Recruiters / Hiring Managers

Keynote

Career Coaches and Panel

James M. Beamesderfer (Panel)

Jim Beamesderfer is vice president, Veterans Initiatives and heads the Prudential Veterans Initiatives Office. He is responsible for the company’s external and internal veterans programs, which includes supporting Diversity and Inclusion activities, implementing the communications strategy and overseeing philanthropic activity in coordination with internal business partners. In addition, he oversees the VETalent program that in partnership with the nonprofit organization Workforce Opportunity Services, recruits, trains and hires Iraq and Afghanistan-era military veterans and military spouses. Beamesderfer has been a driving force behind the development of the company’s military spouse employment program and was recently appointed as the Co-Chair of the US Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Hereos Military Spouse Employment Advisory Council. He also plays a key role in expanding the VETalent program and other Military Talent employment programs to other companies.

Beamesderfer joined Prudential in 1997. Prior to his current role, he was a director, Information Systems in Prudential’s Individual Life Insurance business where he supported Prudential Advisors technology functions such as Customer Relationship Management, marketing, financial planning, and learning / professional development. 

Prior to joining Prudential, Beamesderfer was a captain in the U.S. Army, serving six years in Infantry units.

Beamesderfer has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.  He also earned the Project Management Professional designation.

Beamesderfer sits on the board of directors of the United Service Organizations (USO) of Metro NYC, the board of advisors for the Center for a New American Security and is an active member of the Rutgers Business School Military and Veteran Advisory Board.
 

Tony Calabrese (Resume Review & Coach Introduction)

Tony Calabrese is a certified Life and Career Coach.  A lifelong New Jersey resident, he has thrived through a series of life changing events.   Coaching, consulting, facilitating support groups, and writing blogs and newsletters provide the opportunity for him to share what he has learned with others.

After a long and successful career in Project Management and Systems assignments, a series of life events led Tony to shift directions and pursue a new career in coaching.  In 2009, Tony earned his certifications from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC) in both their intensive coach training program and their Energy Leadership assessment and debrief process.  In August of 2011, he became a Certified Career Coach.  Tony is a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and was President of its New Jersey chapter in 2012.

Tony and his wife, Carolina, reside in Maplewood, NJ. 
Telephone: (973) 762-1350 Cell: (201) 306-9811

Paul Cecala (30 Second Introductions)

Paul Cecala, a Five O’Clock Club Certified Career Coach, has been coaching since 1999 and assisted over 3000 people in either changing careers or starting their professional lives.  He has worked for several post-secondary career schools as Director of Career Services specializing in Biotech/pharmaceutical careers, Green Economy jobs, aviation, allied health, IT and general administrative professions.  Currently, he the Director of Program Development for Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies where his responsibilities include identifying developing and managing many of the school's adult, non-credit programming.  Additionally, he helped develop the job search training process for several NJ Department of Labor sponsored job search groups.

Paul has a BS in Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology.  Prior to career coaching, he had a long career in corporate aviation sales.  His final position in this arena was Vice President of Aircraft Charter Sales for a nation-wide industry leader.

Alex Freund (Panel)

Known as “The Landing Expert,” Alex Freund helps his clients land new positions and get promotions through effective interviewing. As a former director at Honeywell, Sanofi and Tyco International, Alex is an experienced hiring manager.

Currently, Alex is a career coach, specializing in helping his clients improve their interviewing skills and making them confident and comfortable throughout the interviewing process. For the last 12 years, Alex has helped more than 750 clients ranging from managers to CEOs in a variety of industries.

Alex is volunteering in several job-search networking groups where he is an occasional presenter. He conducts workshops on interviewing, resumes, LinkedIn, Value Proposition, Personal Branding and alike in addition to weekly publishing a blog written specifically for job seekers. His blogs are posted on many LinkedIn groups, appeared in Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine and Business Insider.

For over eight years, Alex has been teaching a course for people in transition via the Princeton Adult School and publishes The Landing Expert List, a free directory of job-search networking groups via his website at landingexpert.com.

Alex is a Cornell University graduate and speaks five languages.

Sue McLean (Panel)

As Senior Recruiting Director, Sue focuses primarily on positions for Enterprise Project/Program Management, PMO, or Business Analysis. She also works with specialty project management positions for eCommerce, Digital and Integration - some of which may require a PMP, an Agile approach or CSM certification.
 
You will find that The Connors Group's (TCG) approach to working with candidates and clients is relationship-based - and not merely transactional. Their associates work together as a team, combining industry knowledge and contacts.  Beyond initial vetting, Sue works closely with candidates to help them present their BEST professional selves—from crafting the right resume to reviewing their LinkedIn profile and guiding them through interview preparation. 
 
Building trusted relationships is the cornerstone of TCG business. And due to these long-established relationships, they are fortunate to also call many of their clients and candidates - friends!

TCG is proactive, enthusiastic, and fun to do business with! Gratitude for every client, candidate, and relationship is the greatest reason for their continued success.
 
