The Talent Store
33 S 5th Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
Devon Underwood is the Founder and Lead Strategist at The Talent Store, an Executive Search and Talent Strategy firm. Her goal is to help clients discover the people and processes that allow them to meet their strategic goals. This saves time, money and creates the tipping point for growth.
With an understanding of the technology and best practices available to help growing companies scale successfully, she can develop and implement custom talent attraction, acquisition and retention strategies. She can also work to place key leadership in newly developed, shifting or re-aligned roles with a focus on long term matching of culture and values.
Devon has provided Executive Search, Recruiting and Talent Acquisition strategy consulting for clients in 40+ states for the last 15 years. She has built, trained and developed recruitment teams and played a key role in employment branding. She is an expert in analyzing current practices and shaping systems and solutions customized for each company’s culture, current processes and resource capacity.
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Pima Community College
1255 North Stone Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85709
Ian Roark is VP of Workforce Development at Pima Community College. His focus is developing and sustaining curricula, programs, and partnerships that will help students be successful participants in the 21st century economy. He has had the opportunity to work with many outstanding K-12 and community college professionals to develop innovative programs that have helped people realize their college and career dreams.
Ian has served on regional and state boards focused on workforce development (e.g., Texas Association of College Technical Educators and Chair of the Education & Workforce Development Committee of the West Texas Energy Consortium), and has presented at conferences on the topics of P-16 reform and CTE program innovation and at local, state, and national conferences.
Connect with Ian on LinkedIn and Facebook.
About Your Host
Tucson Metro Chamber
465 W. St. Mary’s Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-792-1212
Amber Smith is the president and CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber. In her role, she leads the Tucson Metro Chamber in implementing the goals and visions of the Chamber’s Board of Directors to champion an environment where business thrives and the Tucson community prospers. Focusing on growing business through workforce development, talent attraction, and public policy, the Tucson Metro Chamber is a strong community partner focused on making Tucson the ideal destination for business success. Amber’s goal is to lower the amount of poverty in Tucson by growing businesses.
A government relations professional by trade, Amber’s strength is building relationships between the public and private sector, while identifying ways to collaborate and partner to achieve mutually beneficial goals. Amber began her career working for Senator McCain where she became adept at retaining professionalism and decorum while navigating difficult and controversial policy matters.
Amber represented the real estate and land use industry on policy matters first as a lobbyist for homebuilders and developers and then for Metropolitan Pima Alliance (MPA). MPA’s foundation is creating balanced land use policies that stimulate economic development and reasonably preserves our natural environment. Amber has continued that philosophy of finding common ground through her work at the Tucson Metro Chamber.
A Texas native, Amber moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona and graduated with a degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration from Eller College. Married to a second-generation Tucsonan, Amber’s husband Robert is a Tucson Fire Department Captain, who also owns a small business. Amber and Robert have three young sons, 11 goats, four dogs, three donkeys and some chickens and they enjoy the quiet life on their small ranch.
Connect with Amber on LinkedIn.
