EVERGREEN SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Dr. Crystal Bright is as a Consultant at Evergreen Solutions who brings more than twenty years of combined expertise in the non-profit, state government, and education sectors. With a specific focus on transfer, first-generation, and at-risk students, she has held various roles in higher education. As a program coordinator, she was responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing strategic plans and initiatives aimed at increasing undergraduate transfer enrollment and ensuring student success. Her contributions were recognized with the "Rising Star" award from the National Institute of Transfer Students (NITS) in 2019.
In her most recent administrative capacity, Dr. Bright led a dedicated team committed to enhancing the retention and academic achievement of undergraduate students. Leveraging predictive analytics through various Learning Management Systems, the team provided academic coaching, peer tutoring, and academic workshops to nurture student success. She also maintains her role as an Adjunct Professor, actively fostering academic success, enriching academic experiences, and promoting holistic student development. Her professional background spans a wide range of skills, including case management services, community engagement, conflict resolution, program management, strategic planning, and program development.
Dr. Jeffrey Ling is the President of Evergreen who has been with the firm since its inception in 2004. He is a Certified Compensation Professional who has worked in the consulting field for more than 25 years and leads Evergreen's Human Resources Consulting Practice. He has developed highly successful human resources management solutions targeted at state and local government as well as higher education markets. Public sector organizations from around the country have turned to his vast knowledge base to improve their ability to deliver. Specifically, his portfolio includes experience in research and evaluation, efficiency review, survey analysis, data management, survey and polling, risk analysis, change management, statistical modeling, and technology planning. He specializes in summarizing major alternatives for decision makers and providing viable recommendations.
Dr. Ling has been instrumental in creating, reviewing, and evaluating the methodology employed by Evergreen Solutions on all human resources engagements. In his professional work, he has interacted with over 1000 clients from around the world working in the capacity of Project Principal and project Director. His background and skill set make him uniquely qualified for assessing organizational critical needs and strategy. He is an expert in policy development and long-term planning.
Dr. Ling is renowned for his work in a variety of studies, including Management and Process Reviews, Strategic Planning, Compensation/Classification Studies, Business Case Analysis, Staffing Studies, Market Research, Policy Development, Performance Evaluation, Gender/Race Audits, Change Management Studies, Employee Trainings, Satisfaction Surveys, and Technology Reviews.
Dr. Ling holds a Doctorate's Degree from Florida State University in Political Science . He has taught at the College of Wooster, Florida State University, and Iowa State University. His areas of specialization included public management and operations, econometrics, and public sector service provision.
Job Titles:
- President Emeritus
- Leon County School System As the Executive Director of Planning and Policy Development
Dr. Linda Recio was the founding President of Evergreen Solutions in 2004 and became President Emeritus in 2020. As a successful educational consultant, Dr. Recio has held leadership positions in the educational arena for more than 30 years. School systems and state departments of education from across the United States have sought out her expertise and ability to deliver real-world solutions to state and local administrators.
In addition to serving as President Emeritus of Evergreen Solutions, Dr. Recio leads Evergreen's Education Consulting Practice, as she did for 15 years at another national consulting firm. Linda's extensive experience in comprehensive school district management and performance reviews, school improvement planning, and strategic planning has led many public education clients to hire Evergreen Solutions for improvement projects.
Dr. Recio is familiar with school districts in many states, having directed studies in California, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. While at the Florida Department of Education, she was instrumental in developing the comprehensive audit criteria and data collection instruments utilized to conduct operational and managerial reviews in Florida's 67 school districts. She is also an experienced program administrator. During her 13-year tenure with FDOE, she administered several special statewide programs, including the Community Involvement and Training Program and the State Compensatory Education Program.
Following her 13-year career with FDOE, Dr. Recio joined the Leon County School System as the Executive Director of Planning and Policy Development, where she was responsible for the district's strategic plan, school board policies and administrative procedures, staff plan, interagency and legislative planning, grants administration, and program evaluation.
