The Frontline Team
The people at the frontline of employment training and solutions.
Leadership & Operations
Janis Petrini
Janis Petrini is a highly experienced business owner and manager who has demonstrated the ability to lead diverse teams of employees to new levels of success in a variety of highly competitive industries, cutting-edge markets, and fast-paced environments. Janis has a track record of more than 30 years of hands-on experience in strategic planning, business unit development, and project and people management. She is actively involved in managing and mentoring her team of almost 30. She manages all business operations while also pursuing her passion of helping people succeed and our community thrive.
David Robb
David Robb is an entrepreneur and business leader with extensive experience in the staffing and recruiting industry, workforce development, and economic/labor market dynamics. David is the Co-Owner and Managing Partner of Express Employment Professionals of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Express Employment Professionals is the largest privately held staffing company in the country and the Grand Rapids office consistently performs in the top 2% of all franchises.
Since joining the Express team in 2015, David has partnered with Founder Janis Petrini to also launch and lead Specialized Recruiting Group and Frontline Training Solutions. Between their group of three companies they assist clients with all levels of staffing services and executive recruitment as well as employee training, HR consulting, and workforce strategy. Across all three companies, David leads a team of over 35 employees, serving clients both locally and across the country.
Previously, David worked as the Director of Data Analysis at a top digital advertising agency. David has degrees in Business Administration and Economics from Calvin University. David is a sought-after speaker on economic conditions and labor market forecasts. He is also a regular contributor and featured expert on various local and national business publications. He serves on the Western Michigan Economic Roundtable for the Federal Reserve, the Grand Rapids Chamber Workforce Development Committee, and is actively involved in a variety of local non-profits.
Nathan Leaman
Nathan Leaman is a passionate professional with extensive experience in building systems and tools that support organizational and leadership effectiveness. Nathan brings over 20 years of leadership and HR experience from both business and non-profit organizations.
Nathan has a bachelor's degree from the Moody Bible Institute, a master's degree from Liberty University, and received his coaching certification from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Nathan spent seven years in full-time church ministry before working for 13 years at the Kohler Co. At Kohler, Nathan moved through various HR roles, eventually taking the position of Director- Leadership Development. Nathan also held various executive HR roles for the Grande Cheese Company in Fond du Lac, WI, where he was responsible for Organizational Development, Compensation, Benefits Management and HRIS.
Nathan has extensive experience with assessment tools and is certified in multiple personality and 360 degree feedback assessments. His straightforward style, willingness to tackle difficult issues, genuine interest in seeing others grow, and ability to coach at all levels makes Nathan a go-to resource for strategic HR support and executive development.
Nic Dampier
Nic Dampier understands the value of good storytelling and the impact this has on brand identity and community. As the Creative Director for Frontline Training Solutions, as well as the Grand Rapids, Michigan locations of Express Employment Professionals and Specialized Recruiting Group, he is responsible for the strategic direction, vision, and branding of all marketing and communication initiatives. He has a passion for storytelling with excellence and helping brands become scalable and sustainable. Nic is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Degree in Strategic Communication Management and is focused on developing brand strategy that cuts through the noise by following a communication filter he designed called C.R.I.C.K.E.T., which stands for brand messaging that is Clear, Relatable, Intentional, Consistent, Kinetic, Engaging, and Truthful.
Nic is also a veteran of the United States Navy, where he served as a Religious Program Specialist Petty Officer Second Class immersed in the middle east culture learning how to communicate across cultural boundaries. After the Navy, he spent a decade serving as a Creative Arts Pastor for a large multi-site church network telling stories of the church and directing the production/music experience for thousands of people in person and online. He is an accomplished destination wedding and brand filmmaker of 13 years. Most recently he was featured in the 2021 ArtPrize International Art Competition as a "must see," by local news where he won 97 individual fan-favorite awards for his entry featuring 19 stories overcoming various adversity and struggles like homelessness, alcoholism, and prison through a positive mindset, grit, and employment support.
Casey Jankoska
Casey Jankoska joined the team in 2008 and her goal to understand the needs of companies and to find specific solutions. Casey has previously served on the Board of Directors with the Association for Human Resource Management (AHRM) as President and is involved in many other community organizations. She received her PHR and SHRM-CP Certifications as she has a passion to help leaders in the Human Resource field.
