Welcome to Chalk Talk, a program aimed at sharing real-world advice and guidance to the private market ecosystem, and especially those companies looking to strengthen their financial foundation and governance. The host of Chalk Talk is Carine Schneider, the president of ASTI Private Company Solutions, provider of Astrella and the most innovative and easy-to-use ownership tracking platform.
May brings over 21 years of PEO experience to Aspen HR. She began in the industry as a payroll professional and held a variety of positions throughout several PEOs as a new client Implementation Specialist, Mid-Market Payroll & Implementation Manager, and most recently, Director of Implementation at Engage PEO. She joined at start-up of Engage in 2012 to lead and grow the implementation department, directly contributing to the quick growth of the company to over 40,000 worksite employees in 10 years.
May graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BS in Psychobiology, has held a Certified Payroll Professional designation since 2009, and is an American Payroll Association member.
Mark Sinatra is the CEO of Aspen HR where he leads the strategic direction and growth of the company. Prior to Aspen HR, Mark was CEO of Staff One HR where he led the company through a period of substantial growth highlighted by achieving the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for four years in a row, and сulminating in Staff One HR’s sale to its largest privately-held competitor, Oasis Outsourcing, in December 2017. Mark oversaw the Western half of the country for Oasis Outsourcing until its sale to Paychex for $1.3bn in December 2018. Prior to his leadership experience in the HR industry, Mark worked as a consultant and investment banker.
Actively involved in his community and industry, Mark has served as a Board director for NAPEO and ESAC and two non-profit organizations. He is also an active member of Young Presidents’ Association.
Mark is an MBA graduate of the Wharton School of Business, and holds a BA in Economics from Fordham University. He has earned the SHRM-CP designation, is a Certified Predictive Index analyst, and is a graduate of the Stagen Integral Leadership Academy.
Jenny serves as the COO and is a Co-Founder of Aspen. Prior to joining Aspen, Jenny was Vice President at Ambrose, now known as TriNet Financial Services. Jenny co-led the Bay Area market development for TriNet’s PEO product that specifically focused on the alternative investment industry.
Jenny was previously in KPMG’s asset management group that provided audit, tax, and consulting services for numerous alternative investment firms.
Jenny earned her BS in Business Administration with concentration in Accounting from San Francisco State University College of Business. She currently serves as Co-Chair for Help For Children’s West Coast Executive Committee, a global foundation, supported by the alternative asset management industry. Jenny also co-founded the Pacific Alternative Investment Group in February of 2016.
Jeff serves as CFO for AspenHR where he is responsible for overseeing the finance, treasury, and risk & compliance teams. Jeff joined AspenHR in 2018 and brings over 12 years of experience serving and consulting with clients across the asset management and professional services industry.
Before joining Aspen, Jeff spent his first nine years in KPMG’s financial services group and later joined Standish Management as Vice President of Finance. Jeff earned his BS in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the AICPA.
Jeanine Schottler is the Managing Director of HR and Client Services for Aspen. Jeanine brings over 20 years of experience, serving in both corporate HR and outsourced capacities.
Before joining Aspen, Jeanine served as the Director of HR Services at Oasis Outsourcing where her teams were responsible for delivering HR services to over 5,000 client organizations and 250,000 worksite employees. During her tenure, Jeanine gained experience in acquisition integration and scaling service operations. She holds a Masters in Organizational Performance and Change from Colorado State University and has earned SHRM-SCP, SPHR, and PHRca designations.
Rowena manages all aspects of operations for the firm including, HR, benefits, IT infrastructure and recruiting. For our clients, Rowena specializes in designing and implementing corporate insurance and employee benefits programs. Prior to Standish, she was the Operations Manager at Walden Venture Capital. Earlier in her career Rowena was an analyst in the health insurance industry.
Rowena earned a BA in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Bob is the Chief Executive Officer of Standish and Chair of the Board. Before founding Standish in 2006, Bob was the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Walden Venture Capital. Prior to Walden, Bob was the CFO at Robertson Stephens Asset Management and a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. At PwC Bob led the Bay Area Private Funds Group in providing audit, tax, and consulting services to venture, private equity, and fund-of-funds. Bob started his career at Ernst and Young in Boston and has been working in the investment management industry since 1993.
Bob earned an MBA from Boston University and a BA from the School of International Service at The American University. Bob is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and member of the AICPA and California Society of CPAs.
Midge is a recognized leader with extensive experience in the Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and Human Capital Management (HCM) industries. After a successful career practicing law, she started in the PEO industry in 1999. As a C-suite executive, Midge was instrumental in founding, operating and growing two successful PEOs, Engage PEO and Modern Business Associates.
Midge also served in a number of leadership roles of distinction within the PEO community. On the national level, she is a past Chair of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) and long-time board member; she chaired NAPEO’s Federal Government Affairs Committee (FGAC), NAPEO’s Political Action Committee (PAC) and NAPEO’s Legal Advisory Council. Regionally, Midge was appointed to Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Board of Employee Leasing Companies, where she also served as Chairperson; and Midge is a former Vice President of the Florida Association of Professional Employer Organizations (“FAPEO”).
In 2019, Midge was the proud recipient of the PEO industry’s highest honor, the Michaeline A. Doyle Award, for her leadership and contributions to the industry.
A frequent author and speaker, Midge began her career practicing international law as a litigator and transactional attorney in Miami, Florida; she has substantial experience in corporate, regulatory, mergers and acquisitions, and labor and employment law.