Meet Our Team
Our people are our greatest asset.
Get to know the experts behind your success.
Tracy Barnes
Professional Recruiter
Tracy Barnes is a Professional Recruiter for Accelerate Talent Group and focuses on placing candidates into Manufacturing Management, Engineering, and Operations positions, just to name a few. She is passionate about matching the right candidate with the right position.
Tracy is a new grandma and spends a lot of her time snuggling her new granddaughter. On the weekends, she and her wife, Addy, enjoy cooking and keeping their three dogs happy by playing, hiking, and enjoying time up north.
Jeremy Berg
Lead Professional Engineering Recruiter
Jeremy started off his staffing career working as a Resume Sourcer while attending college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Jeremy decided to continue down the staffing industry path and specialize in the recruitment of engineering professionals. Jeremy now has over 10 years of experience as a seasoned Professional Engineering Recruiter for nearly all types of engineering positions and industries.
In Jeremy’s free time, his hobbies include golfing, fishing, and running. He’s also an avid Wisconsin sports fan and enjoys rooting for the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Wisconsin Badgers.
Missie Braaten-Krueger
Professional Recruiter
Missie embarked on a new career as a professional recruiter after twenty-some years in manufacturing operations. Recruiting is not new to Missie. She began her professional career with a staffing service filling light industrial roles for Milwaukee-area companies. She left to work for a client in a multifunctional office role handling purchasing, customer service and human resources. Eventually she became a plant manager desiring a career change. She is thrilled to land at Accelerate and bring her knowledge of manufacturing to her direct hire placements.
When not at work, Missie can typically be found outside or kickboxing. She thinks life is best when surrounded by dogs. Missie enjoys walking, shooting sports, soccer, and gardening.
Missie comes from a small, close-knit family and was raised in the family businesses including a hair salon and gun shop. When time permits, she ventures up north to Marinette County to fish, shoot, trail ride on ATV’s and pick mushrooms.
Chad Czarnecki
Sr. Professional IT Recruiter
Chad joins Accelerate as a Senior Recruiter after a 20+ year career with Ricoh USA as an Enterprise Account Manager focused on IT positions. He brings a unique background and knowledge base of many clients in the industry.
In his free time, Chad loves to spend time with his family and niece and nephews. You can usually find him on a sand volleyball court during the Spring & Summer around the Milwaukee Area.
Erin Daniels
Lead Professional Recruiter, CSP, CPC
Erin Daniels has been a Professional Recruiter with QPS Employment Group since April of 2011. She is both a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) and a Certified Staffing Professional (CSP). She has proven success placing candidates into Manufacturing Management, Quality, Procurement, Engineering, and Human Resources positions, just to name a few. She finds her work very gratifying, and is passionate about matching the right candidate with the right position.
Erin enjoys cooking for friends and family, and traveling to warm destinations as often as possible. When she’s not at work, she enjoys going to concerts and local events with her husband and two boys.
Matt Dodge
Sr. Sales Executive, Professional
Matt is a Senior Account Executive with the Finance & Accounting and Human Resources team. He is dedicated to helping top accounting and finance professionals accelerate their careers, and fueling companies’ growth. Previously, Matt worked for 15 years in sales and management roles in the wholesale industry.
Matt has a BS in Marketing from Bradley University. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his wife and chasing around his two little girls. Matt is passionate about supporting individuals with Down syndrome, running and personal finance.
Ryan Festerling
President
Hired in June 2019, Ryan serves as President for QPS. Ryan has over 20 years of experience from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based Kohl’s Department Store where he held various leadership roles rising to the position of executive vice president and head of human resources. Ryan has a track record of utilizing technology to enhance the candidate experience while improving overall efficiencies. He has a drive for building cohesive teams and individuals that are passionate about the work they do.
Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University Wisconsin – La Crosse. He also serves on the board of directors at Wisconsin Lutheran High School as well as the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation.
Ryan lives in Pewaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, two daughters and a yellow lab named “Lucy” that only listens sometimes. He enjoys doing just about anything outside as well as being a proud “dance dad.”
Casey Garza
Professional Sales Executive
While Casey has been in staffing under a year, he has been in the professional sales realm for 18+ years. This includes time spent within outside sales, inside sales, sales management, sales process generation and implementation, and sales training. Casey holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Marketing from Herzing University. He has been involved in selling a variety of products and services, from corrugated boxes to highly technical remote sensing data and many services and products in-between.
Outside of spending time with his wife and little boy, Casey enjoys Muay Thai Kickboxing and physical fitness in general. He also enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and camping. He enjoys video games, reading (mostly fiction), riding his sport bike, anime, and anything Star Wars related.