Jacqueline Barnes has more than 20 years of administrative and clerical experience, including supervising a large word processing department. She has also worked for the Florida Department of Education and a national public-sector consulting firm. Jacqueline has a far-reaching understanding of design, Internet, spreadsheet, and word processing software. Ms. Barnes oversees all purchasing, travel, accounts receivable, correspondence and communications, and scheduling for the Evergreen team.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager With
Mr. Brian Wolfe is a Project Manager with Evergreen Solutions. He began working with Evergreen in 2007 and has worked on and off for more than 10 years. He has participated in the human resources practice at all levels ranging from data collection and analysis to project management. Prior to joining Evergreen, he worked in the private sector dealing with retirement planning, investment management, and employee benefits. In his current role as a Manager with the firm, he oversees the implementation of project work plans, deliverables and client relations. His long history of developing and maintaining strong client relationships blends well with his work with human resources functions.
As a Project Manager and consultant, Mr. Wolfe has personally conducted every level of statistical analysis dealing with assessing client's compensation and classification systems and reviewing staffing levels. The differences between clients and their unique situations allow him to express his creativity in problem solving and his commitment to generating positive results. He specializes in making sure that both internal and external equity are adequately assessed and that a balanced approach is followed to ensure that his clients find themselves in a markedly better position post-engagement than they were when they began their respective study.
Mr. Connor Holcombe is a Senior Consultant at Evergreen Solutions. He has spent extensive time studying econometric modeling, public-sector economics, and both micro and macro-economic labor markets. His analytical experience stems from studying econometrics while utilizing statistical analysis software such as SAS, Stata, and Excel to turn raw data into useful, accessible information. He has been using his economics background both in running a business and in his work with Evergreen since his graduation.
Mr. Holcombe's role with Evergreen has focused on compensation and classification studies utilizing market data. His primary responsibilities include: working closely with project teams and project managers in coordinating salary and benefit survey initiatives; evaluating market data from surveys, government agencies, and private sector databases to provide comprehensive reviews of compensation packages; and designing clear and concise reports and displays to communicate nuanced results.
Job Titles:
- President of IPMA - HR
- Project Manager With
Mr. Fagan Stackhouse is a Project Manager with Evergreen who has more than 45 years of HR experience serving as an HR Director, Interim City Manager, Deputy City Director, Assistant County Administrator, and Consultant. He possesses the following HR practice skills: talent acquisition; workforce development; employee engagement; equity and diversity development; classification and compensation; talent development and management; employee relations; benefits administration; well-being initiatives; and strategic visioning and implementation. His employment objectives are to develop and sustain talent through creative strategies and best practices and to ensure systems, processes, and workforce initiatives add individual and organizational value in order to create and sustain great employee experiences.
Mr. Stackhouse has served in leadership roles in cities and counties in the State of Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Just before coming to Evergreen, he served as the Director of HR for the City of Raleigh for four years. Prior to this, he was the Special Assistant to the City Administrator in Charleston County, South Carolina for eight years where he was responsible for all HR functions and special projects. From 1986 to 2010, he was the Director of HR and Executive Director for the Investigation Review Panel for the City of Virginia Beach. From 1976 - 1986 he served as the HR Director for cities in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Mr. Stackhouse has served as the President of IPMA-HR and as instructor and guest lecturer at universities. He is the recipient of several awards including, Warner Stockberger Achievement Award, Swain Award, and trailblazer awards. He has a Master's degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics. He maintains certifications in IPMA-SCP and SHRM-SCP.
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant
- Senior Consultant With
Mr. Karl Fuchs is a Senior Consultant with Evergreen with over 25 years of experience serving public sector organizations in various aspects of human resources management. His past roles include Human Resources Director and Plans and Operations Analyst. He is also a Retired Marine Corps Veteran. In addition to his regular duties while serving as a Human Resources Director, he successfully implemented creative recruiting and retention strategies which lessened time to hire and lengthened retention, especially in hard to fill positions. He streamlined and updated legacy processes and provided remedies for classification and compensation of non-bargaining unit employees.
Mr. Fuchs was a Plans and Operations Analyst working under DoD contract where he provided subject matter expertise on operational manpower and employment of U. S. Marine forces in the Middle East. He developed staffing requirements for Contingency Plans, multi-national joint exercises, and the deployment and redeployment of forces conducting combat operations. He also supervised staff in various HR roles such as pay management, employee recognition, and official travel.
Mr. Fuchs earned his Juris Master from Florida State University, College of Law and Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration specializing in Management from Saint Leo University. He is currently working on a Master's in Public Administration focusing on Local Government Management.
