OUTPLACEMENT - Key Persons


Alex Blane

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Alex joined Challenger in 2004 and has successfully worked with many senior-level executives on large projects. He is also a high school and NCAA lacrosse official and has worked many high-level games, including NCAA playoffs and HS state championships. Alex resides in North Andover, MA.

Andrea Grant

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
  • VP, to Deliver Best Practices for Navigating DE & I at Work
Andrea joined Challenger in 2020. As a true partner, she listens to and assesses the needs of her customers. She believes helping individuals connect to work by supplying efficient career transition support and improving their performance through effective executive coaching is part of her purpose.

Andy Challenger - SVP

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President
Andy has been with Challenger for 8 years. He leads the Sales Team and appears in the media as a trusted expert on workplace and employment topics. His mission is to provide the highest quality outplacement and executive coaching services available to the global business community.

Ann Carroll

Job Titles:
  • Vice President Finance
With a BS of Accounting and CPA, Ann started her career at an international public accounting firm before transitioning to corporate accounting. She has been with Challenger for five years. Anne enjoys working with customers and coworkers to develop solutions to ever-changing financial challenges.

Anne Speed - VP

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
  • Vice President
  • Our VP
Anne has been with Challenger for five years and understands outplacement from both sides of the table. As a former HR leader, she worked with many outplacement providers. When her job was eliminated and she was offered outplacement, she chose Challenger. That's why she works for Challenger today.

Brian McNeill

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Brian has been with Challenger for 5 years, after spending 15 years in Financial Services. Having experienced unexpected job loss firsthand, he is dedicated to helping jobseekers find meaningful work. He is an enthusiastic networker, devoted to connecting executives nationally.

Calvin Colbert - SVP

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
  • SVP
  • Challenger SVP
Calvin has been with Challenger for 12 years. As a past client, he believes in Challenger's services and that work matters! He seeks to understand people and organizations to help them find clarity during moments of change. As a business and community executive, he leads by focusing on strengths and better futures.

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Cindi has been with Challenger for 14 years. She is greatly privileged to partner with organizations around the world and help people navigate change. Whether outplacement or executive coaching, every problem has a solution. Her commitment is to bring those solutions to your doorstep via Challenger's services.

Darren Veneri

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Darren joined Challenger in 2013. With over 30 years of executive HR experience and a passion for helping others, Darren is a true professional connector. He's also a wine tasting enthusiast and WVU football/basketball fanatic (Go Mountaineers!) - all enjoyed with his partner in crime, Maggie.

David Cervone

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President of Operations
Dave has been with Challenger for nearly 19 years, overseeing all Operations (IT and Human Resources), the C-Suite Division and Challenger Business & Executive Coaching. He considers himself a sideline coach, always ready to listen, analyze and empower individuals to accomplish their goals.

David Pinette

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
David, Senior Vice President, has spent a decade with Challenger. He brings 20 years of expertise partnering with business leaders to identify areas of opportunities necessary to achieve performance targets linked to business strategy. He's known for his integrity and ability to deliver strong results.

Denis Simon

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
  • Our SEVP
Denis is a dedicated executive with corporate and community leadership expertise, having worked at several Fortune 500 corporations. He has been with Challenger for over 30 years and is committed to providing high-quality services to clients. Based in Dallas, he is responsible for the Southern US.

Dwayne Anderson

Job Titles:
  • Job Search Coach
With a diverse background in finance, operations, and contract food service management, Dwyane joined Challenger in 2011. He considers listening to clients' needs and tailoring coaching accordingly an important responsibility. He provides individualized support, leading to career transition success.

Eric Schweitzer

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Eric joined Challenger in 2017. He serves the business community on issues of organizational change. His consulting guidance is based on executive experience leading corporate initiatives in business transformation, team development and realignment, and business and product-line reorganizations.

Gary Punzi

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Gary has been with Challenger for over 21 years. He joined the team after spending 7 years with Tribune Publishing Company as a recruitment marketing specialist. He is passionate about supporting HR and their employees during challenging times and strives to exceed expectations.

George Hershey

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
George is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 corporations and the executives he helps. His effective and passionate approach to outplacement is perhaps best reflected in the tenure of his client relationships, many of which have endured for decades.

Heather Dolan

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Heather started her career in pharmaceutical advertising and has been with Challenger for 10 years. She is passionate about helping companies take quality care of their exiting employees as well as assisting organizations to invest and develop their current talent. Networking is her "love language!"

Heather Linz

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Heather helps people in transition land their next success by sharing her professional network. Based in Detroit, where she's heavily involved in the HR community, she focuses on Southeast Michigan and Toledo. She's always glad to give a hand to those looking for work.

James Jackson

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
James joined Challenger over 23 years ago, previously holding a leadership HR role at Texas Instruments. He oversees Challenger's operations in Ft. Worth and West Texas. He received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Texas, with an emphasis on Management and Marketing.

Jeff Gunter

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Jeff has been with Challenger for more than 30 years, serving as Senior Vice President. He is also an Eagle Scout/God and Country award recipient, graduate of University of South Carolina, and Veteran (USMC). He is dedicated to helping people achieve their personal and career goals.