Jessica Gross
Lead Professional Recruiter
Jessica graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources. She has worked in the recruitment industry for 11 years, ultimately gaining experience in talent marketing, interviewing, sourcing, recruiting, negotiations at a variety of levels. As a recruiter, she takes pride in ensuring that placements are a strong match for all parties. She’s interested in finding people careers rather than simply jobs. She is always striving 100% to the work that she does, and her goal as a recruiter is to build strong, long-term relationships, mutually beneficial relationships with candidates and clients alike.
Currently, she is responsible for direct-hire recruiting top talent from Engineering, Operations-Management and Maintenance in the manufacturing sector throughout Wisconsin market. Jessica is continuously seeking out industry leaders looking for a new career challenge and loves to discuss career opportunities in more detail.
Outside of the office, Jessica enjoys fishing and traveling with her husband and going on lots of walks with her Siberian Husky, Kylo. She loves spending time watching reality TV, getting sweaty on her Peloton bike, spending time outdoors including hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding.
Rebecca Gulliver
Professional Recruiter – Finance, Accounting, and HR
Rebecca Gulliver attended the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. After graduating, Rebecca began her career in management and sales. After acquiring the necessary sales and leadership skills, Rebecca decided to pursue a career in the recruiting industry and joined QPS in November 2021. Rebecca loves connecting with new individuals and finding those individuals their dream job.
In Rebecca’s free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends, indoor rock climbing, walking her dog, Tank, staying active and weather permitting – kayaking.
Lisa Heard
Talent Acquisition Coordinator
Lisa has been with QPS for over 15 years. She was originally hired as a Recruiter for the Office Division and since then has held roles such as Division Manager, Corporate Recruiter, Sourcing Specialist and Talent Acquisition Coordinator.
In her spare time, you will find Lisa spending time with her husband and children, cheering at a volleyball or basketball court, or walking her energetic dog.
Noelle Heffner
Lead Professional Recruiter, CSP, CPC
Noelle has over a decade of recruiting experience, and has been placing Manufacturing Management, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Maintenance, Engineering, and Human Resources professionals—just to name a few—for QPS since 2011. She is both a Certified Personnel Consultant and a Certified Staffing Professional.
Noelle enjoys her time at their Lake house with the family making memories. But also loves traveling the world to experience different cultures. She’s equally adventurous in the kitchen and gets a kick out of using her family and friends as “guinea pigs” for her new dishes. Noelle loves spending quality time with her daughter and puggle, Zoey, checking out new play grounds and farmers markets.
Ryan Hurst
Professional Recruiter
After graduating from St. Norbert College with a degree in sociology, Ryan spent a decade in the education field working directly with students. With over half of this time spent as a school counselor, Ryan developed a knack for listening to people’s needs, addressing those needs, and building and maintaining strong relationships based on trust, things which he now enjoys doing with candidates and companies as a recruiter. He also spent a year as the General Manager of a new business that included a golf course, bar, and restaurant, and as a result is very familiar with the joys and challenges both candidates and employers face when going through a search or hiring process. Ryan is currently pursuing his master’s degree in human resources, further honing his knowledge of the world of employment.
In his free time, Ryan tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife, son, and dog. He is one of the most avid fans of the Packers, Bucks, and Brewers one can find and he loves listening to local sports talk radio talk about his teams whenever he can. Ryan also enjoys live music, trying new restaurants, and the many festivals that the Milwaukee area has to offer.
Jackie Iaquinta
Professional Recruiter
Jackie Iaquinta graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an emphasis in Healthcare Administration. She has experience working in Healthcare as a Campus Administrator and decided to make a career change after having her daughter in April of 2022. Jackie is no stranger to QPS Employment Group as she has held a variety of roles throughout high school and college with QPS. Jackie is thrilled to join the Accelerate team as a Professional Recruiter specializing in Accounting & Finance and Human Resources.
Outside of the office, Jackie loves spending time with her husband and their daughter! She enjoys drawing and painting and has had a lot of fun including her daughter in her art projects with her footprints and handprints. Jackie comes from a very close family and is often found supporting her brothers by attending their basketball games or guitar gigs, shopping with her sister, going out to eat, and spending time outside with them.
Angela Karel
Lead Professional Recruiter, CSP, CPC
Angela has been in recruiting and staffing for over 10 years. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business HR Management. Angela is experienced in sourcing, recruiting, negotiations, talent management, career development, counter offer strategy, and talent acquisition. She also holds certifications as a Certified Staffing Professional and Certified Personnel Consultant.
