Who We Are

As a third-generation member of the Shaker family, Joe was raised on recruitment advertising. He describes HR communications as his passion, noting there is no greater achievement than making that connection between companies seeking the right employees and employees seeking the right opportunity. Joe officially began his career at Shaker in 2000, assisting client teams in incorporating online media and digital plans into marketing strategies. He advanced to vice president for Shaker Recruitment Consultants in 2005, directing the division’s niche job board operations. He succeeded his father, Joseph G. Shaker, to become president of Shaker Recruitment Marketing in 2016. He continues to be actively involved in business development, client relationship management, and the evaluation of emerging technologies. Joe serves on the board of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and holds a BA in communications from the University of Wisconsin.

Derek’s impressive tenure at Shaker spans nearly 20 years. Prior to Shaker, he was an actuary at Price Waterhouse. While currently serving as the agency’s COO, he also heads the Shaker Programmatic team, where he applies his actuarial expertise to our clients’ unique hiring needs and budget, ensuring that each program is customized, strategic, and nimble. His approach to programmatic uniquely positions each client to find the right fit talent as efficiently and effectively as possible. Derek holds a degree in actuarial science from the University of Illinois.

Ellen has more than 40 years of experience in advertising and communications, 29 of which have been devoted to her career with Shaker. After earning her bachelor’s in advertising and fine arts from the University of Illinois, Ellen took a position with a major automotive publishing firm, where she quickly advanced from graphic artist to production manager. In 1989, she joined Shaker as an account executive, where she was able to apply her creative talent and leadership abilities to win prestigious accounts and continuously advance her career. Today, Ellen leads a talented team of account professionals in ensuring proactive, consultative service to a variety of accounts. She is actively involved in strengthening our global agency relationships, to provide our customers with innovative service offerings on an international scale.

Coupled with a nuanced understanding of narrative, organic branding, Daniel’s design expertise and keen aesthetic sense culminate in unrivaled talent for exceptional creative work.

Now an innovator in his field, Daniel began his career at fifteen when, following in the footsteps of his family, he worked his way through Shaker’s creative department. After graduating at the top of his class with a BFA from the American Academy of Art, Daniel ventured into business for himself with the inception of his creative firm, Matte Black Studios. As one of the first creative firms to integrate responsive web design into its work, MBS excelled in innovative branding and interactive design that serviced clients from a broad range of industries. Matte Black merged with Shaker in 2015 and Daniel assumed the role of Executive Director, Creative Services. Today, Daniel’s talent and expertise support Shaker’s evolution into the digital realm.

John’s professional passion is helping global companies uncover who they are at their core. Through employer brand and employee value proposition development, he finds innovative ways to bring employee stories to life—work that has helped to redefine internal cultures and connect critical external talent to their dream jobs. As a content marketer, he unlocks the potential of authenticity and ensures that the right message finds the right audience, at the right time and on the right platform. As a speaker, coach and executive consultant, John has engaged audiences worldwide on diversity, inclusion and belonging, and on the future of work and the power of personal branding. In so doing, he has helped CEOs navigate diversity strategies, executives develop a more authentic voice on social media, students land their first jobs, and seasoned professionals rebrand themselves for their career journey. John earned a bachelor’s degree in African American studies and master’s degree in elementary education from Lincoln University. He holds an executive certificate in Fostering Diversity and Inclusion from Yale School of Management.

With over twenty years of experience in recruitment marketing, Megan works across every aspect of client development, business growth, agency education, global relations, and vendor partnerships. Building relationships has always been the cornerstone of her career, and she leverages our relationships with clients, media, technology and global partners to build solutions that enhance our clients’ employer brands, media strategies and candidate experiences. She holds a BS in Management from the AB Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA.

Elizabeth has nearly 20 years of experience in Human Resources, having worked in industries such as financial services, healthcare, and professional services.  Elizabeth started her HR career in Talent Development and quickly learned she was drawn to the Talent Acquisition side of HR as well.  She is passionate about building authentic and transparent cultures, working as a true HR partner to define the right blend of HR programs to meet both business and people needs. Elizabeth is also an Executive/Career Coach and has coached many leaders to make lasting change. She is adept at helping organizations define their strategic direction as well as hire and create processes for scale.  She values serving as an HR advisor to all employees.  Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a graduate of the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI).

