President
Tony Bolliger
Tony Bolliger joined CareerSMITH Inc. in 2003 after having spent 10 years in the environmental and construction industries. Prior to joining CareerSMITH, he was a senior project manager for a billion-dollar environmental engineering and remediation firm in Northern California. Projects included managing large-scale remediation programs for the Department of Defense, environmental consulting, technical assistance with hazardous waste management, and management of solid waste construction projects.
As President of CareerSMITH, Tony develops strong relationships with clients to fulfill a broad range of position levels and functions across market sectors including energy, power, infrastructure, transportation, government, and environmental. In partnership with clients, Tony develops strategic recruitment plans and recruits across a spectrum of leadership positions for clients looking to establish or augment corporate management teams. This includes searches for key positions such as chief executive officer, chief growth officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, vice president, president, and other strategic leadership positions.
Tony’s invaluable experience conducting searches for private equity and private equity-backed firms offers our clients a unique understanding of the critical requirements needed for executives to be successful within this dynamic market sector.
He works closely with clients to fully understand their needs and provides oversight and leadership throughout the entire search execution process, including directing research, candidate development, and interviewing and presenting qualified candidates. Tony is intimately involved throughout search execution to ensure the successful integration of candidates into client organizations. This results in high-quality candidates and long-term placements that make a strategic impact.
Tony is a frequent speaker at national engineering and construction industry conferences each year, in which he shares his strong E&C industry knowledge, recruiting guidance, and industry trends in recruiting and retention. In addition, he leads CareerSMITH’s participation and sponsorship activities for multiple industry associations and organizations including SAME, ECC, EFCG, FMI, AEC Advisors, and IEHRA.
Tony is a Board Member of the Association of Executive Search & Leadership Consultants (AESC) Americas Council and in 2019 was elected Council Secretary and Treasurer. The AESC Americas Council consists of elected officers from AESC Member firms in North America and Latin America to provide market insights and ensure that the AESC represents the very best in the profession and a rigorous commitment to quality standards.
Chairman Emeritus
Brian Smith
Brian Smith has over 40 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry. He has been in the recruiting industry for over 20 years, first with an internationally known firm, Ray & Berndtson, and then as Founder and President of CareerSMITH. Previously, Brian served as President and CEO of Smith Technology, a company he founded in 1992 to provide engineering consulting and remediation services to commercial and government clients. It grew to be the tenth largest company of its kind in the United States with 1,100 employees. He sold the company in 1997.
Prior to that, Brian worked for International Technology Corporation, a publicly-held environmental and hazardous waste management services company. He joined the company in 1986 and later became the President and Chief Operating Officer, helping to establish the company as the nation’s largest hazardous waste engineering company. Previous experience includes 12 years with Fluor Daniel, in which he was President of Venture Capital, Group Senior Vice President in charge of the Middle East and Africa, Vice President of Infrastructure, Project Manager of Mining and Metals, and Manager of Cost, Scheduling and Estimating. Brian joined Fluor Daniel when the firm purchased Utah Engineering & Construction in 1972. With Utah, he was Chief Engineer in charge of building military bases in Thailand.
Brian spent six years in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps. He earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a master’s degree in financial management from George Washington University.
Vice President, Operations
Angela Smith
Angela Smith brings over 20 years of domestic and international search experience, having represented multiple industries throughout her career including engineering and construction, professional services, manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, and entertainment.
With experience recruiting at all levels of an organization and across all functions, Angela manages all recruiting-related activities and operations for the firm. Utilizing her vast project management experience, this includes effectively executing CareerSMITH’s defined recruiting process for each search engagement. She partners in the design and implementation of sourcing and recruitment strategies and takes tremendous pride in effectively evaluating client needs and using professional interviewing strategies to accurately assess candidates based on established criteria. In addition, she is also involved in client relationship management, including maintaining progress and market feedback reports, as well as coordinating logistics and managing candidates through the recruitment lifecycle.
A consummate professional, Angela regularly attends engineering and construction industry conferences as well as those specific to the executive search industry. She is a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC); Project Management Institute (PMI); and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).
Angela earned a Bachelor of Science in business management from the University of Phoenix and a Project Management Certificate from the University of Utah.
Director, Research
Alicia Flintzer
Alicia Flintzer joined CareerSMITH in 2007 and has over 25 years of global experience in research consulting, strategic sourcing, and executive search. She brings a wealth of knowledge from providing research and strategic business consulting services across multiple industries, including engineering and construction, aerospace, manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and professional service industries.
As Vice President of Research at CareerSMITH, Alicia is responsible for managing and executing all primary research functions and leading an experienced research team. She obtains a strong understanding of each client and search engagement to develop position descriptions, identify target companies, direct and manage name generation, and develop sourcing approaches.