Jess Chan

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Jess has been with Challenger for 29 years. Serving as Senior Vice President for the West Coast, he is an expert at helping corporations handle right-sizing and terminations while promoting and protecting their brand as a quality employer. He leads executives to find their next position quickly and effectively.

Jim Nellis

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Jim has been with Challenger for 6 years. He brings a wealth of domestic and international Human Resources experience along with entrepreneurial expertise. He strongly believes in collaborating with customers to determine the right outplacement structure and successfully assist impacted employees.

John A. Challenger - CEO

Job Titles:
  • CEO
A nationally recognized thought leader on business, workplace, and economic issues, John's trusted guidance and insight is often sought out by senior executives and CHROs. He has devoted much of his working life to helping people achieve career transition success. John testified before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business on the issue of permanent job loss in a global economy, as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on the topic of age discrimination in the workplace. He has delivered keynote addresses to the World Future Society and to the Business Continuity Management Summit hosted by Gartner, Inc.; Summit at Fisher, conducted by The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business; the UCLA Anderson School of Management; the Ethics Officers Association's annual conference; and summits of leading business executives in Japan. John serves on the boards of the Economic Club of Chicago and Skills for Chicagoland's Future, an organization dedicated to helping skilled workers from the city's highest unemployed zip codes find jobs at local major employers. He's also a member of YPO Gold, Chief Executives Organization (CEO), and the Commercial Club of Chicago. Previously, he served two terms on the Labor/Human Resource Committee of The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. A graduate of Harvard University, John is a member of the Harvard Alumni Association. He has served as Chair of the HAA Nominating Committee for the Board of Overseers and as President of the Harvard Club of Chicago.

John Gable

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
John has a wealth of corporate experience in the energy and public accounting industries. As a Senior Business Developer, he is deeply committed to ensuring customer and client satisfaction. He's also a United States Air Force veteran.

John Reyes

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
John joined Challenger 15 years ago after a career on Wall Street, in turmoil, giving him a deep sense of compassion for people in transition. Hi-Touch outplacement helped him move smoothly into a fulfilling career helping people. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Judie Collins

Job Titles:
  • Challenger Coach
Judie has been a Challenger Coach since 2010. She is adept at assisting clients with strategy and networking to uncover the hidden job market. Judie appreciates that the coaching provided to clients can be utilized throughout their careers. She received her Master's Degree from Harvard University.

Julie Katz

Job Titles:
  • Vice President of Operations
Julie has been with Challenger for 19 years. An accomplished Operations Executive, she has previously served as a member of the Resume Team and Coaching Division. Her goal is to ensure both companies and individuals receive the best services to achieve success.

Karen Seymour

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Karen has been with Challenger for 15 years. She finds nothing more rewarding than guiding a person through a successful transition to a new opportunity. She cherishes her close, personal relationships with her Customers and Clients.

Lisa Turesky

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
  • VP for Boston / New England
Lisa joined Challenger in 2012 as VP for Boston/New England, after serving as a broadcasting ad executive. She is an expert at helping clients be the best version of themselves during their outplacement experience. She's also knowledgeable about leadership development programs to ensure companies thrive.

Mary J. Rose

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
  • VP to Lead 'Managing Up' Workshop
With a passion for helping others, Mary joined Challenger in 2018. As a Regional Manager and Certified Professional Coach, her specialty is delivering solutions that address her clients' needs. She believes relationships are the key to all success!

Mary Stager

Job Titles:
  • Regional Director

Nick Tucker

Job Titles:
  • Job Search Coach
Nick has 20 Years in Industrial Sales, 10 Years in Health Care and10 Years in Workforce Development & Outplacement. Nick's multicultural experiences, educational mindset, emotional intelligence, and communication skills served him well in business. Now, he leads clients to find their next job or make the right career/life transition. Looking for a job is the hardest job you'll ever have. Nick helps make it easier.

Pam Taylor

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
Pam has been with Challenger for over 7 years. Maximizing her background in HR, she develops successful relationships with companies large and small to provide world-class career transition services. Her hands-on guidance helps clients shift to a new role quickly and efficiently.

Patricia de Gyldenfeldt Novotny

Job Titles:
  • Director of Training and Development
A seasoned expert in organizational development, change management, and employee training strategies, Patricia has been with Challenger for 12 years. As Director of Training and Development, she manages development initiatives for Job Transition Coaches as well as outplacement programs.

Paul Weldin

Job Titles:
  • Job Search Coach
Paul joined Challenger in 2011. With a background in education, executive leadership, business ownership and public speaking, he leverages empathy, intelligent discourse, active listening, and humor to help clients break down barriers, raise expectations and achieve career goals.

Penny Hawley

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President of Coaching

Pete Tzavalas - SVP

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager
  • SVP

Rich Spriggle - SVP

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President

Rob Barr

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager

Sandi Stevens

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager

Sterling Gunn

Job Titles:
  • Regional Director

Tom Wacker

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager

Tracey Kearny

Job Titles:
  • Regional Manager