Locations

Julie Lacouture is the new Regional Co-Owner of the Los Angeles franchise of Mom Corps. After working for over 12 years in marketing, advertising, non-profit finance, and general management, Julie decided to fulfill her lifelong dream of running her own company and open a Mom Corps franchise in Los Angeles with business partner Kate Pletcher. Julie and Kate together identified a strong, unmet need for the Mom Corps concept in the Los Angeles area where so many of their talented friends, associates and colleagues are looking for more fulfilling career opportunities that also provide some flexibility. At the same time, Los Angeles is a hotbed for so many progressive start-up, mid-size and large companies with fluctuating staffing needs who can benefit from better access to high caliber, on demand talent not found through traditional employment channels. Before launching Mom Corps Los Angeles, Julie served as Senior Director at DonorsChoose.org in Los Angeles, where she developed cause-related marketing partnerships with companies such as Disney, Experian, and Paramount Pictures. Previously, she worked in strategic marketing, management and leadership roles for a number of other corporate, academic and non-profit organizations including Sempra Energy Utilities and UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Management Fellows Program in Los Angeles, Oscar Mayer in Madison, WI, Sawtooth Advertising Group in Woodbridge, NJ and Teen Action Campaign, Inc. and Peace Games, Inc. in Boston, MA. Julie graduated Summa Cum Laude with a dual BA in Advertising and Psychology from Syracuse University and an MBA from UCLA. An active member of the UCLA and Syracuse University Alumni Associations, Julie also serves on the Advisory Board at PACE’s Women’s Business Center where she teaches marketing classes to entrepreneurs. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband Ben.

Kate Pletcher is the new Co-Owner of the Los Angeles franchise of Mom Corps. With an entrepreneurial spirit and over 10 years of sales, marketing and strategic business development expertise across a number of industries including advertising, consumer products, publishing, and entertainment, Kate was looking into starting her own flexible staffing firm in Los Angeles when she discovered Mom Corps. Kate and Mom Corps Los Angeles Co-Owner Julie Lacouture together identified a strong, unmet need for the Mom Corps concept in the Los Angeles area where so many of their talented friends, associates and colleagues are looking for fulfilling career opportunities that also provide some flexibility. At the same time, Los Angeles is a hotbed for so many progressive start-up, mid size and large companies with fluctuating staffing needs who can benefit from better access to high caliber, on demand talent not found through traditional employment channels. Prior to launching Mom Corps Los Angeles, Kate most recently served as Director of Global Brand Licensing for Skechers USA, sourcing and managing licensing programs on behalf of the $2 billion brand around the world.. During college, she founded the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Madison, WI which has grown to become one of the city’s premier annual, signature events. Kate received her BA in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin and her MBA from UCLA Anderson. She serves on the Advisory Board of SPARK, provides sales workshops for a number of individuals and institutions, and is an active member of a number of Los Angeles community organizations. She lives in Venice, CA with her husband Erik and dog Kirby.

Lori Smudsky is the owner and President of Mom Corps San Francisco. Prior to Mom Corps Lori worked in public relations for two of the nation's biggest PR firms, Ketchum Public Relations and Edelman Public Relations. At both agencies Lori helped run the food practices and was responsible for strategic and creative program development, new business, team hiring and development and client and internal budget supervision. Her work ranged from product introductions to award-winning crisis management and in the early days even touring the country with life-sized California Raisins! A New Yorker by birth, Lori moved to San Francisco for "a few years," 25 years ago. One foot off the plane and she was hooked on the Bay Area. Eventually her young family headed for the suburbs. Now with those "babies" reaching for the car keys, Lori decided to pursue her life-long dream of owning her own business. Mom Corps' focus on flexible employment seems a business tailor-made for San Francisco's progressive, leading-edge companies both large and small.

Jennifer Bainbridge owns and operates the Northern Virginia franchise of Mom Corps, Inc., after spending more than 13 years in IT Leadership in the telecommunications and financial services industries. Jennifer has extensive experience in all areas of the software development lifecycle with an emphasis on Agile practices and software quality. With this expertise, she has regularly led seminars and classes on evolving IT technology during the past four years. She also has extensive international management experience including offshore and nearshore IT staffing solutions. Bainbridge graduated with an MBA from the College of William and Mary and a BA from Barnard College. Jennifer and her family live in McLean, Virginia.

