Distinctive Talent, Inc. - Staff Profiles

Francine Sparks, Founder and President of DTI, has spent the last 16 years placing human resource professionals in the greater Boston area. She served as Vice President at two Boston-area placement firms where she was architect of a more consultative approach to HR placement, and helped grow each business significantly. She formed Distinctive Talent in 2001, as a way to build upon her many years of experience, and to expand the range and depth of services available to clients looking for HR talent.

Prior to her work in human resources placement, Francine did needs assessment and business development for a Boston-based training and development consulting firm. She left to become Partner in a consultancy specializing in custom learning solutions for corporate clients. There she promoted the company’s methodology and was instrumental in the rapid growth of the business. Early on in her career, Francine directed large scale non-profit employment and training programs geared towards finding jobs for low income populations.

Francine has a B.A. degree from Brandeis University, and completed coursework towards a Masters in Clinical Psychology at Harvard University. She is active in several Boston-based Human Resources professional associations.

Beth Schaefer, Vice President

Beth has over 20 years of human resources experience in multiple industries, including software, financial services, professional services, higher education and executive search. She has led the human resource function in smaller companies and been a business partner/consultant within larger firms. Her experience includes work in all the functional areas of HR. She has deep background in staffing, both as part of internal roles, and in a search capacity.

Since joining Distinctive Talent in September of 2003, Beth has successfully integrated her knowledge of the HR field with her natural consultant attributes. She can quickly navigatethrough the complex requirements of HR openings. She is able to communicate effectively, make recommendations and bring an open ended process to a successful conclusion. As a result, Beth has become a trusted and resource to a growing pool of client hiring managers and HR candidates, who have benefited from her expertise, as well as her advice.

Beth holds a BS from Providence College, and an MBA from Simmons School of Management.

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Joanne Cordeiro, Vice President

Joanne comes to Distinctive Talent with over 20 years of broad human resources management expertise. She has worked in multiple industries including Professional Services, Software, Information Technology and Manufacturing. She has been Vice President, Human Resources for two companies, reporting to the President, and sitting on the management team. Among her many accomplishments, Joanne was instrumental in developing a plan to handle explosive growth at a company which grew 1200% during her tenure. Joanne created all people practices, recruitment strategies, and retention programs to power four years of extraordinary expansion.

Joanne’s varied Human Resources career includes significant experience in executive coaching, organizational development, and strategic staffing. She brings a wealth of knowledge about how the right talent and experience play directly into the success of a business. Her career has also put her in close contact with a broad network of human resource professionals and business executives. These individuals continue to reach out to her to discuss market trends, personal development, and referrals.

Joanne is a valuable resource to Distinctive Talent’s client base. She has a natural gift for assessing and advising people. She brings energy and passion to the process of guiding professional in their career decisions, and matching the right candidates to increasingly complex HR jobs.

Joanne earned a BA in Business from Northeaster University.

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Patty A. Murphy, Director of Client Services

Patty Murphy handles information management and research activities at Distinctive Talent. She helps organize the vast amount of data which underlies our service capability, using a variety of tools, technology, and resources to make sure Distinctive Talent is up to date in its information needs. Patty also manages marketing and outreach projects to deepen our search capability, and promote our brand. Patty maintains a high level of involvement with our ongoing assignments, regularly interacting with candidates and clients to provide follow up or needed information. Her role is central to the smooth operation of the company, and her contribution allows the entire team to continually function at the highest possible high level.

Patty’s background includes over 15 years of Human resources experience in professional services and healthcare. In addition to working as a generalist, she has experience in Benefits, Work Life Programs, and HR Operations. Patty holds a BS degree from Providence College.