LAURA STODDARD • President, Principal Writer

Laura Bostwick Stoddard's career both academically and professionally has focused on Human Resource Management, ultimately attaining the level of Vice President of HR, Caremark, overseeing 850 IT professionals across the US. Over her twenty five year career Laura worked in a number of HR roles for several Fortune 500 companies, including Union Carbide, Fidelity Bankers Life, Touche Ross, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Virginia and Baxter Healthcare/Caremark. She has helped companies to effectively design, build and staff organization structures that position themselves to meet business needs and attract and retain quality talent.

In 1999 she entered the world of retained executive search joining Chicago based Coffou Partners, as Senior Vice President. In 2003 she founded Blue Heron Executive Search & Consulting, Ltd. As an executive search consultant Laura has in-depth recruiting experience completing mid to senior management searches in a number of functional areas that include eCommerce and information systems, human resources, marketing, sales, project management and general management. Her clients have ranged from small businesses to Fortune 10 companies and have included domestic and international positions, across an array of industries such as manufacturing, consumer goods, healthcare, travel, and engineering.

She is a member of the Society of International Business Fellows, currently serving on the Executive Board as Vice President of Regional Programs. She recently served as a facilitator for the Central Eurasia Leadership Academy in Istanbul in 2009. Laura is also a member of Career Directors International and is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer.

Laura received an Associates degree in Liberal Arts from Cottey College, a Bachelor's of Science degree in Political Science at the University of Wyoming, and a Masters degree in Industrial Relations from Iowa State University.

Jennifer S. Smiley • Vice President Creative Director

Jennifer brings to Ritzy Resume over 13 years experience in HR roles from information technology, engineering, banking, corporate sales and marketing, and the hospitality field, and in retained executive search with Blue Heron Executive Search & Consulting, Ltd. Jennifer has a diverse background which provides broad insight to client needs and industry understanding. At Ritzy Resume Jennifer oversees not only the administration and operations of the company, she is the creative lead for resume design.

Previously with Dell Computer's headquarters in Round Rock, Texas, Jennifer managed professional recruiting for the corporate sales and marketing teams. Her responsibilities included teaching effective interviewing techniques, strategic organizational development, and managing on campus recruiting programs. She worked with management to determine succession planning for top performers and innovative solutions for building pipelines and bench strength for the teams.

As Director of Administration at Blue Heron Executive Search, Jennifer manages marketing plans, and general administration of the practice, as well as being the point person for overseeing the management of the candidate and search process. She works closely with both candidates and clients ensuring that the firms methodology is followed and quality levels are maintained.

Jennifer holds an Associate of Science in Hotel/Restaurant Management from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Lori Kithil • Principal Editor

Lori Kithil has a varied background in Human Resources and Marketing from Dell Computer Corporation in Texas and from several employment agencies in both North Carolina and Texas. Lori holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications, with a Journalism emphasis, from Elon University in Burlington, North Carolina.

At Dell, Lori was responsible for coordinating all aspects of the hiring process and was responsible for screening and hiring the inside sales representatives in Dell's Corporate Business Group (CBG). In August 2000, Lori joined Dell's Marketing group in their Executive Briefing Center. There, Lori was responsible for advising and consulting with field sales personnel on their upcoming briefings, working closely with executive management to involve them in the customer briefings.

Lori is a Research and Writing Analyst for Blue Heron Executive Search where she works closely with the executive recruiters providing research and editorial services. She helps in the development of comprehensive position descriptions and in preparation of formal candidate profiles to be presented to the clients for their open executive level positions. Lori also gathers research on potential candidates and companies for both business development and candidate identification purposes.