Contact Sue by email:  Sue@theconnorsgroup.com
Or phone/text: 201-317-2271
https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemclean/

Charles Rosen (Panel)

Charles B. Rosen has over 4 decades of experience delivering technology-enabled business solutions that address strategic and operational issues facing Global organizations. With degrees in econometrics and organizational behavior, he specializes in assisting Clients mine the value of their technical and cultural infrastructure and design strategic and tactical plans that maximize their strengths.

Charles is also Vice Chair – Operations, for the New Jersey (region 4) Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMINJ), responsible for Finance and Operational Continuity.

Prior to joining GalaxE.Solutions, Charles served as PMOLink (New Orleans) VP–Technical Consulting. PMOLink delivered products, guidance and services to a diverse range of public and private sector Clients including Pfizer, MetLife, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics, USDA Forest Service, US Army, Cox Target Media, Entergy and Public Service Electric and Gas. He has developed and taught courses in Successful Project Management and Estimation and Cost Benefit Analysis at Louisiana State University, Rutgers and for private enterprises.

Merrill Rutman (Resume Review)

Merrill Rutman is a professional resume writer and job search coach who crafts resumes and LinkedIn profile summaries that answer the key questions on the minds of all prospective hiring authorities, “What can you do for me?  Why should I hire you rather than another equally qualified candidate?”  Merrill helps each client express his or her unique value proposition, which answers those key questions in logic that resonates with corporate executives and business owners alike, an appeal they cannot afford to ignore.

Merrill is a former executive recruiter and award-winning technical writer.  His full background is on his https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrillrutman/ profile.

Terry Seamon (Targeted Reinvention)

Career Transition Consultant - 2019 As an Executive Career Transition Consultant with The Ayers Group since 2009, Terry helps professionals and executives as they make their way through the career transition process toward their career goals.

Terry’s approach is to focus on each person, tailoring the process to fit their needs and objectives. As he guides them through the challenges of job search and career change, Terry supports them with customized tools and strategies. His goal is to help them quickly galvanize into action and thereby accelerate their searches.

In addition to working with individuals, Terry also gives presentations on job search topics to professional networking groups in New Jersey.

An active writer, Terry writes articles on many aspects of the career transition process such as networking, interviewing, and personal branding. He publishes them frequently on LinkedIn where he is an active user of the networking platform.

Before joining The Ayers Group, Terry was a Training & Development professional for many years in the corporate world, specializing in leadership and management development, as well as organization change and development.

Terry holds a BA in Human Communication from Rutgers University, and a Masters degree in Education from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education.

He lives in Somerset, NJ with his wife Joan. His interests include family, music, theater, and film, as well as travel, food, and wine.

Ken Warman (Strengthen Your Search - Discover, Share, and Leverage Your Strengths)

Ken is the founder of The Leader’s Evolution, a leadership consulting firm with the mission to “Build and develop successful people, great leaders, and high-performing teams.”  Ken is a strategic leader and trusted advisor with a history of success achieved through a combination of diverse business experiences and talent development skills.

Ken has led teams as a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Consulting Practice for a Fortune 50 company - Prudential Financial.  Through a strong business foundation and dynamic approach, he creates engagement, personal growth, and successful business outcomes with his clients.

A talented leadership and International Coaching Federation trained coach, he builds deep relationships of trust with his clients and elevates them through heightened self-awareness and authentic dialogue, resulting in improvement of individual and organizational performance.

Ken uses a co-active coaching approach to foster a growth mindset with his clients.  He offers behavioral, emotional intelligence, 360 feedback and other assessment tools to raise client awareness and guide behavioral development and change.  Ken delivers the “Find Your Purpose” workshop which creates high impact and a path to action for leaders seeking change and fulfillment in their careers.

Ken is dedicated to developing and serving others.  He is a workshop facilitator at Seton Hall University in the Leadership Development Program and serves as a financial liaison for the Board of the Drumthwacket Foundation in Princeton, NJ.  Ken graduated from Lehigh University and is actively involved as an alumnus and speaker.  He resides with his wife and three teenage sons in Chester, NJ, where he is a frequent volunteer and coach.

Erica Woods (Five Ways to Gain a Candidate Advantage)

Erica Woods is the Director of Contractor Programs and Philanthropy at Apex Systems. Her focus is on overseeing programs, teams, communication channels, and other resources that support and add value to their IT Contractor Community of 16,000+. Erica also oversees corporate philanthropy efforts and acts as a technical community evangelist for various STEM programs/nonprofits. She has 15 years of experience in the IT staffing world and an MBA from Loyola University. She is a Professional and Career Development Author for the MSSQLTips.com online technical community, presents Career Development sessions for various communities, including SQL Saturdays, Code Camps, PMI PDDs, BA World conferences, and provides internal and external Team, Attitude and Performance Coaching. Erica is a Co-Founder of the ‘Baltimore Techies for Good’ MeetUp group, and Co-Founder/Co-Organizer of the Tampa Tech4Good MeetUp group, which are monthly events that bring together technical and marketing folks looking for skills-based volunteering opportunities with nonprofits in need of technology help/guidance.