Prior to the launch of each search, she conducts a detailed and thorough client analysis and market sector evaluation to develop a customized and strategic research strategy that results in identifying, targeting, and recruiting the most qualified talent. Alicia also manages business development initiatives and maintains CareerSMITH’s extensive contact database. Prior to her position at CareerSMITH, Alicia was Research Director at a boutique executive search firm based in Southern California providing retained executive search services on a national basis. In this capacity, she managed all research functions for global clients in the engineering, aerospace, manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology market sectors.
Alicia earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Assessment Services Consultant
Gail Fulwider
Over her 40-year career, Gail Fulwider has worked with a number of firms in the Engineering and Construction industry to help them formulate and implement human resource programs and strategies that support their annual and long-term business objectives.
As a certified management and leadership assessment provider, Gail has extensive experience administering multiple industry-leading assessments and emotional intelligence tools. She is responsible for administering CareerSMITH’s assessments including various leadership assessments that are used to evaluate executive leadership effectiveness and ability. She has broad experience in providing these services for executive assessment and recruitment.
Prior to her consulting career, Gail held senior management positions with several leading firms in the engineering and construction industry including Vice President, Human Resources, and Organizational Development.
Gail earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Tennessee. She has also completed counseling psychology postgraduate work from the University of Tennessee and is a Certified Leadership Trainer.
Candidate Development Consultant
Pam Golightly
Pam Golightly brings broad-based industry experience and more than thirty years of professional search expertise. Pam specializes in the engineering and construction industry both domestically and internationally. Areas of functional expertise include operations, sales, marketing, business development, manufacturing, human resources, finance, engineering, information technology, general management, purchasing and logistics.
Earlier in her career she was with two leading international executive recruiting firms engaged with executing a wide variety of senior-level searches in the telecommunications, high technology, consumer packaged goods, healthcare, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, financial services, utilities, and retail industries.
Pam graduated with honors and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising/Public Relations from Texas Christian University. She is a founding member of the Northwest Recruiters Association.
Candidate Development Consultant
Stephanie MacDonald
Stephanie MacDonald has provided executive recruitment and candidate development expertise to retained executive search firms for over 30 years. With a professional yet personal style, she quickly develops rapport and trust with potential sources and candidates. Stephanie is an independent consultant and an integral resource for CareerSMITH.
She has conducted domestic and international searches in the engineering and construction industry in commercial, industrial, heavy civil, power, oil and gas, infrastructure, environmental remediation, architectural design, consulting, energy storage, and energy services market sectors. Stephanie has also conducted executive searches for non-profits, associations, and foundations, and for companies in the life science, biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, bioIT, clean technology, media & entertainment, social media, retail, interactive & direct marketing, consumer products, hospitality & leisure, high tech, telecommunications, hardware, and software industries.
Earlier in her career, Stephanie worked with an international retained executive search firm in Los Angeles and then for two retained executive search firms in Northern California. She graduated with honors and earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Candidate Development Consultant
Kevin Cabai
Kevin Cabai’s recruiting is benefited by his 30-plus years of industry experience. Focusing on the design-build marketplace, which includes engineering, architecture, construction, and land development, he has established a strong and diverse network, which provides both valuable insight and robust referral opportunities.
Kevin strives to create a trusting candidate-recruiter relationship, resulting in an openness and candor imperative in the recruiting process. He is well-versed in candidate development and establishes a mutual benefit, striving to ensure both clients and candidates have all the requisite information while deciding future courses of action. He has strong experience in multi-generational recruiting and adapting to constantly evolving hiring markets. He fully understands the need for timing and flexibility, offering a true 24/7 resource.
Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and management, along with his Army Commission from The State University of New York in Albany, New York. He has further post-graduate honors from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas.
After serving in Europe and the United States, Kevin developed his recruiting skills while working with an international retained executive search firm in Chicago. He is actively serving on several non-profit boards and is currently president for HMGS-Midwest.
Candidate Development Consultant
Holly Jackson
Fueled by creating win/win placements, Holly Jackson serves as a Candidate Development Consultant for CareerSMITH with responsibility for candidate development, assessment, and extensive follow-up throughout the hiring process.
With over 25 years of third-party, full-cycle experience, Holly has recruited C-suite and specialty professionals in the federal government, finance, accounting, banking, Big 4 and mid-tier consulting firms, insurance and healthcare. A natural networker, she has built business from scratch and earned a proven track record, many professional awards, and the nickname “Holly Headhunter.”
Graduating magna cum laude from Arizona State University, Holly also attended Semester at Sea, a multi-country, study abroad program on a ship that emphasizes global comparative experiences. This college classroom learning, enriched by firsthand international exposure, sparked her passion for worldwide travel with a current count of 53 countries and growing.
As a sixth-generation Austinite, Holly bleeds orange for her Texas Longhorns. With deep connections in the community, she was a weekly social reporter for the Austin American-Statesman’s Westlake Picayune community newspaper, where she reviewed and promoted fundraisers for nonprofits.