Nicole Siokis owns and operates the North Atlanta franchise of Mom Corps. Prior to Mom Corps, Nicole was an Associate Partner with Bell Oaks Executive Search, where she was responsible for developing strategic relationships with senior business leaders to design and implement talent strategy. She counseled a portfolio of national clients that ranged from marketing service to consumer goods to high tech. Nicole began her professional career in the Army's Signal Corps as an officer supporting United Nations troops during the United States' presence in Somalia. Nicole earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from Clemson University on an Army ROTC scholarship. Nicole enjoys being involved with her community, traveling internationally and raising money for charity. She lives in Marietta, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, with her husband and daughter.

Leanne Berry is Owner and President of Mom Corps Chicago NW and is thrilled to bring Mom Corps to the Chicagoland area. Leanne is a CPA with extensive experience in financial reporting and tax. She has a degree in Accounting from Loyola University and began her career working for Arthur Andersen LLP in Chicago. After working in public accounting, she obtained her CPA certification and moved into the private sector working as a financial controller for firms specializing in construction, architecture and real estate development. Throughout this period, she gained the skills to provide financial and operational reporting and guidance to senior management and was an integral part of hiring, developing, and training the financial department staff. After having her second and third babies (twins), she decided to leave her full-time job and started her own independent consulting firm specializing in providing value added accounting and tax services to a variety of companies and CPA firms. In addition, she worked as an adjunct faculty member teaching managerial accounting in the evening at Oakton Community College. Having a strong commitment to giving back to the community and for women's issues, she served for five years on the Board of Directors for a non-for-profit called The Harbour which provides essential services to homeless, runaway and neglected girls acting as Treasurer and eventually serving as Board Chair. She continues to volunteer and is actively involved in her children's school. She resides in Park Ridge with her husband and three children. Her hobbies, include but are not limited to, cycling, golf, cooking and entertaining with family and friends.

Laura is the President and Owner of Mom Corps Kansas City. After working in professional services for over twelve years in both traditional and flexible roles, Laura's goal is to improve the quality of talent for progressive companies, and the quality of life for Kansas City professionals. Prior to starting Mom Corps, Laura held several senior leadership positions at Service Management Group (SMG) including Director of Client Services, Director of Product Management and Director of Marketing. Before SMG, Laura was a Consultant at Deloitte where she worked on projects for Fortune 500 companies both domestically and internationally. Laura is a Kansas City native and lives in Prairie Village with her husband, Matt and two young children.

Nadia McKay is the new owner of the Mom Corps, Inc. franchise in Boston. Since 2007, she has served as the organization’s Regional Vice President using her 20 years of agency and client-side experience in staffing, advertising and client service to grow the Mom Corps presence in the Boston market and beyond. Prior to joining Mom Corps, Nadia spent 14 years at Digitas, a global marketing services firm. In her role as Vice President/Director of Staffing, Nadia served as a key business partner and advisor to the EVP of Strategy & Analysis, translating the company’s business objectives into appropriate resource allocation strategies to exceed financial and organizational goals. Prior to that, Nadia held various account management roles at Digitas, Nets, Inc. (formerly AT&T New Media Services and AT&T Interchange Network Company), Bronner Slosberg Humphrey, and Ingalls, Quinn and Johnson. Nadia is a frequent speaker at conferences, educational forums, and business and working mother networking groups, and has appeared on Cable TV and in the local media providing her expertise on topics such as returning to the workforce during a difficult economic climate and how flexible work arrangements can increase productivity, creativity and company loyalty. Nadia has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont. She lives in Milton with her husband and two sons who appreciate her flexible schedule.

Patrice Grant is the regional owner of a Massachusetts based Mom Corps Franchise. Her office will compliment the existing Boston area region to include many businesses and high-tech firms further west and north into Southern New Hampshire. It has been Patrice's life-long dream to own her own business. Being a Mom Corps owner is the perfect opportunity to combine her nearly 20 years of experience in the staffing industry with a concept that she is very passionate about. Prior to Mom Corps, Patrice focused her career in the high-tech staffing business primarily in both tactical and strategic selling as well as sales/recruitment management. Her impressive staffing background, combined with Mom Corps' expertise is a winning combination for both local job seekers looking for flexible work arrangements and companies interested in tapping into a unique talent pool. Patrice earned her MBA degree from Bentley University and Bachelors in Economics from Westfield State College. She resides west of Boston with her fiancé and two sons.

