Meet our Consultants and Staff
Diane Padilla
Recruiting and Staffing Consultant
Diane started with JobGiraffe right after she graduated from Elmhurst College in 1988 - and she is still placing great candidates into great jobs! She has two children and when not working she loves to spend time with family and friends, traveling and bargain shopping.
"The greatest thing about working at JobGiraffe is the opportunity to meet new people everyday and make a difference in someone's life by helping them find that new great job!"
Pamela Wing
Recruiting and Staffing Consultant
Pam has been with JobGiraffe (formerly Paige Personnel), since 1979 (she started when she was 12). Pam loves her years of a successful career and enjoys a busy home life with her wonderful family and friends. A graduate of Western Michigan University with years of active support and affiliations with several local charitable organizations. Pam is a sports enthusiast who loves football, golf, bowling, tennis and would never decline a dance!
"The best part of working at JobGiraffe is the enjoyment of working with people. The relationships that have been created over the years bring great memories and many smiles. The days fly by ...and so have the years! I consider myself so very lucky to have found a great company and the perfect job for me."
Liza Farrell
Recruiting and Staffing Consultant
Liza has been with JobGiraffe (formerly Paige Personnel) since 1993. She joined the company after enlisting their help in her own search for new employment. After finding out that Paige was in fact hiring at the time for their internal staff, Liza interviewed for the position of Temporary Staffing Manager and was subsequently hired. Liza spent a little over 6 years working in the temporary employment division before transferring to the role of permanent placement consultant, where she has been ever since! She enjoys her position as it is both very challenging as well as rewarding! Making the match between employer and employee has always been one of her greatest strengths.
A recommendation from a client of Liza’s who has worked with her on both sides of the fence multiple times; first as a client, then a job-seeker and again as a client. (Taken from Liza’s LinkedIn account):
“Over the past few years I have worked with Liza on many occasions. Liza consistently displays high levels of professionalism, integrity and enthusiasm. She has an excellent work ethic which has supported her ability to build strong relationships and successfully deliver results.”
Brandi Gentile
Recruiting and Staffing Consultant
Brandi has been with JobGiraffe (formerly Paige Personnel), since 2000. She is very dedicated to working with her clients to fulfill their needs. Brandi enjoys learning as much as she can about each candidate and client to successfully make the right match. She has her hands full at home with two small boys. They enjoy family time - which mostly includes outdoor activities like boating, fishing, camping, and hiking.
"What I love most about working at JobGiraffe is every day is a new challenge. I never get bored! I’ve met so many wonderful people over the years and so many of those have grown into great friendships. I truly enjoy helping people - and to me there is nothing more rewarding!"
Beverly Rumishek
Recruiting and Staffing Consultant
Beverly has been with JobGiraffe since October of 1992 and it has been a life changing experience. Bev was hired with no prior experience in staffing, but was trained by the "best" in the industry and has had a very successful career. As a single mother of four, both career and home life has been a challenge and at the same time extremely rewarding.
“The best part of working at JobGiraffe is the challenge and satisfaction for a job well done. To make a difference in someone's life is very gratifying.”
Lisa Tuttle
Recruiting and Staffing Consultant
Lisa came to JobGiraffe (formerly Paige Personnel) after graduating form North Central College in Naperville looking to be placed in her first career position. When her consultant asked, "What would you think about working here?" she responded with, well, "What is it you actually do here?" That was 1984 and today she, happily, is one of the, shall we say, more senior consultants! Lisa loves to travel, spend time with family and friends and has an admitted compulsion for shopping.
“The best part of working at JobGiraffe is telling someone, ‘You got the job!’ To have such an impact in someone's life is overwhelming.”
Sharon Murphy
Recruiting and Staffing Consultant
Sharon has been managing the Vernon Hills office of JobGiraffe (formerly Paige Personnel), since 1992. She has maintained strong relationships with many of her clients for more than 15 years with great success. Sharon develops a strong rapport with her candidates to assist them in their job search, and has remained friends with many of them years after placing them with a terrific company. Sharon is very proud of her two sons who are pursuing their PhDs. In her spare time she loves to cruise to tropical destinations, read and master Sudoku puzzles.
"It's a very rewarding feeling when you know you make a difference in peoples' lives. That's what I’m able to do at JobGiraffe."