Veronica Minard
Senior Marketing Specialist
Veronica Minard joined the Express Employment Professionals team in 2024 as a Senior Marketing Specialist. She brings over a decade of marketing and communications experience from corporate, nonprofit and workforce development settings. She is passionate about telling impactful stories and is excited to belong to a team that is dedicated to putting people first.
Veronica received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Theatre Arts from Kalamazoo College and her Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership from Grand Valley State University. She is a West Michigan native who has called Grand Rapids home for over 20 years. Outside of work she enjoys traveling, seeing live music, and watching her daughter play volleyball.
Lorraine Medici
Lorraine Medici joined in 2014 as the Director of Training and Development. Lorraine has extensive experience as a coach and workshop facilitator in the areas of leadership and team building, working closely with companies to strategize solutions that will impact long-term results in engagement and retention. She has successfully launched Purpose-Driven Leadership Training, a series targeted at helping develop managers and leaders at all levels in manufacturing and other industries.
As a professional development coach, Lorraine also works alongside leaders and teams to overcome interpersonal or performance challenges. She is certified to train DISC, Situational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence (EQi 2.0), and an Associate Certified Coach and Master Practitioner for the ELI Assessment.
John Keuning
As Director of Manufacturing Training, John Keuning has a passion to put his 30 years of manufacturing and leadership experience to work for companies by providing both classroom training, virtual training, and on-site consulting. His goal is to help develop better leaders, engage workers, lower cost of goods, and increase profits for companies by arming teams with the tools necessary to be great agents of change. John's favorite place to be is on the plant floor working side-by-side with teams and leaders to find solutions to manufacturing questions. He has extensive experience in Lean manufacturing theory and implementation as well as helping new and advancing leaders understand the day-to-day work of being a leader. John has served multiple industries as a supervisor, Lean leader, product launch leader, production manager, plant manager, and director of manufacturing.
Alec McGuire
Alec McGuire joined the team in 2022 and is currently the Training & Event Manager. He has 9 years of customer service and leadership experience from his previous work in restaurant and event management. It was during this time that he developed a passion for delivering an excellent customer experience. Alec is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a Degree in French Linguistics and a minor in International Relations. In his free time, Alec enjoys playing the guitar, keeping up on his French, and traveling.
Trainers & Consultants
Dayna Neff
Dayna joined the Frontline team in 2023 as the Client Relations Manager / Senior Facilitator. Having spent her career in commercial health and wellness and non-profit leadership, Dayna has been connecting with individuals and training adults for over 30 years. She believes wholeheartedly that everyone is a leader, and her goal is to connect people with solutions and to coach/help grow the next generation of leaders in her circle of care.
Dayna is a lifelong learner and has completed her education with both Central Michigan University and Davenport University, studying corporate wellness and executive level business administration and she continues to believe the best classroom experiences occur when we connect to one another at a human level of grace and appreciation.
Ryan Williams
Ryan Williams serves as the Leadership and Team Development Specialist. He is a certified Everything DiSC facilitator and has his master's in organizational leadership from Cornerstone University.
Ryan brings a wide variety of cross cultural leadership experience, having worked previously in Hong Kong and with Native American populations in Alaska. Most recently, Ryan has worked in higher education, developing and implementing training curriculum and programs across the organization.
Ryan's passion and focus is for everyone to love the place they work. People who love their workplace work harder and perform better. He brings a unique perspective in helping organizations evaluate their organizational culture, understand cross cultural dynamics, and implement strategies to create better leaders.
Kaylee Cooper
Kaylee Cooper joined the team in 2020 and currently serves as the Managing Director of Skilled Trades Recruiting and Apprenticeships. Kaylee began building her career in Human Resources and Recruitment in 2015 after completing her bachelor's in Human Resource Management at Davenport University.
She concentrated her recruiting career in skilled trades after witnessing the ongoing challenges manufacturers have with the trades talent pool firsthand, and has recruited for the trades in both internal and third-party capacities. After attending her first Kaizen, Kaylee became fascinated by Lean theory and she recently earned her master's degree in Lean Manufacturing from Kettering University in Flint, Michigan.