Katie Leary is the new owner and operator of the Minneapolis, MN franchise of Mom Corps. After working for nearly 15 years as a Senior Recruiting Executive for some of the country’s largest employers, Katie decided to become an entrepreneur and open a Mom Corps franchise in the Twin Cities area. Prior to Mom Corps, Katie was a national recruiting executive for some of the world’s largest companies including Robert Half International, Master foods USA (M&M Mars), and Cargill, Inc. where over the years she hired, managed and trained recruitment teams, hired hundreds of candidates at multiple skill levels, built strong client relationships and created MBA level college recruitment strategies. Katie holds a BA in Communications and Minor in Spanish from the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. She is an AIRS Certified Diversity Recruiter, volunteer at the United Way in Minneapolis, and member of Women in Hedge Funds and SHRM. Katie lives in Prior Lake with her husband and four children.

Stacy Keefer owns and operates the Charlotte, NC franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. After working for more than 16 years as a Human Resource Executive, Stacy along with two of her former colleagues re-opened Mom Corps in Charlotte. Prior to Mom Corps, Keefer spent 16 years with Wachovia's Human Resources Division as SVP and Managing Director of Contingent Staffing. She joined the organization in 1993 with the challenge of developing and implementing an internal contingent staffing function to support the corporation. Keefer expanded the function to a $220 million line of business with three operating divisions, 13 service locations and over 3800 actively working contract associates. Previous experience included six years with Norrell (now Spherion) Corporation as an Operations Manager in Chicago, and two years with Management Recruiters International. Keefer holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. She currently chairs the board for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Academic Internship Program, and is an active member of the Charlotte chapter for Women Executives and the United Way Women's Leadership Initiative. Stacy and her family live in Charlotte.

Gretchen Rost owns and operates the Charlotte franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. After working for more than 16 years as a Human Resource Executive, Gretchen along with two of her former colleagues re-opened Mom Corps in Charlotte. Prior to Mom Corps, Gretchen joined the Human Resources Division of Wachovia in 1993 with the challenge of developing and expanding the internal contingent staffing division, FirstPlace. Under her leadership of the operations, technology and client services functions, the division grew to a $220 million line of business with three operating divisions, 13 geographically dispersed locations and over 3800 contract associates. Prior to Wachovia, Gretchen spent three years with BDO Seidman as an HR Consultant. Gretchen is PHR certified, attended the University of North Carolina and is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management, Charlotte Area Professionals, Moms at Work, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Gretchen and her canine pack live in Charlotte.

Bonnie Ceran owns and operates the Charlotte, NC franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. After working for more than 16 years as a Human Resource Executive, Bonnie along with two of her former colleagues re-opened Mom Corps in Charlotte. Prior to Mom Corps, Bonnie was the Vice President and National Staffing Director for Wachovia Corporation's internal contract staffing division. She managed ten geographically dispersed sites supporting manager's contract hiring and was responsible for providing leadership, direction, and financial oversight to the each location including over 35 employees. Prior to Wachovia, Bonnie spent ten years in the temporary staffing industry working with two of the top five national companies: Adecco and Manpower as a Regional Branch Manager and Director of National Accounts. Additionally, she started Career Management Services, a consulting firm specializing in direct placements and human resource consulting. Bonnie graduated with honors from University of Phoenix and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She is an active participant in initiatives related to women including: United Leadership Initiative, Moms at Work, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Bonnie and her family live just outside of Charlotte, NC.

Patrice Grant is the regional owner of a Massachusetts based Mom Corps Franchise. Her office will compliment the existing Boston area region to include many businesses and high-tech firms further west and north into Southern New Hampshire. It has been Patrice's life-long dream to own her own business. Being a Mom Corps owner is the perfect opportunity to combine her nearly 20 years of experience in the staffing industry with a concept that she is very passionate about. Prior to Mom Corps, Patrice focused her career in the high-tech staffing business primarily in both tactical and strategic selling as well as sales/recruitment management. Her impressive staffing background, combined with Mom Corps' expertise is a winning combination for both local job seekers looking for flexible work arrangements and companies interested in tapping into a unique talent pool. Patrice earned her MBA degree from Bentley University and Bachelors in Economics from Westfield State College. She resides west of Boston with her fiancé and two sons.

Stacy Keefer owns and operates the Charlotte, NC franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. After working for more than 16 years as a Human Resource Executive, Stacy along with two of her former colleagues re-opened Mom Corps in Charlotte. Prior to Mom Corps, Keefer spent 16 years with Wachovia's Human Resources Division as SVP and Managing Director of Contingent Staffing. She joined the organization in 1993 with the challenge of developing and implementing an internal contingent staffing function to support the corporation. Keefer expanded the function to a $220 million line of business with three operating divisions, 13 service locations and over 3800 actively working contract associates. Previous experience included six years with Norrell (now Spherion) Corporation as an Operations Manager in Chicago, and two years with Management Recruiters International. Keefer holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. She currently chairs the board for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Academic Internship Program, and is an active member of the Charlotte chapter for Women Executives and the United Way Women's Leadership Initiative. Stacy and her family live in Charlotte.

Bonnie Ceran owns and operates the Charlotte, NC franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. After working for more than 16 years as a Human Resource Executive, Bonnie along with two of her former colleagues re-opened Mom Corps in Charlotte. Prior to Mom Corps, Bonnie was the Vice President and National Staffing Director for Wachovia Corporation's internal contract staffing division. She managed ten geographically dispersed sites supporting manager's contract hiring and was responsible for providing leadership, direction, and financial oversight to the each location including over 35 employees. Prior to Wachovia, Bonnie spent ten years in the temporary staffing industry working with two of the top five national companies: Adecco and Manpower as a Regional Branch Manager and Director of National Accounts. Additionally, she started Career Management Services, a consulting firm specializing in direct placements and human resource consulting. Bonnie graduated with honors from University of Phoenix and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She is an active participant in initiatives related to women including: United Leadership Initiative, Moms at Work, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Bonnie and her family live just outside of Charlotte, NC.

Gretchen Rost owns and operates the Charlotte franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. After working for more than 16 years as a Human Resource Executive, Gretchen along with two of her former colleagues re-opened Mom Corps in Charlotte. Prior to Mom Corps, Gretchen joined the Human Resources Division of Wachovia in 1993 with the challenge of developing and expanding the internal contingent staffing division, FirstPlace. Under her leadership of the operations, technology and client services functions, the division grew to a $220 million line of business with three operating divisions, 13 geographically dispersed locations and over 3800 contract associates. Prior to Wachovia, Gretchen spent three years with BDO Seidman as an HR Consultant. Gretchen is PHR certified, attended the University of North Carolina and is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management, Charlotte Area Professionals, Moms at Work, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Gretchen and her canine pack live in Charlotte.

Kimberly Symonds owns and operates the Akron/Canton franchise of Mom Corps, Inc., after spending more than 13 years working as an executive in several non-profit organizations. Kimberly has extensive experience in managing health service organizations. Before coming to Mom Corps, she served as the first Executive Director of Wilson Disease Association International where she managed all activities of the organization including secured funding, scientific meetings, family conferences, services and activities of the organization. Before joining the Wilson Disease Association, she served as a Public Policy Director, for Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Symonds graduated cum laude from Hiram College and is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Ashland University. Kimberly and her husband live in Wooster with their two children.

Eisha Armstrong owns and operates the Cincinnati franchise of Mom Corps, Inc., after working more than ten years advising senior executives at Fortune 500 companies. Prior to Mom Corps, Eisha was a Managing Director with the Corporate Executive Board, where she managed the research and advisory practice for Chief Financial Officers. She worked closely with clients such as Cummins, Caterpillar, American Express, Cardinal Health and Capital One. In her advisory role with executives, Eisha counseled them on efficiency, organizational structure, and leadership development. She has extensive experience managing and growing multi-million dollar businesses and leading global teams of professionals. She led numerous research initiatives and is the co-author of more than 20 major research publications. She has also been cited in numerous publications including The Financial Times, The Washington Post, TheStreet.com, and MarketWatch. Armstrong earned her MBA at the Harvard Business School and her Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and Women's Studies at the University of Kansas. Eisha and her husband, Tim, live in Cincinnati with their two young sons.

Nicole Torsella Harris owns and operates the Philadelphia franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. after spending many years working in executive recruiting. Prior to Mom Corps, Nicole spent nine years with Diversified Search, the national retained executive search firm, first as a Senior Associate and then Vice President. She joined Diversified, the national retained executive search firm, in 2000 and served as a recruitment specialist for a broad range of clients including those in life sciences, financial services, not-for-profit, university, private equity, manufacturing and the healthcare sectors. Prior to joining Diversified Search, Nicole spent seven years in non-profit management. She has a B.S. in sociology from Boston University. Nicole lives in Philadelphia with her husband Michael, three young children and their dog Lucy.