Throughout his career, Peter has focused on developing and sustaining high-level and long-term client relationships. The key to his success is his ability to listen to client challenges, identify new marketing opportunities, introduce strategic solutions and deliver measurable results. He brings deep knowledge of employer brand activation, candidate attraction and engagement, and improving the candidate experience. Peter leads agency partnerships through a genuine approach based on immersion into their brands, cultures and industries. He holds a BA in Communications from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI.

With over 20 years in the recruitment marketing space, Sara has built and led teams of digital strategists, global client service, and media marketers. She started as an educator and quickly moved into digital training which paved the way to be an expert in our space. Since the early days of CareerMosaic to AI and beyond, she has always been listening and learning to bring the best consultative solutions to our clients. At Shaker, she leads the Digital Media and Digital Solutions teams in vetting our technology partners for our client’s global needs.

Sara has a proven track record of delivering consultative, scalable talent acquisition strategies and digital solutions to maximize business performance. As Vice President of Digital, Sara drives business growth with digital transformation initiatives, and engagement with her proven ability to develop and implement innovative solutions. Her expertise in digital marketing, data analytics, and technology has enabled her to lead teams to success in markets worldwide.

She is passionate about leveraging the latest technologies to create a seamless and engaging candidate experience, and her results-oriented approach has delivered measurable success for global brands. Sara is committed to building high-performing teams and creating a culture of innovation and collaboration. She continues to learn by researching digital techniques and embracing cutting-edge trends to approach challenges in new ways. Sara earned her Bachelor of English from North Central College and continued her education with a Master of Science in Instructional Technology.

Over the course of his career, Jimmy has held a variety of roles in talent acquisition, recruitment marketing, and employer branding. The common denominator among them? He always listens to his clients’ challenges, invests the time to understand the circumstances that make them unique, and thoughtfully implements solutions to sustain success and growth. Jimmy is passionate about helping employers make meaningful and lasting connections with candidates and employees. He taps his expertise in branding, marketing, and technology to help his partners understand the steps necessary to recruit and retain top talent. A student of the industry, Jimmy constantly evaluates the psychology, economy, and sociology of employment. With an emphasis on creating long-lasting relationships, Jimmy leads agency partnerships through a highly consultative, client-first approach. He holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Lia Mancini is a seasoned professional with almost two decades of experience in the Recruitment Advertising industry. Throughout her career, Lia has witnessed and adapted to the industry’s transformation from print to digital and beyond. Her expertise extends beyond digital sales, encompassing roles such as managing a network of 17 niche job boards, selling online recruitment products, overseeing technology platforms, and leading marketing campaigns. Lia was an integral part of building Shaker’s programmatic department, and currently serves as the Vice President of Shaker Programmatic.

While Lia possesses a wide range of experience, including traditional media planning and sales, employer branding, and social media marketing, she thrives in client-facing roles. She finds great satisfaction in collaborating with partner media companies and overseeing large-scale projects for clients spanning diverse industries. In her current role on the programmatic team, Lia focuses on educating clients about the advantages of data-driven management of pay-per-click budgets, assisting with technical setups, and fostering successful collaborations with media partners.

Working in a full-service agency like Shaker has provided Lia with opportunities to contribute to various projects across multiple disciplines. As a result, she has developed a dynamic skill set that allows her to tackle any challenge that comes her way with ease.

With over 15 years in strategic communications, Amanda has worked on a variety of industries—including online education, health care, personal care, food and beverage, and pet care—on both the agency side and in internal client roles. With a specialty in earned and digital media, Amanda is always on a quest for those storytelling moments that spark interest and engagement among a client’s targeted audiences. Amanda joined Shaker from Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm, and brings a consumer marketing lens to recruitment marketing. She earned her journalism degree in PR and advertising from the University of Wisconsin.