Chris Kaage
Chris has been with JobGiraffe since 2014 after graduating from Northeastern Illinois University with his degree in Marketing.
Not only has he proven to be a vital addition to JobGiraffe’s Corporate Team but Chris has also successfully taken the lead role in building our Client Pipeline. By better utilizing the technology we had at hand, plus implementing multiple new tools and applications, Chris has significantly increased JobGiraffe’s digital marketing reach. Chris looks forward to further expanding our current (and prospective) client’s abilities to Reach Higher and Hire Better with JobGiraffe!
In his spare time, Chris enjoys playing and watching sports.
Ben Horwitz
Communications Director
Ben is an exciting addition to the JobGiraffe team. Coming off assignment as the Political Director for a major 2014 congressional campaign, Ben brings new ideas and a fresh perspective to JobGiraffe’s corporate communications and digital outreach. His extensive experience with email campaigns, digital content management and social media will allow JobGiraffe to leverage their existing strategies and increase their reach by fully utilizing all the exciting opportunities created by New Media.
Ben is also a history buff who enjoys historical martial arts and cooking for friends and family.
“I admire the JobGiraffe organization. They’ve been around for over 50 years, adapting to both good markets and challenging ones I believe, because they always keep one eye on the future. I hope that I can help JobGiraffe achieve 50 more years of success.”
Kevin Kalisz
Director of Compliance and Verification Manager
Kevin has a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Microbiology, and when he isn't verifying information, he enjoys hang gliding, dolphin training, and spending time with his twins Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. He loves animals and spends his time volunteering at a local animal shelter. He also enjoys traveling. He has visited 49 states, but he hopes to visit Puerto Rico soon.
"The best part about working at Job Giraffe is that the phone never stops ringing. It's really great when I can actually understand what they are saying or know what they are talking about (which is rare), but at the end of the day they let me go home, so, that's nice."
Janet O’Malley
Controller
Jan initially came to what was then Paige Personnel in 1988 looking for a temporary job, was hired as a payroll clerk, and has never looked back. Now, 26 years later, Jan is the company Controller and handles all financial aspects of the company.
Jan is a life-long Chicago resident and loves the Blackhawks and the Cubs. She loves to travel, cook and entertain her large family and friends.
“The best thing about my job (and sometimes the worst thing) is that there is never enough time to get everything done.”
Patti Whitney
Vice President / Good Will Ambassador
Patti virtually can't remember life before JobGiraffe. She was referred to then, Miss Paige Personnel Services, in1971 by her best friend who was a top consultant with the company. Her tenure with JobGiraffe has seen her in many roles from consultant to Vice President. Patti's life at home is equally fulfilling where she also wears many hats, friend, mother, sister, and best of all grandmother to five wonderful grandchildren. Cooking and entertaining are high on her list of "favorite hobbies."
"The most rewarding aspect of this job is the incredible impact we make on the lives we touch. Not only the applicants we place, but the wonderful staff I’ve worked with side by side through all these years."
Andrew Horwitz
COO, 1st Vice President and Director of Sourcing
As a third-generation member of the JobGiraffe family, Recruiting and Staffing is in Andrew’s blood as he has been learning about labor-force dynamics, market trends and human capital management since he was sitting in a high-chair at the family dinner table. After working as a Recruiting and Staffing Consultant, creating and managing internal systems, building compliance teams, and being an integral component in the execution of numerous successful strategic planning initiatives, Andrew now serves as the Director of Sourcing for JobGiraffe.
As Director of Sourcing, Andrew is progressively developing, honing and implementing an innovative blend of proprietary active and passive recruitment measures. Expert sourcing ensures that JobGiraffe delivers the best and most relevant talent available in the market to meet our client’s hiring needs.
When he finds a spare moment, Andrew enjoys traveling, reading non-fiction and nerding-out on politics, current events, and global economics, all while satisfying his inner foodie. Often unorthodox, but always interesting, Andrew injects his abundant passion, intensity, and goal-oriented zeal into everything he undertakes.
Karen Rae Horwitz
President and CEO
Karen Rae is President of JobGiraffe, formerly Paige Personnel Services, where she has guided her company through up and down economies for more than 20 years, advising both employers and job seekers on employment trends and challenges, and the strategies to meet them.
"Our team is dedicated to helping candidates connect with the companies who need them. I am honored to work with such an amazing group of exceptional people who truly care about helping others."