In Angela’s free time she enjoys being outdoors with her husband, two children and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog. She has a passion for helping others and being involved in the community.
JoAnn Klavekoske
Lead Professional Recruiter, CSP
Prior to joining QPS in 2010, JoAnn spent 20 years as a Corporate Recruiter. In this role she staffed a wide range of positions for her employer. This experience has given her a solid understanding of what hiring managers are looking for in a candidate, and has allowed her to maintain a consistently impressive fill rate. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s School of Business with a BBA in Management with an emphasis in Human Resource Management. JoAnn specializes in recruiting for HR, Finance and Marketing.
When not working, she enjoys family time with her two sons and husband. She is an avid WI sports fan and loves cheering on the Brewers, Packers, Bucks, and Badgers, as well as going to concerts.
Samantha Kuhl
Recruitment Delivery Manager, CPC
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in Communications, Samantha Kuhl worked as an Inside Sales Executive and then migrated to the Hospitality Industry. She has been with QPS since 2014, in both recruiting and leadership capacities. Samantha brings to QPS Employment Group a great passion for relationship building and an unwavering commitment to customer service. Samantha is a hands on leader within our engineering and operations division, providing clients with top notch recruiting services.
In her free time, you will find Samantha watching both of her kids as they participate in sports year round or curled up with a good book. She is a huge Wisconsin sports fan, lover of live music, as well as an avid runner.
Malissa Kulick
Sales Executive – Finance/Accounting/Human Resources
Malissa joins Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions as a Sales Executive focused on Finance, Accounting and Human Resources. Malissa comes to Accelerate/QPS with experience in strategic planning, research analysis, high touch customer service, and a diverse military background. She is thrilled to land at Accelerate and bring her passion for delivering the best customer service and products to her clients.
Outside of work, Malissa enjoys cooking and spending time with family and friends. She also loves hiking in the mountains and traveling in her free time.
JR Lindsay
Senior Recruiter
JR is a Senior Professional Recruiter, and joined QPS Employment Group in the fall of 2022. JR comes to QPS with 10 years of experience with Kohler Company in Marketing/Product Management roles followed by 10 years as a Youth Pastor. Outside of work, JR lives in Oostburg with his wife Amber and his two kids. They are actively involved in their church, and love spending time together as a family either playing games, being outside, spending time with friends and extended family, or watching movies on the couch.
JR loves watching sports, and is a die-hard Bears and Cubs fan. He loves to fish with his son – even though his son knows way more about fishing, have coffee drinks with his daughter on daddy daughter dates, and travel with his wife.
Katherine Lynch
Professional Sourcing Specialist
Katherine recently graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor’s degree in History and English Literature and Language. She started her career as a Sourcing Specialist with Accelerate Talent Group summer of 2021. Katherine sources candidates for the recruiters in Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, and Information Technology.
In her free time, Katherine likes to bake a variety of sweets for her family, specifically pies and cookies. Katherine loves reading all sorts of books and enjoys writing stories as well. She also loves spending time playing board games with her family on the weekends.
Brian Lynch
Director of Recruiting, Professional
Brian has more than 17 years of experience in the staffing and talent acquisition industry. He has specific expertise in recruiting talent within the Information Technology, Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, and Engineering spaces. With 8+ years of strategic management and leadership experience, Brian brings a solutions focused and collaborative approach to every conversation. Brian has managed large teams working across a variety of industries including medical device, biopharma, DOD, manufacturing, and many others.
In his free time, you’ll find Brian spending time with his wife, Kelly, and their amazing daughter, Cailinn. Brian is passionate about veteran’s causes and is an avid sportsman, enjoying hunting, fishing and the national sport of Ireland (hurling).
Melissa Marschke
Senior Professional Recruiter
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Communications, Melissa Marschke started her career with QPS Employment Group in 2011. Melissa brings a passion for helping people and building relationships, specializing in Engineering and Maintenance.
When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, golfing and running. Melissa is a huge sports fan cheering on the Brewers, Bucks, Packers and Badgers.
Dana Metzger
Recruitment Delivery Manager, CSP, CPC
Dana Metzger began her recruitment and staffing career in Chicago 20 years ago, and has been with QPS for the last 16 years. As an expert in recruiting for Accounting, Finance and HR leadership, Dana has demonstrated success in locating mission-critical talent who have proven to be key additions for her clients. Dana’s success is driven by her determination, dependability, and the high value she places on partnership with both clients and candidates. Dana is a high touch leader; whose professional satisfaction and validation comes from the success of her team.
