Where AI Meets Human Connection

Shally Steckerl has spent thirty years proving that great hires don't happen by accident, they happen by design. Since 1996, he has been the driving force behind Talent Sourcing's rise from an overlooked back-office task to a recognized, respected discipline within talent acquisition worldwide, earning him the informal but well-earned title "Father of Modern Sourcing."Today, Shally serves as Talent Sourcing Strategy Lead at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where for the past two years he has built and led sourcing strategy for one of the country's most demanding hiring environments: finding scientists, engineers, and researchers whose expertise sits at the edge of what's publicly searchable. It's the kind of work that tests every method he's spent a career refining, and it's sharpened his conviction that the best sourcing blends deep human judgment with the smart use of AI, automation, and analytics, never one at the expense of the other.

He is the author of The Sourcing Method (3rd edition) and The Talent Sourcing and Recruitment Handbook, and has spoken to recruiting audiences on nearly every continent. His work and perspective have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Forbes.

Shally holds a dual Bachelor of Science in International Business Management and Intercultural Communications from Rochester Institute of Technology, is a native Spanish speaker, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua. He still believes the hardest part of recruiting was never finding candidates, it's finding the discipline to look where no one else will.

Anna Howell is a seasoned Talent Acquisition and People leader with a career spent building, scaling, and transforming recruiting and HR functions for high-growth technology companies. A startup veteran, she brings a practitioner’s perspective to the challenges facing modern recruiting teams—from scaling quickly with limited resources to adopting new technology without losing the human judgment that makes great recruiting work.

Throughout her career, Anna has served as a consultant, Head of People, and recruiting leader for companies navigating rapid growth, international expansion, acquisitions, and emerging technologies. Her experience spans healthcare technology, SaaS, EdTech, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and quantum computing.

Anna helped IonQ, a publicly traded quantum computing company, establish its presence in Switzerland and expand into Europe. She also served as the first Head of People at EvolutionIQ, an early adopter of AI and machine learning in the insurance industry, where she helped build the People infrastructure that supported the company's growth through its eventual $750 million acquisition. Earlier in her career, she led recruiting and talent engagement initiatives at Symplicity during the company's international expansion across APAC, EMEA, and South America.

Today, Anna is a People and Talent leader at a private equity-backed healthcare technology company with a fully distributed workforce across the United States and India. She continues to operate at the intersection of talent strategy, technology, and organizational growth, with a particular interest in how AI is changing both the way recruiters work and the way candidates navigate the hiring process.

Walter A. Campbell is a nationally recognized recruitment and retention strategist, speaker, and trainer with public safety organizations nationwide.

‍A 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran and former recruiter, Walter brings firsthand experience in candidate engagement, relationship building, and recruiting conversations. He currently serves as Recruitment and Retention Strategist for Responder MAX, helping organizations modernize their recruitment strategies and build consistent, people-centered systems.

‍Walter is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian with more than 30 years of stage experience. His careers in recruiting and comedy have shown him the power of timing, listening, storytelling, authenticity, and reading the room.

‍Walter combines practical recruiting strategies, real-world experience, and humor to help recruiters build trust faster, navigate challenging conversations, and connect with candidates as people, not transactions.

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Grant Clough is the Talent Acquisition Leader at Cherry Bekaert, where he leads recruiting strategy and hiring initiatives for one of the nation's largest accounting and advisory firms. Based in Northern Virginia, he holds degrees in Accounting and Employment Law from Clemson and Wake Forest. Grant has a particular interest in the intersection of talent and technology, with a focus on hiring risk, candidate fraud, and the rise of AI-enabled candidates.

Jennifer Jones, MHR, CSP, CRP is a Talent Operations and Workforce Strategy leader specializing in helping organizations modernize recruiting through operational excellence, technology, and data-driven decision making. With more than a decade of experience spanning federal contracting, talent acquisition, recruiting operations, and workforce strategy, she has led enterprise initiatives that improve scalability, compliance, and the overall hiring experience.

As Senior Talent Operations Manager at Akumen, Inc., Jennifer partners with executive leadership to transform recruiting operations through AI-powered automation, API integrations, process optimization, and workforce planning. She also supports business development and capture efforts by developing staffing strategies for federal proposals while leading CMMI process improvement initiatives and ensuring compliance with complex regulatory requirements.

Jennifer is passionate about the future of talent acquisition and the evolving role of technology in recruiting. She believes the most successful organizations combine automation with authentic human connection to create better experiences for candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers alike.Jennifer holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Education and Leadership Development from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Louisiana Tech University. She is also a Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) and Certified Recruiting Professional (CRP).

Ian began his recruiting career coaxing COBOL programmers out of retirement ahead of Y2K. Since then, he’s led recruiting efforts that helped organizations hire employee #1 and employee 1,000,000 across industries ranging from half-price cupcakes to quantum computers. Today, he is Vice President of Talent Acquisition at HackerOne, helping build the team working to make the Internet a safer place.

