Leadership Team
David Gantshar
As the Founder of Merraine Group Inc., David started in the executive search & recruitment business in 2001. After growing the firm to national prominence, David formed the Shepherd Search Group® and has gone on to acquire a number of successful boutique, niche driven search firms such as MoneyTech Search Group, Dermatology Recruiters, JS3 (in the UK) as well as many others. He is the father of two children with disabilities including an autistic son that has been the inspiration for much of our work.
David Flam
David is our social services expert. He has placed leaders (VP’s, COO’s and CEO’s/Executive Director’s) within Child Welfare, Developmental Disabilities, Social Services and Mental Health and Addiction Services. His candidates and clients turn to him for repeat business as he spends the time getting to know each person and agency on an individual level. He enjoys working collaboratively with clients and candidates to make a true match and prides himself on educating on the trends that affect the clients.
Laura Burgess
Laura brings with her 25+ years of executive search, staffing, and recruitment solutions. Culture and retention are paramount to the health of any organization. Having attended and spoken at 100+ conferences globally, trained 10,000+ recruiters and coached 1,000+ leaders, her expertise is in attracting and delivering professionals that are motivated to stay. With relationships built on collaboration and trust, her team prides themselves on growing companies, changing lives and partnering as trusted advisors.
Alfred F. Hankins Jr.
Alfred has over 25 years of experience in corporate structure and operations. Because of his team building skills and passion for innovation, this has led to Alfred’s dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion projects. Prior to this, he held senior level positions in telecommunications and real estate development. Alfred enjoys mentoring teenagers and is committed to promoting the benefits of an inclusive workforce and helping those less fortunate.
Barbara Ratner
Barb is the Senior VP at Merraine Group® with responsibility for strategic planning. Barb spent her entire career in the non-profit sector working for organizations helping disadvantaged children, educational institutions and community centers in the northeastern United States. She holds a seat on Merraines Executive Committee and plays a large role in acquisitions, personnel development and oversight of special projects. Barb is also an accomplished author and opera singer. When not working, Barb enjoys time with her grandchildren or for that manner….just about any children.
Donald Ross
Prior to joining Merraine Group®, Donald spent eleven years with Blue Cross/Blue Shield in their Philadelphia office. He now leads Merraine’s® Career Development Group where all of the recruitment teams report into him. If you’ve noticed a different cadence when he speaks, it may be because he’s from northern Scotland. He claims to have played both Trump International Golf Links as well as St. Andrew’s although neither of them went very well. Donald is the proud father of five children.
Mary M. Risse
Mary is a Talent Acquisition Professional with over 14 years of experience as an Executive Recruiter and Search Consultant. She possesses a keen ability to foster a strong understanding of organizations cultures and strategic goals enabling her is to quickly identify and deliver top talent. Mary is passionate about partnering with her clients and candidates to ensure that excellent matches are made to advance careers and help organizations achieve success.
Kelly Gutradt
Kelly is an accomplished Talent Acquisition Professional with over 20 years of experience in Human Resources Management including Recruiting, Project Management, Training & Development, and Staffing Operations. She has expertise in leading high-volume recruitment projects; end-to-end RPO services; and offsite, onsite, and vendor-on-premise partnerships. Kelly is detailing and process-oriented with a drive for achievement and a passion for success. She takes a hands-on approach to customize solutions that best support each clients’ unique needs.