With a passion for manufacturing and processes, Kaylee's goal is to help our clients grow their skilled trades teams to the next level with the best workforce, structured apprenticeships, and strategic hiring and retention solutions. Kaylee specializes in skilled manufacturing placement including Maintenance, Electrical, Welding, and Machining from entry to management levels.
Kaylee is a Certified Professional Resume Writer through the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches. She also serves as the Recruitment Chair on the Board of Directors for SECOM Resource Center.
Heather Merrick, MBA, SHRM-SCP
Heather Merrick has over 15 years of experience in human resources related roles, with strong experience in talent acquisition, organizational and workforce development, employee engagement, HR policy development, and HR strategy. She joined Express Employment Professionals in 2015 and currently serves as the Managing Director for Specialized Recruiting Group, an Express Employment Professionals company, to partner with client companies in providing HR solutions for recruiting and retaining top-notch talent, including training, workforce development, and recruitment strategies. Heather also provides consultation on HR policy development; best practices for employee engagement, organizational development, talent acquisition, and succession management; Veteran hiring, onboarding, and retention initiatives; and HR strategy for business success. Her recruiting experience includes manufacturing leadership, engineering, skilled trades, human resources, accounting/finance, sales & marketing, information technology, project management, administrative, medical, government, and non-profit roles.
In addition to her private sector work experience, Heather served 7 years on active duty in the United States Army and is a certified SHRM Foundation Inclusion Captain for Veteran Hiring, Onboarding, and Retention initiatives. Her education includes a bachelor of business administration degree with a double major in human resources management and marketing; a master of business administration degree with a concentration in human resources; and she is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional.
Heather is also an active volunteer in the community, having served on the AHRM Board of Directors in Grand Rapids in a variety of roles since 2013 including being selected as President for 2022; Vice President for 2021; serving as the Director of Workforce Readiness for the MISHRM Council for 2020 and 2021; and serving on a Board Committee for Family Promise of Grand Rapids in 2020 and 2021. Previous volunteer experience includes Michigan Blood; American Red Cross (Board Committee); Goodwill Industries of Grand Rapids; and Mosaic Film Experience.
Dana Presley
Dana started his career in the Marine Corps where he served for 20 years before retiring in 2006. Dana specialized as an Aviation Electrician and eventually led the development of all maintenance training for the V22 Osprey. During his time with V22, Dana completed a rigorous qualification process to become a Master Training Specialist which gave him the skills and credibility to train and mentor instructors in their teaching skills and instructional systems development.
Jason Schubert
Jason Schubert is a global human resources professional with proven success in leadership and talent development. For over 20 years, he has designed and managed programs and curriculum for global audiences and has personally facilitated more than 600 workshops around the world.
Jason earned his bachelor’s degree in Management, with a minor in Psychology from Northern Illinois University. He spent 10 years with ABC Supply Company focusing on OD, Human Sigma, talent and education. He then moved to Kohler Co. where he continued his passion for developing leaders through various roles, including driving global employee development as the leader of Kohler’s Corporate University. Jason’s most recent position has been with another large global manufacturer as the Sr. Learning & Development Manager.
With nearly 20 certifications in leadership models, program content, coaching and assessments, Jason continues to provide coaching with leaders at all levels of an organization. His ultimate goal is to identify what is truly needed and provide the best possible solution to the individual, the team, and/or the organization.
Maureen Toshner
Maureen Toshner is an experienced Human Resources Executive with over thirty years’ expertise in creating and leading talent strategies that drive organizational effectiveness. She understands the critical role that effective leadership plays in order to drive high levels of performance for every role within an organization. Most importantly, Maureen is able to help leaders identify, develop, and grow behaviors that ultimately attract and retain strong talent. Maureen has deep expertise in succession planning, organizational change management, talent strategies, team development, conflict resolution and much more.
Maureen has a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in Business and History (and a French minor). After graduating with her B.A., Maureen lived in Paris, France where she studied at Sorbonne University. Her work experience includes both global/large and medium sized manufacturers as well as within higher education. Most recently, Maureen served as the Vice-President of Human Resources for the Grande Cheese Company based in Fond du Lac, WI.
