Recruiting Center of Excellence

Meet our recruiters

Meet the ORAU recruiters who are helping college students, recent graduates and other experienced professionals find STEM internships and full-time positions at national labs, research institutions, government offices and private-sector R&D departments. We specialize in scientific and technical staffing support, bringing highly qualified professionals to more than 22 federal agencies and national laboratories to fulfill critical project and business requirements.

Contact our ORAU Recruiting Center of Excellence recruiters to learn how we match great scientific and technical talent to challenging career opportunities.

Michelle Goodson, Workforce Solutions Group Manager
Goodson currently serves as the Group Manager for ORAU’s Workforce Solutions team. The team is comprised of talent acquisition specialists and human resources project management professionals. Goodson is an expert on full-cycle recruitment, technical staffing, recruitment metrics, and ATS design and implementation. She earned the Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), the SHRM Talent Acquisition Specialty Credential, and the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification. Goodson has a passion for identifying and developing phenomenal talent, so contact her today to find out how to join the Workforce Solutions team!
Chelsea Hill, Recruitment Manager
Hill has worked in talent acquisition and marketing for 14 years. Prior to joining ORAU's Workforce Solutions team, she worked to fill vital roles in healthcare, logistics, and in various STEM fields. Using her combined understanding of both marketing and talent acquisition, she makes it a priority to seek out and hire talent through unique platforms and initiatives. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion and is passionate about recruiting top talent for multiple ORAU programs. Hill holds the Human Capital Institute's Strategic Talent Acquisition Certification and currently leads a team of recruiters working on Department of Energy programs.
Geri Philpott, Technical Staffing Manager
Geri Philpott leads a team of recruiters and project managers working on federal and educational contracts for ORAU Workforce Solutions. She started her career in the environmental sciences and transitioned to education and training roles. Prior to her role at ORAU, she led recruiting efforts for both national and international professional training programs as well as interdisciplinary bachelor’s and master’s degrees at two large public research universities. She is passionate about developing the careers of top talent. Philpott holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Studies as well as a Strategic Talent Acquisition Certification from the Human Capital Institute.
Marlo Milton
Milton brings more than seven years of high volume, full cycle recruitment experience for industries such as healthcare, finance, administration and human resources. She currently recruits for various ORAU opportunities and is passionate about candidate experience. She strives to provide white glove service to her customers and candidates throughout every stage of the recruitment and hiring process.
Tony Morocco
Morocco has 20 years of professional recruiting experience. He started his professional recruiting career as an Army Recruiter and since his honorable retirement Morocco has been recruiting for government programs supporting US global operations. His specialty is hard-to-fill technical roles in military and government environments. Morocco’s clients benefit from his focus on the candidate experience throughout the full recruitment lifecycle.
Karen Cleveland
Cleveland brings project management expertise and communication strengths to the highly competitive field of recruiting. Her recruiting success is built on matching job seekers with pivotal career opportunities and then working closely with the candidate through the recruitment and onboarding cycles. Cleveland earned the SHRM Talent Acquisition Credential and the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification, as well as the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. She currently leads a recruitment and human resources team supporting the EPA National Student Services contract.
DeAnna Copeland
Copeland is an experienced talent acquisition specialist and program support professional. She has nine years of experience supporting large student research participation and employment programs for various federal agencies. In her current role, Copeland supports the EPA National Student Services contract and Department of Energy recruitment initiatives, as well as virtual events. She has earned the SHRM Talent Acquisition Specialty Credential and the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification.
Elyse Morrow
Morrow has more than 10 years of recruiting experience, and her specialty is recruiting for the emerging workforce. In her current role, Morrow supports the EPA National Student Services contract through recruiting, onboarding, and staffing activities. She previously focused on helping applicants find scientific graduate school programs to fit their needs. Morrow earned the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification.
Dalvin Webb
As a full-cycle recruiter, Webb's talent acquisition experience hinges on developing effective recruitment strategies and candidate pipelines to meet client hiring needs. He specializes in recruiting initiatives for the Army and Air Force. With six years of recruiting and human resource experience, Webb leverages a variety of sourcing methods to bring in top talent.
Tracy Hare-Ward
Hare-Ward brings a combination of experience and strengths from many years of service in administrative positions to her role as a recruiter. She is currently recruiting for the ARL-RAP program and enjoys working closely with both the candidates and the hiring managers throughout the entire process beginning with recruitment and following through until onboarding.
Brandon Gann
Gann has been working in talent acquisition for over nine years. Prior to joining the ORAU team, Gann performed full cycle recruitment and sourcing for an affordable property management company. He currently recruits for various ORAU opportunities and is passionate about providing the right opportunity for the right candidate. He prides himself on establishing genuine and meaningful connections with candidates and providing a quality recruitment experience.
Amber Wicks
Wicks brings human resources and recruiting support experience to her talent acquisition role. Prior to joining ORAU, she supported multiple recruitment initiatives for the Department of Energy. She is highly skilled in the planning and implementation of virtual hiring events on multiple platforms. Wicks finds joy in satisfying her client and candidate’s recruitment needs and has earned the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work certification.
Ashley Payne