Mr. Mark Holcombe is a Project Manager at Evergreen Solutions. He has spent extensive time studying both micro and macro-economic labor markets, public sector economics, and has studied econometric modeling for displaying and communicating data in an effective way. He has been using his economics background both in running a business and in consulting since graduation. His role with Evergreen has focused on compensation and classification studies utilizing market data. His primary responsibilities include: working closely with project teams and project managers in coordinating salary and benefit survey initiatives; evaluating market data from surveys, government agencies, and private sector databases to provide comprehensive reviews of compensation packages; and designing clear and concise reports and displays to communicate nuanced results.
Mr. Holcombe holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics with a concentration in Behavioral Economics and Criminology from Florida State University. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds a SHRM-SCP certification.
Mr. Michael Misrahi is a Project Manger with Evergreen who has been with the firm for more than seven years. During that time, he has served as a Consultant or Project Lead on more than 100 HR consulting projects. He has extensive experience in the development and modification of compensation and classification plans, policies, and practices for organizations varying in size from a few dozen employees to several thousand.
Mr. Misrahi also served as the Compensation Manager at the University of Central Florida, where he oversaw a team of compensation analysts, and was responsible for administering the University's compensation structure for over 10,000 employees.
Mr. Misrahi has an MBA and a Bachelor's degree in History from Florida State University.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant With
Mr. Peter Backhaus is a Consultant with Evergreen Solutions. He is able to apply his knowledge and skills as a Consultant for Evergreen, through various functions including: conducting market research and collecting compensation data, running regression analyses, and recommending appropriate pay grades.
Mr. Backhaus began his career working in sales through various markets. He quickly transitioned into a role with Verizon's most prominent partner as an account manager, focusing on business relationships and growth in the Tallahassee Florida area. Most prominently in his sales path, he joined a startup as the sales manager to lead a team through client growth and retention, while also developing outbound strategy for adopting new verticals for the company.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager With
Mr. Rob Williamson is a Project Manager with Evergreen. He brings more than 20 years of proven leadership experience serving both private and public sector clients. His diverse leadership includes time as a business owner, County Commissioner, CEO of a mid-sized water and wastewater treatment utility, Executive Director of a three-member regional water utility provider, and most recently, Manager of the Florida Association of Counties' 23-county insurance trust.
During his career, Mr. Williamson has served on boards of directors for more than two dozen public, private, civic and charitable organizations. This includes time as Chairman of the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners, RESTORE Council, Tourist Development Council, Florida/Alabama Transportation Planning Organization and as a member of the Florida Gulf Consortium, Florida Association of Counties Executive Board, Leadership Santa Rosa, and the Institute for County Government to name a few. He is a also a member of the Florida Rural Water Association.
Mr. Williamson helps organizations create new strategic pathways to solve complex problems. His areas of focus include policy development, strategic planning, change management, government services, transportation planning, master planning, tourism, RESTORE Act implementation and leadership development.
Mr. Williamson has certifications from the Cambridge Leadership Institute and the Kenan-Flagler Business School Leadership Institute and possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Florida State University.
Mr. Tom Maureau honorably retired as a Division Commander from the Tallahassee Police Department after 26 years of service. His experience with the force was wide ranging and included management of primary public safety technology projects and applications, management of the E911, Police and Fire Communications Center, Records Management Section, Property and Evidence Unit, Police Information Management Services, Criminal Intelligence Unit, Crime Analysis Unit, State Attorney Liaison Unit, and Criminal Investigations and Patrol. He also served as the Project Manager of public safety information technology projects and as the Public Safety liaison to numerous internal and external IT entities.
Mr. Maureau earned his MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix in 2007. He is a Certified Public Manager, and has experience as a Florida Registered Emergency Medical Technician/Paramedic. In addition to other professional certifications, he has a bachelor's degree in Criminology from Florida State University.
Mr. Maureau is an experienced consultant who currently works for Windbourne Consulting, LLC. He works with national public service organizations and entities that support them, including the International Association of Chief's of Police (IACP) Law Enforcement Information Managers (LEIM) and various national and regional public safety Information Technology conferences.
