Strategic Talent Group
Identify, Attract, and Engage Preeminent Talent
This is our vision. We are creating a competitive advantage for the university through people—strong individual contributors, high-functioning collaborators and teams, and excellent leaders—where their best work is encouraged, enabled, expected, and recognized.
Preeminence Through People
The Strategic Talent Group is University of Florida’s internal search team. By identifying, attracting, and engaging the strongest talent, we contribute to the Gator Good. As an internal consulting group, our passion for UF and our understanding of the culture and values of the UF community enable us to find the very best to meet the particular needs of each recruitment engagement.
Our Services
The Strategic Talent Group partners with UF departments and units to identify, attract, and engage the best talent. We are committed to providing exceptional service by blending our institutional knowledge and insights into UF’s culture with premier recruitment practices. We understand your business needs and will work closely with you to develop a strategic talent search plan. And we strive to advance UF’s employer brand by facilitating positive and productive relationships with all applicants.
We begin by talking with key individuals—unit leadership, search participants, and other stakeholders—to understand the vision for the position, the unique culture of the department or unit, and the characteristics and qualifications of an ideal candidate.
We build relationships by reaching out to potential sources and candidates in order to find exceptional talent. We explore a variety of outlets and utilize different methods to search peer institutions as well as private industry fields that align with the unit’s needs.
The Strategic Talent Group initiates conversations with potential candidates to gather essential information and lay the foundation for positive relationships. We share our insights and advise the hiring department regarding interview selections.
We collaborate in the interview process by developing strategic methodologies to facilitate the exchange of meaningful information between participants. Our team assists with campus and community tours that speak to each candidate’s special interests.
At the end of the search, our team provides data-driven recommendations for compensation packages, and we assist with the administrative responsibilities needed to finalize the recruitment process.
Active Full-Cycle Executive Searches
Full Professor
Office of the SVP, UF/IFAS
Located in Gainesville, FL
Our Team
Vice President
University of Florida Human Resources
Director
Talent Acquisition and Onboarding
gaineya1@ufl.edu
(352) 273-1706
Associate Director
Talent Acquisition and Onboarding
jsun@ufl.edu
(352) 273-1734
Manager
Strategic Talent Group
m.burkett@ufl.edu
(352) 273-1751
Talent Consultant
Strategic Talent Group
devan.m.b@ufl.edu
(352) 273-1722
Talent Consultant
Strategic Talent Group
aj.brown@ufl.edu
(352) 273-1713
Recent Strategic Hires
William MacDonald has been named as the new Senior Director of Transportation and Parking at the University of Florida. His journey in leading transportation and parking operations reached a pinnacle at Denver International Airport, where he managed the world’s largest airport parking operation. He was responsible for over 53,000 parking spaces there, generating more than $230 million in annual revenue.
Dr. Garland comes to this role with deep knowledge and understanding of the School of Theatre and Dance. She will celebrate 20 years at the College of the Arts this summer. Dr. Garland is an Associate Professor of Theatre in the school’s BA, BFA, and MFA programs. Her primary teaching areas are Movement, Stage Combat, and Period Styles Movement. Tiza holds her Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Texas Tech University, her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Theatre Pedagogy with a focus in Movement and Fight Direction, and her BA in Theatre, Spanish and Asian Studies from Western Michigan University.
Jeff Holeman, Director of Marketing, Warrington College of Business
Jeff Holeman leads marketing at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, where his focus is strengthening the brand among the college’s 8,000 students and 90,000 alumni, while also building an enrollment pipeline for the college’s portfolio of graduate and undergraduate programs. Jeff has more than 25 years of experience in marketing and branding. He previously led marketing, communications or enrollment at the UC Berkeley, Arizona State University, Keene State College, and the University of Rochester, as well as several healthcare systems.
Nigel Richardson, Senior Director of Academic Advising
Nigel is a dynamic and accomplished higher education professional with a passion for academic advising and student success. With over a decade of experience, He believes that effective advising is pivotal to the success of undergraduate students and that supporting advisors is essential to ensuring that students receive the guidance they need to realize their academic and career aspirations. Nigel eagerly anticipates the opportunity to collaborate with the diverse UF community. He is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment and he is eager to work alongside advisors, staff, and faculty to ensure that students receive the highest quality of academic guidance.
Director, Beyond 120 Program
Dr. Taylor Stokes serves as the Director of the Beyond 120 Program for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She has worked in colleges and universities, domestic and international, in areas of leadership development, community engagement, service-learning, career development, entrepreneurial and social impact partnerships. These partnerships have been between businesses and the university, student housing, student success, and student-athlete advising. Most recently Taylor served as the Interim Director of the David & Wanda Brown Center for Leadership & Service at UF.