Lary Shoemaker
Lary Shoemaker has over 20 years of hands-on experience in the precision machining and advanced manufacturing industry and over 15 years working as an instructor in these areas. He is an expert trainer in the areas of precision machining, manufacturing basics, CAD/CAM, CNC, and Pre-engineering.
Lary began his career with Paragon Die and Engineering as a machinist apprentice and later became a journeyman machinist and master machine builder. Lary later held the position of Plant Manager at Highlight Industries, where his responsibilities grew to include the management of mechanical and electrical engineering, purchasing, inventory, and quality. During this time, Lary worked with the U.S. Dept. of Labor to develop the company's registered apprenticeship programs for machinist and welding.
In 1997, Lary was hired by Grand Rapids Community College, Business and Technical Training group as a Training Specialist of manufacturing and precision machining. Since 1999, Lary has been teaching industrial education at Byron Center High School. He was hired to teach and develop the fledgling industrial education program. He was instrumental in planning the new facility, specifying precision machines, CAD/CAM software, and curriculum development. His teaching load includes CAD, CAM, CNC, Drafting, Blueprint Reading and Pre-engineering.
Dr. Sandra Upton
Dr. Sandra Upton is Founder and Chief DEI Strategist with Upton Consulting Group (UCG), an innovative team of strategists who work with DEI professionals, leaders, and organizations around the globe. Using a research-based change management framework and culturally intelligent strategies, UCG supports organization’s efforts to create behaviors and implement systems that support diverse, equitable and inclusive work environments.
Prior to launching UCG. Dr. Upton was Vice President, Global Diversity Practice with the Cultural Intelligence Center and was responsible for providing strategic leadership and expertise on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) matters for numerous clients across the globe. She led the organization’s response to the growing demand from global and Fortune 500 companies to Ivy-League universities such as Starbucks, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Saks Fifth Avenue, Amway, McDonalds, Perrigo, Harvard, Stanford, MIT and University of Michigan.
She is a frequent speaker, has written numerous articles and blogs on DEI and has been featured on several podcasts. Her new book “Make It Last: A Roadmap and Practical Strategies for How to Do DEI” will be released February 2024. More information on UCG can be found at www.uptonconsultinggroup.com.
Matrina Poston
Trina is an authentic and experienced leader with over 20 years of experience in healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing industries. She has spent the majority of her career leading transformational change efforts in healthcare; from large scale technology implementations, new construction and renovation projects to implementing new lean-agile ways of working. Trina serves clients by infusing proven approaches to problem solving and strategic execution with humor and a people centered focus.
She holds Master’s degrees from Central Michigan University in Health Services Administration, Human Resources and Information Resource Management. Additionally, she received her Bachelor of Science in Communications with a minor in Sociology from Grand Valley State University and an Associate’s Degree from Lake Michigan College.
Trina has earned multiple professional certifications as a Certified Corporate Wellness Professional (CWP), Certified Personal and Executive Coach (CPEC), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), Level IV Lean Certified Instructor by the University of Michigan and Project Management Professional (PMP).
Jimmy Nelson, PH.D., CPTD, SHRM-SCP
Jimmy A. Nelson, Ph.D., CPTD, SHRM-SCP was born and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He achieved his Bachelors degree in Biology & Chemistry, a Masters Degree in HR Organizational Development & Training, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology, and has been a professional Learning & Organizational Development consultant for over 25 years. He achieved his CPTD (Certified Professional in Talent Development) from the Association of Talent Development in 2010, and his SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) in 2020. Jimmy is a "retired" Dale Carnegie® instructor and is a certified Franklin Covey® Instructor. He holds accreditations in D.i.S.C., DDI, Myers-Briggs, Hogan, and other assessments. He is a recognized expert in conflict resolution and advanced teambuilding skills. He has taught courses in 40 of the 50 states, and internationally in China, Hong Kong, England, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Jimmy lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife Deborah and their two Olde English Pocket Beagles – Daniel & Clark. They have three grown children and a beautiful grandchild - Melanie - who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In his personal life, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, ice fishing, hunting, Geocaching, traveling abroad, and love woodworking, remodeling his last 5 houses!