Join me in welcoming and getting to know our new and returning guest bloggers!
Moving into nearly my third year of business, I know that there is “workplace culture” territory I want to cover that I simply am not – nor do I have the capacity to be – an expert in. With incredible visionaries in my personal and professional tribe, I am proud to have partnered with 7 regular contributors to the SparkVision blog community. They are amazing humans, talented writers, and gifted professionals.
I’m confident you’ll enjoy their perspectives to give an even more rounded voice to all that makes people and workplaces thrive.
Sue Elias is EVP of Parks & People Foundation in Baltimore, MD and has 25 years working in the nonprofit sector as a leader, executive, and volunteer. Reflecting on the experiences and events throughout her career, she witnessed great leadership despite limited resources or adverse circumstances – and thus, her blog content was born. Sue, a Buffalo native who knows that chicken wings should only be served with blue cheese dressing (never ranch), lives in Baltimore with her husband and 3 children. She believes that being a mother of teenagers is her greatest leadership challenge to date.
Kyle Elliott, MPA, CHES runs CaffeinatedKyle.com. His goal is simple – to help people find jobs they LOVE (or at least tolerate). This help takes many forms, from Career and Life Coaching to resumes and cover letters to interview prep and salary negotiation. Kyle loves coffee (if you couldn’t tell), writing and eating the same thing at different restaurants. Connect with him on LinkedIn where you’ll often find him talking about work, life, and Starbucks.
Cory J. Anderson is a returning blogger and writes about practical ways to think about and implement equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. He has always lived in a multicultural environment which he credits as his inspiration to bring diverse groups of people together. Cory is passionate about using facilitated conversations as a tool to increase understanding and personal development. He has held various leadership positions with several nonprofit organizations and universities facilitating multicultural education. He is the founder of Diverse Dialogues, an organization focused on breaking down barriers one conversation at a time. Follow him on Twitter @mrca12.
Kevin Frick is a returning blogger and the Vice Dean for Education at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He has been an avid runner for the past 11 years – participating in 10 marathons (including Boston in 2013) and two 55 mile ultra marathons in South Africa and along the Appalachian Trail. He has spoken about mentoring to the Carey Women in Business student association and for TEDx JHU DC and IGNITE Baltimore.
Stephanie Ranno is a wife, mother of three, and believes that a woman can have it all: success in career and family life, as well as success in creative and community projects. Recently recognized as a 2017 Maryland Leading Woman by The Daily Record for professional accomplishment, community involvement and a commitment to inspiring change, Stephanie tries to pursue an integrated life at home and work. As the Director of Enterprise Business Development for TorchLight Hire in Washington, D.C., she helps marketing leaders build talented teams and grow meaningful, progressive careers. Having reviewed thousands of resumes and job descriptions, and advised hiring managers and candidates alike through hundreds of searches and placements, she is uniquely qualified to speak and write on what really works in recruitment and talent acquisition strategy.
Taylor Shanklin is the VP of Product Marketing and Strategy at Pursuant – a full-service fundraising agency dedicated to serving nonprofit organizations. With over a decade spent in the nonprofit technology sector, her passion and purpose is to help charitable organizations connect the dots between marketing, technology, and fundraising. In addition to her work at Pursuant, Taylor is the mind behind Hacks for Good, a passion project where she brings the ideology of growth hacking to the nonprofit sector. A lifelong Austinite (born and bred in Austin, Texas), Taylor shares life’s journey with her husband and two children, along with a grumpy old Chihuahua named Toby. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing Zumba, writing about tales of motherhood, and occasionally leaving her kids at camp grandma so that she and her husband can truly enjoy a vacation.
Kelly Marciniw, CPHR, geMBA writes on entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship from both the employees’ and employers’ perspective. Kelly is the Founder and CEO of BrightGo Solutions in Vancouver, Canada, where she guides immigrant entrepreneurs, global companies, and international HR leaders, who are overwhelmed when establishing their business and human resources in their new market, to navigate the culture, compliance, and context of doing business in Canada. Kelly is a thriving millennial who is on the board of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, and has traveled to 40+ countries with many more on her to-do list. Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn.