Bios

Bill Lewis is a leading figure in the employment world, an innovator, a national industry speaker and trainer, and author of multiple career focused books. As far back as 1987, he published “Profitable Careers in Non Profit”, and has throughout his career and various business operations worked with and supported nonprofit organizations.

From providing specialized staffing to training for local nonprofit government and social services, Career Blazers was always at the forefront. Although Bill’s career took a variety of interesting and fortuitous turns based on his positive reputation in the employment world, the nonprofit world remained a strong interest and he is very pleased to concentrate his efforts solely in the nonprofit world.

Bill started in his family business and took what was a local NYC company, founded and established as a leader by his mother in 1949, and grew it to a nationwide company of 300 staffing and training sites in the United States and Canada. He launched many careers and success stories along the way. After selling that business in 1999, he continued as Chairman of the successor companies and continued to provide the leadership that comes only from experience and continued focus on strategy and growth.

He has built strategic staffing companies, consulting and direct hire solution providers in Legal, Information Technology, Compliance, Accounting and Finance, Human Resources and Executive Support. Bill was a member of the Speaker’s Bureau for the American Staffing Association and Past President of the New York Association of Temporary and Staffing Services. Today he is focused on Career Blazers Nonprofit Search and we are lucky to have his input and the historical perspective.

As CEO of Career Blazers Nonprofit Search, Barbara Gebhardt returns to her roots. From her start in the employment field at Career Blazers, then a regional employment agency, Barbara became the organization’s first franchisee in 1987. She later opened a training center which successfully integrated training and placement and became the model for locations nationwide.

In 1996, in addition to operating her franchise and training center, Gebhardt assumed the role of Executive Vice President /Chief Operating Officer, responsible for all Career Blazers nationwide operations. After the completion of 5 years in the role and achievement of a series of corporate objectives, she purchased the assets of her franchise operation and ran an independent employment agency specializing in administrative and executive support, and scientific staffing nationwide. Since selling her staffing business in 2015, Barbara has worked as Chief Operating Officer of an educational institution, founded a digital marketing company, and has continued to provide consulting in the staffing industry.

Gebhardt served on the Regional Board of the American Heart Association and its Leadership Development Committee. She has served on the Board of the New York Bio promoting the growth of the bioscience community in New York.

She has served as Vice President of the Long Island Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and President of the Advisory Council for the National Council for the Aging. She served on the Advisory Board of Stony Brook University’s Center for Emerging Technologies. Gebhardt was twice selected as one of Long Island Business News Class of Long Island's Most Influential Women. She was selected as one of Long Island Business News Inaugural Group of 50 Around 50 or So.

Cindy Janicki brings over 20 years of service oriented experience to her role as a Senior Executive Search Specialist with Career Blazers Nonprofit Search. Evaluating employment candidates for suitable placement is one of her strong suits. She has an extensive background in working attentively with clients to best support their requirements and champion their needs. Cindy strives to maintain continuing communication with clients, focusing on providing each client effective solutions to assure client satisfaction. She organizes, interacts and builds many ongoing business relationships which add to assuring her client’s success. She fosters every client as a business partner and uses all avenues available to find the perfect candidate to fulfill current and possibly even future needs.

After holding positions in data analytics and digital marketing, Ryan sought to transition to a role that emphasized more personal relationships, account management and development, and communications. In his role as Senior Executive Search Consultant, Ryan taps into his analytical experience, and marketing and communications experience proving early to be an asset to the Career Blazers Nonprofit Search team.

Ryan began his career at Best Buy Headquarters in Minneapolis as a Demand Forecasting Analyst, overseeing the distribution and trends of hundreds of products across more than a thousand stores. Ryan then spent three years in digital marketing, managing campaigns for many varied clients including NBC and Four Seasons Sunrooms. He developed written materials and blogs for leading law firms in New York. This experience honed his communications capabilities and expanded his professional network across varied industries and organizations.

Ryan’s outreach into the nonprofit community has flourished based on his strong ability to communicate with clients and candidates and his effective analytical and research skills allow him to yield positive results for both clients and candidates. His creativity and analytical qualities are a unique and highly effective combination.

With over ten years of experience in the placement and staffing world, Kirin has demonstrated an unwavering focus on customer and candidate engagement. His experience spans varied industries with a concentration in the hospitality, education, and nonprofit worlds. He consistently updates his knowledge to better serve his clients and his team. He gathers positive feedback from his coworkers who enjoy partnering with him on projects and strategy to get the best results for clients and candidates.

In his interface in nonprofit, Kirin has gotten to know his clients well so as to achieve a customized strategy to promote the organization’s mission by securing the best talent at all levels. He maintains partnerships with varied organizations that consider him an asset and an extension of their talent acquisition team.

His candidates recognize Kirin’s commitment to their search and they work closely with him to understand the opportunities and make informed decisions that lead to the most favorable outcomes.

Angelis' bold career transitions, with the necessary adaptation to new professional environments, and his genuine focus on cultivating interpersonal relationships, make him a valuable team member and an effective partner for both our clients and candidates. He navigates the nonprofit environment and takes every step to secure the talent our clients desire to propel their organizations. Angelis gains a deep understanding of our candidates to effectively guide their career search to the desired outcome.

After five fascinating years as the chief food guide and producer of a travel start-up in Istanbul, Turkey, and thanks to outstanding reviews in American and international media, he moved his business operations to New York City. In 2014, he built In Food We Trust group, a dynamic team of professionals from the realms of food, art, and entrepreneurship, and developed a variety of lauded culinary experiences, featured in the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, and Vogue, among others.

Angelis brings a wealth of diverse business experiences with a keen grasp of people and fostering positive relationships with unmatched results. Prior to world renowned success in the culinary field, Angelis had extensive professional experience in engineering in environmental and development projects in Greece and other European countries.

Mary has been an Executive Recruiter in the staffing industry for over twenty-five years, working on senior level executive searches for formidable institutions, Mary works closely with a variety of organizations to advise them on best practices, organizational structure, scalability, talent management and retention. She prides herself on her ability to align talent with mission and to leverage her years of experience in relationship management, business development, market research, and strategic partnerships to help fuel her client’s success. Her familiarity with both the for-profit and the nonprofit sectors accords her the ability to reach hidden talent, wherever it is.

Rosemarie joins Career Blazers team with 30 years' experience in sales and public relations with an international organization. She loved her work and surpassed goals and expectations with her dedication and skills. She brings a positive attitude and sense of humor to her work and is a wonderful member of the team.

She has also volunteered for several nonprofit organizations and has a passion for the nonprofit sector. Rosemarie gains much satisfaction knowing that she plays a part in helping to secure mission-driven individuals for nonprofit organizations.

Destynne has spent her career focusedon making the world a more just place for vulnerable populations through education and technology. She began her work in recruiting with military service members and their dependents introducing transferable education opportunities. She then moved into educational equity working with a nonprofit focused on motivating the next generation of leaders to serve in low-income areas and become lifelong leaders in the movement.

After recruiting for a national non-profit, she worked in the private sector recruiting for senior engineering leaders. Amidst her experience, she learned how to identify a strong candidate, be efficient, and uncover the intangible qualities candidates bring. As a DEI advocate, she has led initiatives and training at every company to move towards a more equitable work environment by helping diversify pipelines, to advocate for candidates, and improve interview processes. She prides herself on her rigor and sense of humor, providing a one-of-a-kind experience with a transformational impact.

Tracey Jones is a consummate professional with a long track record of success recruiting for and successfully placing nonprofit talent. She approaches her searches for the most qualified professionals with transparency and a “can do” attitude. She has an upbeat personality and engaging personal style that enables her to interact effectively with clients, candidates, and all of us.

Reiley Morrow is an energetic and motivated individual who excels at recruiting and securing talent for her clients. She is passionate about improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workforce. Reiley has demonstrated success building strong relationships and advocating for her candidates and clients alike. Having an early career focus on disabilities and accessibility in the workplace, she applies her knowledge and experience to benefit nonprofit organizations. With her unique background and intrinsic motivation, she possesses a strong ability to connect with people and help guide them through their career search. Her passion for the work she is doing allows for an effective and successful client partnership.

Marisa Rizzo is a recent alumnus of Adelphi University bringing a bachelor’s degree in business management. Although a recent graduate, Marisa has gained valuable experience leading her sorority and working in retail management throughout her education. She has received accolades in all her endeavors. She expertly uses her technical skills, research ability, and people skills to support the work we do at Career Blazers. Marisa is an integral part of our organization, lending expertise whenever she can.