exist on their platform. To achieve this goal, Brea’s team, in partnership with their Engineering, Research, and Talent Teams, aims to diversify Roblox’s workforce by partnering with organizations, such as Women Impact Tech, to meet talent from underrepresented backgrounds and help them explore Roblox as an employer of choice! 

Ellen Walker

(She/Her)

Vice President, Human Capital Management

Illinois

As the Vice President of Human Capital Management at Neuberger Berman, Ellen makes it her mission to bring diverse viewpoints into their interview process and create a supportive and empowering environment for women.  

The team at Neuberger Berman understands that the success of each of their colleagues directly impacts the success of their clients and the firm itself, and they place a special focus on providing every employee with opportunities to develop as well as feel empowered and supported. This requires an intentional and thoughtful process that seeks to understand specific needs and individual backgrounds. 

Katie Korrison

(She/Her)

Manager, Diversity Recruitment

Illinois

Katie Korrison, Manager, Diversity Recruitment at Abbott, has been recognized for her game-changing work in diverse recruitment. 

Applying new thinking and strategies to identify and recruit candidates, Katie has doubled the number of hires made via diversity career fairs, mobilizing hundreds of hiring managers to participate and help scout talented candidates. She added over 5,000 resumes of diverse candidates into Abbott’s talent community, including a number of passive candidates they may have otherwise missed. She has also effectively leveraged diverse media channels to build Abbott’s brand and reputation as an employer that values diversity.

Krystin McDermott

(She/Her)

Manager II, Talent Acquisition

Illinois

Krystin learned networking at a young age when her dad would tie a balloon around her wrist to keep track of her while she went around making friends at events. She’s always found joy in talking to people and developed a passion for people. She graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and found a love for recruiting within her sorority, Sigma Kappa. She started her formal recruitment career in the digital design industry, jumped over to the consulting space, and joined Peapod Digital Labs (PDL) in March of 2020.

Krystin is currently the Talent Acquisition Manager at PDL, leading a team that recruits across Digital, Corporate, and Commercial roles. During her time at PDL, she rolled out a full-scale Co-Op program, helped implement Textio (a tool aimed at creating more inclusive and unbiased job postings), and hired 17 diverse Director-level positions in 2021, in support of the company’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging goals. She fosters PDL’s culture by recruiting those who are passionate about growing and thriving in a fast-paced environment. Krystin is also one of the leaders of Mind Over Matter; PDL’s mental health inclusion network and was named a Top Woman in Grocery for 2022 by Progressive Grocer.

Nandini Krishnamoorthy

(She/Her)

North American Staffing and Operations

Georgia

Nandini has done so much at Capgemini for the advancement of gender equity at Capgemini.

She has been integral to Capgemini’s ICARE (Inspire, Coach, Accelerate, Returnship, Equity) program, created to inspire, coach, and accelerate the return to employment for Women.  This brand-new initiative is already starting to show an increase in diversity within the workforce, despite recent market conditions.

Nandini has instituted a process for the ICARE program for women who are interviewing with Capgemini after a long gap in their work history to be given fair consideration and to be evaluated on a scale that is commensurate for such aspirants.  This equity treatment is a much-needed aspect of ICARE propelling them to the achievement of the goals that all parties are longing to achieve.

The Inspire pathway helps to facilitate women who are passionate to return to work, publicize, and invite women to join the Capgemini workforce. Coaching creates focused cohorts for ICARE candidates out of existing training programs and establishes buddy and mentor programs to help them build on their strengths and confidence. The Accelerate aspect certifies Agile and Cloud programs for hyper-scalers (Cloud providers), conducts mock interviews, and sets thresholds with Business Units and Projects to staff ICARE candidates.

Sheila Adasczik

(She/Her)

AVP, Talent Acquisition Corporate Recruitment

North Carolina

As a diverse female leader, Sheila is dedicated to advocating for underrepresented candidates, diligently working to provide equitable opportunities and foster an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to succeed.  

Sheila has spearheaded initiatives within the corporate recruitment function at LPL and consistently advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion, to engage stakeholders and foster a culture of change and awareness. 

Leveraging Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), strategic partnerships, and industry conferences, Sheila actively seeks out innovative approaches to attract and hire diverse talent, ensuring LPL’s workforce reflects the inclusivity they champion.

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