KEN LEINER ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Amy Shepardson has worked in sales/staffing and recruiting for more than fifteen years. Having earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Dickinson College, she finds great satisfaction in helping people build their careers. Amy is highly motivated and team oriented. Among her strengths are the ability to listen, a love of people, and integrity. Her first job after college was at KLA, where she fell in love with the action and worked for five years before venturing into sales/staffing. She returned to KLA in 2012 with contagious energy and enthusiasm.
A former athlete and a New England native, Amy is a Red Sox/Patriots fan. She enjoys spending time with her husband, friends, and her 120 pound Mastiff, Beatrice. Amy is originally from Connecticut and has resided in Baltimore, MD for more than 10 years.
Barbara runs operations at Ken Leiner Associates with efficiency and an eye for detail. She first came through KLA's doors in 1999 as office support, and worked her way up the ranks. While at KLA she earned her degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College. As Office Manager she multitasks a variety of duties that include everything from accounting and payroll, to human resources, general operations, technical trouble shooting, and more.
Barbara has been a world traveler all of her life and has lived in Moresby, Papua New Guinea; the Solomon Islands; Seychelles; Nairobi, Kenya; and Cotonou, Benin. A proud mother of two kids and a dog, she is a fitness buff who enjoys working out regularly and staying healthy.
Beth Kandianis long thrived in the hot seat of Federal IT sales before bringing her spark and invaluable industry knowledge to the KLA team as a recruiter. She's a highly motivated achiever with a proficiency for identifying business goals, determining IT solutions and meeting or exceeding targets… resulting in increased market share. Beth joined KLA in November of 2020 after holding senior account executive roles for Quest, Microsoft, SGI, CDWG, DELL and others, where she excelled at selling enterprise software, hardware and services solutions including cybersecurity, Big Data and virtualization. Her in-depth knowledge of the federal technology sales marketplace give her a strong edge for aligning qualified candidates with the appropriate opportunity.
Beth received her MA degree from New York University. She started her career as an elementary school teacher before merging her teaching and communication skills with another interest: technology. She also loves a good challenge, and completed the Boston and NY marathons in the top 25% of her age group.
Dan's research efforts and data entry provide valuable support to KLA's recruiting team. Always willing to do what it takes for the company to be more successful, his positive attitude is respected within the company and among our clients. Dan graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management. He aspires to become an information technology support specialist. Dan enjoys fishing with his father and is an avid football and hockey fan. Also a dog lover, he supports animal rescue efforts and has adopted a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix from a rescue shelter.
Since joining Ken Leiner as his first "associate" in 1991, Frank Munero has been KLA's #1 producing recruiter, has helped grow and manage the firm, and was named Partner in 2011. A strong relationship builder, Frank is also a meticulous qualifier; he has high standards for both the companies and the candidates that he represents. His customers understand that when he brings them a candidate, they don't have to question the candidate's qualifications. Likewise, his candidates trust his judgment when he recommends a specific job opportunity. Frank's reputation preceeds him. People seek his advice and input even when he's not representing them. He has made thousands of placements, helped create many millionaires, and helped companies go public and grow by placing key executives and employees.
Frank works hard, but works smart. He enjoys life outside of work by spending quality time with his wife Mary and their two daughters, trying to refine his erratic golf game, and cheering for the Washington Football Team (it gets harder every year!)
A natural-born go-getter and competitor, Gary moved from technology sales to join the KLA team of recruiters in 2004. Throughout his sales career, he has consistently exceeded annual quota attainment-which spans the NT, Novell, UNIX, VMS and IBM 370 operating systems running on workstations, servers, minicomputers, LAN/WAN and mainframes-selling enterprise management solutions, systems software, application development tools, programmer productivity tools, web applications/services and consulting and conversion services. Gary has repeatedly demonstrated expertise in new accounts penetration and major/national account sales, and has won numerous awards and Club trips.
When not finding his clients the best talent, or his candidates their next best job, Gary can be found at the local WSC. He is a "baby-boomer"-fitness fanatic engaged in a personal battle against Father Time. He has enjoyed various competitions in Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting, has participated in mountaineering and rock climbing, and for the past 20 years, has been active in martial arts. Gary lives quietly with his wife, Jan the "Aerobics Queen", and his daughter in Germantown, MD.
Matt Zabel joined KLA as a recruiter in November 2016 and hit the ground running…fast! Previously established in the financial market, Matt made an easy transition to recruiting and began making numerous placements from the onset. His energy, enthusiasm, and great attitude are a perfect match for our team.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, North America Sales
With a background in journalism and social media, Raul Umanzor is now an up-and-coming technology recruiter at Ken Leiner Associates. Raul received his degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland (UMD). He began freelancing as a contributing photographer and writer at Metromix DC, and soon became hired as an Associate Producer, covering the DC nightlife scene. Having worked his way through college while as an administrative assistant at KLA, Raul eventually returned "home" to become our Social Media Manager and is now fully involved in the recruiting aspect of the KLA business.
Raul is a big fan of the UMD Terrapins and roots for the Terps year-round!
Stuart Neuwelt joined KLA in 1992, after work as a recruiter in the financial industry. Stuart recruits sales and pre-sales systems engineers for top-tier information technology vendors with a primary focus on the DC area Federal market. Stuart has built a successful practice by taking a hands-on approach, carefully listening to the requirements of his clients and candidates, then matching them to the best opportunities available. The care and attention he applies to fulfilling their needs has led to making great placements and forming long-term relationships.
When Stuart is not at work, you're likely to find him playing beach volleyball, running, or spending time with his family. He is hard-working, team-oriented and personable; the kind of person you want to work with to get your job done well.