Laura Stich, along with her husband, Ken Ross, own and operate the Austin franchise of Mom Corps, Inc. Prior to joining Mom Corps, Laura was the Director of Government Programs at Vanu, Inc., an innovative wireless infrastructure firm, and was responsible for bringing in a significant percentage of the company's revenues, driving business development and strategic partnership efforts into the Federal market. She has spent the past fifteen years working for a number of high-tech and telecommunications companies, including BBN Technologies, Inc., GTE, and Akamai Technologies, Inc. Laura started her professional career as a communications-computer officer in the United States Air Force. She has a BA in Computer Science from Harvard University and a MBA with a concentration in Finance from Boston College's Carroll Graduate School of Management. She and Ken live in Austin, Texas with their two sons.

Cindy Yared is president and owner of Mom Corps Dallas. After working for more than 20 years as broadcast sales and marketing executive, Cindy decided she wanted to expand her horizons outside of broadcast media with a challenging career that also allowed her balance work with family and life. After discovering Mom Corps, Cindy was attracted to the concept of advocating for professional women like herself among companies who need access to exceptional, on-demand talent but are progressive enough to consider flexible work arrangements. Mom Corps is a premier national search firm that provides companies access to an untapped pool of top tier, on-demand job candidates to meet their changing business needs and fluctuating market conditions. Mom Corps finds flexible work arrangements for professionals, many of whom are moms, seeking a challenging career and better work/life balance. Cindy identified a strong need for the Mom Corps concept in the Dallas area where, until now, many talented professional and stay-at-home and moms have been largely overlooked by traditional staffing firms or have not had access to companies offering flexible work arrangements. With the launch of Mom Corps Dallas, Cindy hopes to connect high caliber moms and professionals in varying stages of their career with progressive companies looking for on-demand talent as the need arises, becoming the go-to agency for top-tier professionals looking for full-time, part-time or contractual work. Prior to Mom Corps, Cindy was Chief Marketing Officer for Disiere Holdings, Qeo Group in Dallas, where she developed the launch and marketing strategy for a new personal auto insurance product. Before that, she was National Sales Manager for Clear Channel Communications in Dallas, where she worked for 11 years selling radio advertising and managed 8 National Offices and 25 Sales Representatives across the US. Before joining Clear Channel, Cindy worked in radio broadcasting sales at a variety of other stations including CBS Radio and Cap Cities/ABC Broadcasting in Dallas and several broadcast stations in St. Louis, MO. Cindy holds a BA from Baylor University in Business Administration and Finance. She is an active member of the 85 Broads, Baylor Alumni Association and St. Alcuin Montessori School Capital Campaign and Annual Fund Committees. Cindy lives in Dallas with her husband and two children.

Meera Naehr is the President of the Mom Corps Houston Franchise. Meera Naehr is an experienced Business and Finance manager with significant experience in the energy, commodity trading, and IT consulting industries. Most recently, she was a Vice President in the Global Commodities group for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she has held roles as a fund administrator, investment analyst, business manager, and sales and trading analyst. Prior to that, Meera was a Manager for Accenture, where she implemented large-scale IT solutions in the Energy and Chemicals industries. Meera earned her MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University and received degrees in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Duke University. She currently lives in Houston with her husband, Steve, and her two children, Nadiya and Jahan. She serves on the Board of Directors for Dance Houston, is a dancer with the Nritya School, and is the Treasurer for one of the largest Mothers’ groups in Texas.

Jennifer Bainbridge owns and operates the Northern Virginia franchise of Mom Corps, Inc., after spending more than 13 years in IT Leadership in the telecommunications and financial services industries. Jennifer has extensive experience in all areas of the software development lifecycle with an emphasis on Agile practices and software quality. With this expertise, she has regularly led seminars and classes on evolving IT technology during the past four years. She also has extensive international management experience including offshore and nearshore IT staffing solutions. Bainbridge graduated with an MBA from the College of William and Mary and a BA from Barnard College. Jennifer and her family live in McLean, Virginia.

Jamie Flynn owns and operates the Seattle area franchise of Mom Corps, Inc., after spending more than a dozen years in law and commercial property development. Most recently, Jamie spent four years as Regional Development Partner for Campus Crest Development, a national owner and operator of university student housing. She successfully developed projects in Washington, California, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and Texas. Prior to Campus Crest, Jamie spent four years as an international finance lawyer in London. During that time, she provided legal and transaction support to the Japanese investment bank Tokyo-Mitsubishi International and also practiced securitization law at Sidley & Austin. Jamie started her career as an environmental attorney at Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman in Washington, D.C. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and received a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University. Jamie and her husband live in Seattle with their three daughters.