Executive management responsibility for over $20 million in public safety Information Technology projects
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant
- Senior Consultant With
Ms. Allie Crumpler is a Senior Consultant with Evergreen who has more than 10 years' experience in K-12 education. She was a Science Teacher and Department Head in Leon County Schools where she received a District rating of Highly Effective and was recognized as a District Lead Teacher and as a High Impact Teacher by the Florida Department of Education. As a teacher, she worked with her administrative team to develop programs including a school-wide PBIS initiative and a SciGirls program to encourage young women's interest in STEM fields. She also sponsored several extra-curricular programs for students, including Science Fair and Cheerleading.
Ms. Crumpler has extensive experience in both the public sector and private sector, including local and state government, grant-funded institutions, and non-profits. She demonstrates strength in customer service, data analysis, and strategic planning.
Ms. Crumpler has a Master's of Science in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Secondary Science Education from Florida State University. She received her teaching credentials from Florida State University and also holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Florida State University.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Managing Partner, Ressel and Associates, LLC
Ms. Betty Ressel, CPA, is a Managing Partner of Ressel and Associates, LLC. She has participated in and managed 105 efficiency, performance, and academic audits conducted by the Texas Comptroller's Office in school districts (100) and Higher Education Institutions (5), as well as reviews of state and local governmental agencies. She has served on the Evergreen Team for more than nine years.
As a former personnel manager and the director of several large divisions within a Texas state agency, Ms. Ressel also understands state and federal laws related to managing human resources. She strongly believes in the need for clear and accessible internal policies and procedures to guide management and staff through the process. She has developed flexible staffing allocation formulas that take into account the needs of small and large school districts and other state and local governmental entities and has first-hand experience working with contracts and contract employees.
From 1993 to 2003, Ms. Ressel served as the Director of the Texas School Performance Review (TSPR). As one of her first acts in that position, Ms. Ressel envisioned and implemented several unique components to the reviews, including documented audit protocols and follow-up progress visits. While the notion of operational reviews was not new at that time, there were no documented processes or standards for conducting such reviews. The TSPR audit protocols for school districts and higher education institutions, which she authored and disseminated nationally after winning the 1999 Innovations in American Government Award, are now continually under reviewed and improved to ensure consistency of approach relevancy when conducting a school review.
In addition to directing audits/reviews, Ms. Ressel has personally gathered data for the audits in each of the functional areas, administered surveys, conducted interviews as well as small and large group facilitated sessions as part of the review process, formulated fully supported recommendations and commendations, and has written and edited entire reports.
Ms. Ressel is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive knowledge of school funding, financial management and school district investments. At the request of the Texas Legislature, she collaborated with a task force to write an investment and cash management guide, Banks to Bonds: A Practical Path to Sound School District Investing.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant With
Ms. Brenda Whurr is a Consultant with Evergreen who has more than 15 years of human resource management experience. As a former HR Director in both Florida and in North Carolina, she led an HR team with onboarding, payroll processing and day-to-day employee issues; administered leave and workers' compensation; worked with leadership on recruiting strategies and employee relation issues; coordinated open enrollment and other benefit programs; implemented policies and procedures to assist in the transformation of a small company approach to a larger, multi-location company; transitioned the HR Department to a paperless document storage system and developed and implemented a recruiting program; and led initiatives for Wellness Program and Family Fun Day to increase employee engagement and energy.
Ms. Whurr has a Bachelor's of Science in Management Information Systems and possesses a Professional Human Resources certification (PHR) as well as a certification as a professional with SHRM.
Ms. Brittanian "Britt" Gamble is a Project Manager with Evergreen. She is an experienced higher education professional with over 18 years of experience in administration, strategic planning, program evaluation, policy development, and organizational design. She started her career in the classroom and then served in leadership roles at state public, private, and Ivy League institutions.
Job Titles:
- Marketing Coordinator
- Marketing Coordinator With
Ms. Brooke Gagliano is a Marketing Coordinator with Evergreen Solutions, responsible for the assistance in executing marketing strategies for the firm, attending HR conferences, developing marketing materials, and maintaining the firm's social media presence. Before joining Evergreen, she was responsible for all social media platforms for Narcissus, a local retailer.
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant
- Senior Consultant With
Ms. Jennifer Boswell is a Senior Consultant with Evergreen Solutions. She has 15 years of experience in human resources and government and demonstrates a thorough working knowledge of human resource principles and practices. She possesses expertise in the areas of classification and compensation, organizational management, policy development, and strategic planning.