For seven years, Payne has worked to recruit top talent in sales, healthcare, and engineering environments. She has a passion for people and strives to meet the hiring expectations of managers and candidates alike. She deems it most important to seek first to understand the hiring needs of managers and professional expertise of candidates, thus creating long-term, fulfilling careers. Payne currently works to fill vital roles for Department of Energy programs.
Andrew Carson
Carson, a marketing and recruiting expert, has been recruiting since 2017. His recruiting experience has focused on transportation, light industrial, engineering, IT, nursing and administration. He currently supports a variety of STEM roles for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Carson’s energy and enthusiasm can only be outweighed by his passion for customer service.
Lauren Turpin
Turpin has more than five years of experience in Human Resources and Recruiting. Her experience is primarily for the Department of Energy where she supported ORNL’s National Security, Environmental Systems Science, Isotopes Science and Engineering, and Neutron Sciences Directorates. She currently thrives in a full-lifecycle recruiting environment supporting the Environmental Protection Agency. She takes great joy in recruiting, interacting with candidates, and helping people find extraordinary careers. Turpin’s passion for people keeps her smiling all day!
TJ McGowan
McGowan possesses over 20 years of experience in recruitment, focused primarily on technical and manufacturing related disciplines. He also has an extensive background in job development and career coaching with a focus on assisting ex-offenders and underserved populations. He currently provides recruitment support for ORAU’s National Nuclear Security Administration projects.
Manuchka Joseph
Joseph has almost five years of experience recruiting for non-profits and government agencies. Her strong passion for helping individuals allows her to positively impact the personal and professional development of those around her. She strives to hire exceptional and talented individuals and gives her all to her customers and candidates. Joseph currently works with an NNSA lab supporting a variety of positions including craft roles.
Carla Draper
Draper has over 12 years of full lifecycle recruiting and HR experience. She has actively recruited in high volume sales, retail, IT, and healthcare. She has a professional background in coaching and relationship building. Draper believes in building meaningful and productive relationships with her clients, understanding their needs, and identifying the highest quality candidates possible for them. She prides herself on delivering her candidates the best experience possible throughout the interview, offer, and onboarding process. Draper recently earned the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification. Carla currently recruits candidates to fill vital roles for Department of Energy programs.
Rob Kennedy
Kennedy has worked in the Human Resources discipline for over 20 years, gaining experience and expertise in sales, workforce development, employee relations, onboarding, talent acquisition and management. As a seasoned HR professional, he is passionate about building teams and strategic alignment of company goals. Kennedy served in the U.S. Army and is always ready to assist fellow Veterans and Military Spouses on their career journey. He holds an MBA from Bethel University and earned the Society for Human Resource Management’s Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) credential and the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification.
Jennifer Jackson
Through her position as Student Orientation Coordinator at Berea College, Jackson was fortunate to discover her life’s passion of supporting others in meeting their own educational and occupational goals. Ever since, Jackson has shared her talent in employee services and career management through workforce development programs and talent acquisition roles. She currently supports Department of Energy clients through high volume recruiting. She is thrilled to be connecting potential candidates with amazing career-enhancing opportunities! Jackson has earned the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification.
Chelsey Weaning
Weaning is a versatile recruiting professional with experience in high volume, full-cycle hiring within fields such as IT, academics, finance, marketing, sales, and customer service. Her current role supports a variety of Department of Energy recruiting initiatives, primarily within Program Integration and Supply Chain Management. Weaning is passionate about building meaningful relationships and creating positive experiences for both candidates and hiring managers. Weaning earned the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification.
Amber Ponce
Ponce has over five years of experience as an HR professional, with specialized training in recruitment and staffing. Prior to joining ORAU, she performed full-cycle recruiting in the healthcare industry as well as for the Department of Energy. She has a passion for helping others and strives to provide excellent service to hiring managers and candidates. Her ultimate goal is to help her clients achieve its hiring goals by providing quality candidates that find professional fulfillment in their new roles.
Lori Couts
Couts has worked in talent acquisition and human resources for 20 years. Prior to joining ORAU, she staffed a variety of manufacturing, engineering, and service roles in efforts to support the energy and transportation industries, and led multiple talent pipeline programs to support corporate initiatives. She is passionate about serving the client and providing the best, most genuine candidate experience possible. Couts holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Kent State University, and currently works as a Senior Recruiter supporting talent acquisition needs of the Department of Energy labs.
Katie Benbenek
Benbenek brings a strong background in full-cycle recruitment supporting diverse industry organizations including healthcare, engineering, science and technology. Prior to joining ORAU, she recruited vital roles for the Department of Energy, specializing in nuclear engineering and global security. She is dedicated to building collaborative working relationships to achieve goals and is highly focused on delivering exceptional service to the clients and candidates she represents.
Ashley Griffith
Griffith has more than 10 years of recruiting experience and has worked in a variety of disciplines including human resources, healthcare, security, and government contracting. She has a passion for people and takes pride in providing a seamless candidate experience to meet client hiring needs. Griffith earned the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification.
Jessica Bahnasy
Bahnasy is an experienced talent acquisition and human resources professional. She has over six years of full cycle recruiting experience in the manufacturing, healthcare, and defense industries. In her current role, she recruits for the Department of Energy’s NNSA facilities. She is passionate about finding the right candidate for the position while providing a smooth hiring experience for candidates. She has earned the SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certification.