In her free time, you’ll find Dana at the baseball diamond, basketball court, or football field watching her two boys compete. One of her favorite activities is going to a beach or park with her husband, two boys, and a metal-detector. Dana loves Wisconsin Sports and dutifully supports the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, and UW-Wisconsin, Get’em Bucky!!!!
Margaret Myers
Professional Sourcing Specialist
Margaret has 27 years of experience in higher education at Lakeland University building strong relationships with students and their families. Her passion for helping people and delivering amazing customer service brought her to QPS where she now focuses on building relationships with our candidates and assisting our recruiters with matching the best candidate with the best position.
As a retired soccer mom, Margaret just enjoys spending time with her now grown son. When the weather cooperates, you’ll probably find her puttering in her gardens or walking her two dogs.
Corey Nelson
Professional Recruiter
Corey left the staffing industry years ago to stay home with her young daughters. During this time she pursued part-time employment such as running a photography business and most recently real estate. After recently graduating from Lakeland University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, she is excited to be back in the industry and in 2022 joined Accelerate as a Professional Recruiter who specializes in HR, Finance and Accounting roles.
In her free time Corey spends time watching her girls in their activities, mostly softball, running and theater. She also enjoys spending time with her family, reading books (mainly ones that are made into movies!) and watching reality TV!
Jeff Nicholas
Lead Professional Recruiter, CSP, CPC
Jeff is an experienced team builder, leader, and educator. Before becoming a Professional Recruiter, he spent 15 years coaching basketball and teaching math. Jeff continues to coach, lead, and build meaningful relationships, but now does so to improve candidates’ lives, help client companies, and improve his teammates and the workplace. Jeff works with all facets of manufacturing, but specializes in recruiting for Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, and EH&S.
Jeff participates in a variety of recreational sports, including his first love, basketball. He is currently an Assistant Coach with the local high school team. He also treasures spending time with his two young daughters and grilling in his backyard. He has perfected the art of grilling beef, pork, and vegetables, even when the wind chill dips below zero.
Robert Schemel
Senior Professional IT Recruiter
Robert has nine years of experience in Staffing and Talent Acquisition for Information Technology, Medical Device, Engineering, DOD, and Manufacturing.
In his free time, you’ll find Rob spending time enjoying his hobbies such as Photography, Scuba Diving, Swimming, Traveling, and Motor Sports. Rob is also an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chad Schreiber
Director of Professional Recruiting, CSP, CPC
Chad specializes in recruiting for Engineering, Operations and Executive Positions. He’s consistently among the company’s top producers, and credits much of his success to the work habits he developed while growing up on his family’s dairy farm. Prior to QPS, Chad was a successful college volleyball coach who won two National Championships and was inducted into the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference Hall of Fame.
In his free time, Chad likes to spend time with his family at the lake and other outdoor recreational activities. He is active in his church and spends his remaining time searching for records to add to his vinyl collection.
Jen Smith
Professional Recruiter – IT
Jen has 15 years of experience working in the People Business. First, she worked helping families with part of their international adoption process or immigration process. Then she worked helping educate borrowers about their student loans and repayment options. Now she helps companies looking for talent and individuals looking for a new opportunity. Although the industries are different her goals are the same; ensuring that she has a listening ear, treating people right, and showing support throughout the process. Jen has about 3.5 years of staffing experience in the areas of Manufacturing, Call Center, and Information Technology.
When she is not recruiting, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two fur babies. The four currently live in a small cabin by the lake and enjoy being outdoors as much as possible. During winter Jen and her husband enjoy ice skating and playing hockey, although she is not very good at either. During summer they enjoy spending as much time by the water, watching sunsets, and fishing.
Sara Spitzer
Digital Sales Marketing Specialist
Sara graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a degree in marketing. She spent 15 years performing a variety of marketing functions in the special event space, and joined the QPS/Accelerate team in 2019. Sara specializes in digital marketing and works closely with the professional division to manage its online presence.
When not at work, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, traveling, hiking, watching movies, and playing games.
Troy St. Martin
Account Executive
Troy has been in the sales and marketing world for his entire career. Ranging from running a tae kwon do school to outside business development for various physical therapy companies. He loves making connections and solving problems which makes him a natural fit for the staffing industry. Troy loves working with his hands and owns a small property management company.
In his free time, Troy is an avid runner, enjoys playing soccer with his daughter, and has a 3rd degree black belt in tae kwon do. He loves all types of live music and enjoys watching any and all sports, especially soccer and football. Random facts and dad jokes are his specialty.
Ina Tahiraj
Professional Recruiter
Ina graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry. She spent the last 10 years working in hospitals, research departments, and as a microbiologist. She recently worked in sales and wound up enjoying it so much that she decided to change careers and become a recruiter in order to do something more people focused that would allow her to use her knowledge of the sciences.