Ms. Boswell's public sector experience includes serving as the Human Resources Administrator for the Florida Commission on Offender Review and the Chief of State Workforce Design and Compensation Programs for the State of Florida, Department of Management Services. She has been a member of the National Compensation Association of State Governments and currently belongs to the National Society of Leadership and Success and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Ms. Kelli Bracci, CPM, is a Senior Consultant with Evergreen Solutions. She has a Bachelor's of Science in Education from Georgia Southern University and a Juris Master from Florida State University's College of Law with a concentration in Human Resources and Legal Risk Management. She is a Certified Public Manager (CPM).
Ms. Bracci began her career working in the classroom teaching before transitioning to the public sector in state government. After 11 years with the state, she transitioned to the private sector with Evergreen Solutions, LLC.
Mrs. Bracci is experienced in employee engagement, relationship management, process improvements, supervisory and leadership development, organizational change management, project coordination, and effective communication. She deeply believes that HR is integral in creating a positive culture in every organization.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Marketing
Ms. Kelly Tucker is the Vice-President of Marketing for Evergreen Solutions. She has over 25 years of professional and consulting experience with various public and private organizations, including the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Executive Office of the Governor, Florida Senate, Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Commission on Offender Review, Leon County, City of Tallahassee, and the United States Tennis Association-Florida Section. Specifically, her expertise and project work fall into three main areas: marketing in the private sector; legislation, procedure, and policy assessment in the public sector; and the management of various aspects of Florida's criminal justice system. Her involvement in marketing, planning, and development, and data analysis and interpretation, make her uniquely qualified to contribute to a variety of projects as well as lead Evergreen Solution's marketing efforts. Ms. Tucker's skills in marketing include event planning, technical writing, securing strategic partners, team development and coordination, informational material design, and business development. Her writing skills include the development of proposals and grants, assessment reports, marketing and promotional items, training and "how to comply" manuals, for various state, local, and private sector agencies.
Ms. Kristen Gilley, CCM, is a Senior Consultant with Evergreen who has more than 14 years' experience in adult learning and K-12 education. She was a Language Arts teacher in Leon County Schools where she received a District rating of Highly Effective and was recognized as a High Impact Teacher by the Florida Department of Education. As a teacher, she supervised interns and practicum university students, developed, implemented, and sponsored multiple extra-curricular activities for students, including the National Junior Honor Society, school spelling bee, and orientation camp for incoming students, and was a business manager for athletic teams.
Ms. Gilley was a Program Specialist for the Florida Department of Education where she oversaw educator retention and development programs, including revisions, marketing, and rule developments for the following: Clinical Education Program Developer Academy, Professional Education Competency Program, and the Title II, Part A: State-Level Equitable Services Program for Non-Profit Private Schools. As a Program Specialist, she managed approximately $9 million in professional development and recruitment grants and contracts for the Bureau, participated in Professional Development Protocol site visits in order to assist school districts in developing strategic plans for professional learning, and was a member of the Florida Teacher of the Year internal evaluation committee. She was also a volunteer mentor for a middle school in Leon County Schools for two years.
Ms. Gilley has a Master's of Science in Public Administration and Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations from the University of West Florida. In her Master's program, she specialized in leadership in public service and non-profit administration. She received her teaching credentials from the Educator Preparation Institute, Gulf Coast State College, Florida in 2011. She is a Florida Certified Contract Manager (CCM).
Ms. Stasey Whichel is a Project Manager with Evergreen with over 25 years of experience in government and education. Early in her career, she worked as a high school math teacher and served as a Secondary Faculty Director and Curriculum Coordinator. She also developed a strategic approach to increasing course offerings, realigned staff resources, and designed survey tools to evaluate current and future needs.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant With
Ms. Tara Tabachnik is a Consultant with Evergreen Solutions. She began her career at Evergreen as a Junior Analyst and has since developed exceptional skills and knowledge in Human Resources consulting that she applies in her current role as a Consultant. Since joining Evergreen, she has mastered the art of conducting market surveys and market research and has been a great resource to the project teams. She has taken on a lead role with Evergreen's market surveying efforts through the creation of Evergreen's internal data team. She works closely with all project teams by conducting salary surveys, benefits surveys, staffing surveys, and market research for various types of clients.