Kathleen Quinn Votaw

A questioning mind and heart filled with possibility meant Kathleen Quinn Votaw had little choice but to disrupt and transform the stagnant staffing industry she loves. For nearly 30 years, she has dedicated her career to bringing more humanity to every aspect of “human resources,” from employer brand and recruiting to culture, leadership, and retention. She has always believed and espoused that finding, keeping, and growing talent should never be an afterthought. It should be a daily endeavor, just like finding and keeping great customers.

Kathleen is the founder and CEO of TalenTrust, a strategic recruiting and human capital consulting firm that has helped companies nationwide address immediate needs and drive long-term growth since 2003. By practicing and proving new ideas for more effective talent acquisition and management, TalenTrust serves as a model for other organizations aspiring to develop the human-centric cultures that define today’s best companies.

Along the way, Kathleen has overcome a multitude of personal and business challenges to become a strong leader and trusted partner to growing companies nationwide. Under her leadership, TalenTrust exceeded its growth goals throughout the Great Recession to become one of the less than two percent of women businesses to break the million-dollar mark. Her core belief is that people-centric, relationship-based workplaces are the key to attracting and retaining the talent to take businesses to the next level. This has become the basis of her mission, to help HR professionals attain the skills they need to provide strategic value to their companies.

Building on nearly three decades of experience, she has helped thousands of organizations across multiple industries navigate uncertainty and continuous change to develop purpose-based, inclusive cultures; targeted recruitment strategies; and, most importantly, inspired employees who want to come to work each day. Her diverse clients have included Harvard, MIT, John Hancock, Kaiser Permanente, New Belgium, SportClips, and the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Kathleen is the author of the 2016 book Solve the People Puzzle as well as Dare to Care in the Workplace in 2021. She is a regularly published columnist and popular speaker on topics related to HR strategies and workplace culture. Her talents and unique perspective have enhanced the work of numerous boards, including ACG-Denver, where she served a term as president, Colorado Companies to Watch, Innovar, and Enterprising Women, where she currently serves as an Advisory Board member. She has recently been named to the National Speakers Association, Denver Board. A lifelong learner, Kathleen completed a Stanford Graduate School of Business program focused on strategy, innovation, and organizational design in 2019. She has received many awards, including the coveted Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America for two consecutive years; 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year from Enterprising Women Magazine for her work to fuel lasting change in companies across the nation; and multiple achievement awards from Colorado Women’s Chamber, ColoradoBiz Magazine, Denver Business Journal, and Vistage Worldwide.

Kathleen enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and friends. Her leisure time is spent reading, cooking, and entertaining when she is not scuba diving in exotic locations.