In her free time, Ina loves to play volleyball and discover new foods and restaurants. Continuing to travel the world is one of her life long goals.
Patty Tomlin
Lead Professional Recruiter, CSP
Patty has worked in the staffing industry for almost 15 years. In addition to her management experience in the staffing industry, Patty’s résumé includes stints as a high school teacher and volleyball coach, an Economic Development liaison for Northwest Arkansas, and a Marketing and Sales professional for several respected magazines in Kansas City. Her well-rounded career path gives her a unique insight into what makes for success in today’s fragmented employment economy. She holds a BS in Education from Eastern Illinois University. Patty specializes in recruiting for Operations, Engineering, and Supply Chain.
Patty enjoys spending time with her husband, three girls, grandchildren, and extended family. She is a devoted fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
Shawn Voelz
Professional Operations Lead
After graduating with his MBA from Lakeland College, Shawn joined QPS and has helped the Professional and Skilled Teams with their growth trajectory over the past 8 years. He has proven success with building and leading teams, training and mentoring colleagues, and building relationships with candidates. Shawn is currently the Professional Operations Lead for QPS and he specializes in working with and helping Engineering and Operations professionals finding their next career opportunity within manufacturing.
Outside of work you can find Shawn spending time with his wife, Jessica, and two sons, Brayden and Logan. Shawn is an active member in his community and church. He is a little league manager, runs his church’s Vacation Bible School, and organizes other small groups within his community.
Andrea Weber
Senior Professional Recruiter
Andrea has been in recruiting specializing in manufacturing for over 6 years, but has been in a hiring capacity for over 15 years in her retail management career as a Store and District Manager. She is experienced in sourcing, recruiting, negotiations, talent management, career development, counter offer strategy, and talent acquisition and focuses primarily on Manufacturing Management and Maintenance. She consistently receives testimonials from the candidates she works with as she is driven to make the right match for them! During the day, you’ll find her at her desk with her Starbucks and Werthers.
Andrea lives in Wisconsin with her husband and 2 young boys. She cherishes time spent with them and getting to their ‘happy place’ in Door County a few times a year. Her boys are full of energy and just getting into t-ball, soccer, basketball, swimming…bring on all the activities!
Darin Wimann
Sr. Sales Executive, Professional
Darin grew up in the waterpark capital of the world (Wisconsin Dells) where he served and bartended for seven years. After attending Western Technical College and University of Wisconsin La Crosse, where he studied in Criminal Justice, he became a police officer in Madison, WI. In 2016, Darin changed careers and became an IT Business Development Manager for a national consulting firm where he focused on selling subject matter experts within Enterprise Applications and Infrastructure technology. Darin now has over 5 years of experience as a seasoned IT Account Executive for nearly all types of IT positions and industries.
In Darin’s free time, his hobbies include bow hunting, fishing, pool, darts, karaoke, and live music festivals. He’s also an avid Wisconsin sports fan and enjoys rooting for the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Wisconsin Badgers.
Andy Ziarnik
Professional Recruiter
Andy graduated from Fox Valley Technical College with a degree in Marketing. Since graduation he has spent the last 10 years in an account management role for various companies, including, Seventh Generation, Imperial Blades, and Milwaukee Tool. He has extensive experience in relationship building and enjoys making connections with people.
Andy currently resides in Lake Mills, WI with his wife Kendra and two children, Hunter (3) and Maverick (1). When not working Andy enjoys hunting, playing golf, watching sports, and spending time with family and friends.
Scott Zorn
Senior Vice President, Professional
Scott has worked in the staffing industry for more than 22 years, with 18 of those leading specialty staffing service teams in Engineering, Information Technology, and Professional recruiting. Scott has held positions ranging from recruiter, account manager, senior account executive, branch manager, onsite manager, area director, regional vice president, senior vice president and executive vice president in the workforce solutions and staffing industry. In previous roles, he has focused on building strategic programs for Fortune 500 clients, as well as customized retention programs for various organizations. Additional staffing industry experience includes branch operations, regional management, BPO, outsourcing, and national & international account management.
Scott has maintained accountability for sales, delivery, and operations for full spectrum information technology and engineering services, including staff augmentation, direct hire, retained search, recruitment process outsourcing, statement of work, managed services, outsourcing (co-location, near-shore and off-shore), and business process outsourcing.
Scott holds a baccalaureate degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Wisconsin. He has deep industry knowledge and is always looking for ways to use his vision and creativity to solve business and talent problems to create value for both candidates and clients. Scott is a Wisconsin native and resides in New Berlin, WI with his family.