Chris Stanzione is the Managing Partner at 360 Talent, a Managed Recruiting Services firm.  Chris has over 23 years of experience leading global Talent Acquisition teams, is SHRM-SCP Certified, an Agile Coach and Certified Scrum Master and has a passion for helping Talent Organizations grow and increase productivity using Agile practices.  Chris also has significant global experience in leading cross-functional, matrixed organizations through complex change structures accelerating talent growth and productivity.  

Prior to joining 360 Talent, Chris served as the Global Head of Talent at North Highland Consulting and has served in leadership roles in both Corporate Talent Acquisition and Staffing organizations for the last 23 years.

Chris received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University and his M.B.A. from Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business Executive Program.

Originally a native of Washington, D.C., Chris and his family reside in Atlanta, GA, U.S.

Jennifer Henley is Chief Operating Officer of NAS Recruitment Innovation, where she translates business strategy into execution across operations, client delivery, sales, creative, media, technology, and product innovation. With more than 25 years of experience in human resources and recruitment marketing, she brings a distinctive combination of operational leadership, industry expertise, and client-focused strategic thinking to her role.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has helped organizations develop innovative, cost-effective strategies to strengthen recruitment, employer branding, candidate engagement, and retention. Her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification further supports her focus on operational efficiency, continuous improvement, and measurable business outcomes.

Jennifer is a nationally recognized speaker on recruitment marketing, employer branding, social media, and healthcare talent acquisition trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and advertising from West Virginia University and maintains PHR and SHRM-CP certifications. Jennifer is also an active member of SHRM and other human resources associations and has served in a board leadership role with the National Association for Health Care Recruitment (NAHCR).

I don’t believe in waiting for the future—I build it.

With over 18 years in talent acquisition and stops at NPR, Capital One, Twitter, and Claro Analytics, I’ve seen every side of the hiring game. From the war for talent to the leadership lessons learned in storms, one thing’s always been clear: recruiting isn’t broken—it’s just behind.

That’s why I write. That’s why I build. That’s why I teach.

As CEO of Lex Duo, I lead the development of tools like The AI Recruiter and the Talent Intelligence Agent—products built not for HR, but for the humans in HR. I’m also the co-author of The AI Recruiter: Revolutionizing Hiring with Advanced GPT-Powered Prompts, written with GPT-4, in just three weeks. The book isn’t theory. It’s templates, prompts, and battle-tested strategies for real recruiters.

My work has been featured in RecruitingDaily, ERE, and on stages like Talent42. Whether I’m writing about lessons from old farmers, unpacking Google's success, or calling out LinkedIn’s blind spots, my goal is always the same: tell the truth and raise the bar.

I teach AI Basics Bootcamps for recruiters, empowering people to build their own tools—no code, no nonsense. Because AI isn’t going to replace recruiters. But recruiters who know how to use AI? They’re already winning.

Let’s connect if you’re trying to rethink how recruiting works—and what it could be.

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Cliff Mills is Senior Director of Client Services at NAS Recruitment Innovation, where he leads client strategy and delivery across recruitment marketing, employer branding, paid media, career sites, analytics, and emerging technology. He works closely with clients and NAS teams to connect talent acquisition challenges with integrated strategies designed to strengthen candidate engagement and deliver measurable business results.

Throughout his career, Cliff has helped organizations translate complex workforce needs into practical, audience-centered solutions. His experience spans employer brand strategy, recruitment advertising, digital media, candidate experience, and client relationship leadership. He is particularly focused on bringing these disciplines together—ensuring that creative, media, technology, and measurement work as a connected strategy rather than as separate services.

Cliff is a strategic advisor to talent acquisition and human resources leaders across a range of industries, with deep experience supporting healthcare organizations and other employers navigating competitive and evolving labor markets. He is also actively engaged in exploring how artificial intelligence, search behavior, and emerging technologies are reshaping recruitment marketing, job discovery, and the candidate journey.

Kevin M. Coleman is known as The Empowerment Coach, Trainer, and Speaker who has consulted and coached C-Suite, Government, Medical, Retail, and Non-Profit Executives. He has partnered with leaders to create and gain a competitive advantage through communication and strategic continuity within their organizations. He has development programs to meet your leadership, communication, professional development, customer service, and sales needs at all levels. As the Founder and CEO of KMC Empowerment, LLC, Kevin has dedicated over 35 years to cultivating success in individuals and organizations. Kevin has trained small groups to massive audiences of four to four thousand. Kevin's remarkable journey includes service to his country in the military, and he is a disabled veteran. Attendees will leave their training inspired and depart with actionable behaviors that will be immediately applied to supercharge their organization. Please welcome The Empowerment Coach!, Kevin M. Coleman.