Director of Corporate Engagement & Career Management, Joseph M. Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh

Christopher Barlow is the Director of Corporate Engagement & Career Management at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). As a department lead, he works to create value-added partnerships between the university, corporations and other community-based partners such as governments, associations, and NGOs. Specifically, Christopher supports to promote the talent pool graduating from Katz, to build industry ecosystems, and to create and manage skill development programs. Since joining Pitt he has introduced and co-organized new active skill development programs such as the Super Analytics Challenge, the Bridge Program, and the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Advisory Fellowship (PA-MAF) and the Pennsylvania Robotics & Technology Fellowship (PA-RTF).

Prior to joining Pitt, he served as an executive with Thomson Reuters in Washington D.C. for more than 10 years working in marketing leadership, strategic relations, and project management roles. He promoted land administration and property tax solutions for governments worldwide. Prior to Thomson Reuters, he worked in global marketing for Esri Inc, a geographic information system (GIS) software corporation headquartered in Redlands, CA.

Christopher had also worked in the Asia Pacific region for more than eight years, including in China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Mongolia on land information systems and mapping projects. This includes serving as a Project lead for a USTDA project in Anhui Province, China. He began his career in Shanghai, China, working in marketing including with Hewitt Associates (now AON).

He received his M.B.A. and also M.A. in geography from the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo. He also holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies with minors in Chinese language, economics, political science, and geography from Western Washington University.

Author, Coach, and Trainer | chrisczarnik.com

Chris Czarnik (Zarr-Nick) has spent the last 20 years figuring out why people go to and leave organizations. As one of the most accomplished career coaches in the country, he has helped thousands of job seekers figure out how to identify organizations and jobs that are a great fit for them. As one CEO said, “If you are fishing for talent…he just spent the last 17 years with the fish!”

His book “Winning the War for Talent” is used by more than 3,500 organizations across the country and Chris travels more than 200 days a year teaching individual companies to recruit, retain and develop great employees.

He is an avid basketball and tennis player and is drawn to anything that is daring, exciting, or challenging. His love of teaching process-based solutions is known to more than 1,500 CEOs across the country.

His greatest joy however is knowing that when he helps companies find great employees, he is also helping his job seekers find work that is meaningful and fits their natural skills and abilities. When this happens, everybody goes home a winner!

Executive Director, Industrial Arts Workshop

Executive Director Tim Kaulen has 25 years as a working artist and educator and is a well-known community advocate with a commitment to arts, education, and real-world business strategy. Widely recognized for his large-scale, public artworks, Tim has a high-profile network of colleagues, students, and mentors. He founded and led the Mobile Sculpture Workshop, which for each of five summers brought together 10 high school students from the Pittsburgh area to learn safe welding and metal fabrication techniques, the artistic process, community engagement, and team building. With the success of this volunteer endeavor, he garnered supporters to found Industrial Arts Workshop as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and has raised more than $1.5 million to outfit a former Hazelwood facility as a welding training facility and create an organization with 4 FT staff. Through his leadership, IAW has launched two core programs since starting programming in 2021 whose value is recognized by the Steamfitters, Catalyst Connection, and Iron Workers Local #3, among others. Tim’s passion for teaching the arts and his compassion for students who struggle during their high school years has helped many students gain confidence, increase their communication skills, and even find welding jobs.

Human Resources Director, ProMinent Fluid Controls

Tarrah Myers is a Human Resources Director at ProMinent Fluid Controls with over 15 years of experience dedicated to support both her company and the employees grow. She serves as an advocate for mental health awareness and wellbeing in the workplace, Tarrah has been passionate in implementing initiatives aimed at destigmatizing mental health issues.

Tarrah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from LaRoche College and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from LaRoche College. Certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), she maintains the highest standards of excellence in her field.
Tarrah specializes in recruitment, succession planning, employee development, process improvements, HR Tech and workplace culture.

Tarrah is happily married to her high school sweetheart and is the proud mom of an 8-year-old boy. She also has an adorable Goldendoodle named Dutton.

President & CEO, MarketSpace Agency

Immediately after graduating from Penn State University with a degree in Communications, Trish launched her career in New York City at Publicis Agency. While there, she soaked up an experience in the creative and broadcast production departments, simultaneously supplementing her education with campaign courses at the Adhouse and the School of Visual Arts. In 2000, Trish moved back to Pittsburgh and took role in copywriting at MARC USA, where she worked on clients in multiple verticals, honing her skills in both the traditional and digital realms. In 2009, Trish joined MarketSpace as a Creative Director, overseeing the agency’s creative endeavors and serving as lead copywriter for all creative work. Today, Trish is President & CEO of MarketSpace, fostering a unique agency environment that makes client shine and champions its team members. She still puts her hand to use for copywriting when needed, but spends most of her time leading business development and strategy. Trish loves her MarketSpace family like an extension of her very own, which includes her husband Brett, three kids Carson, Reese, and Keenan, and three cats Ollie, Roxie and Mel.

President/CEO, Change Management Solutions, Inc.

Based on extensive scientific research and interviews, Dr. Puleo created the Burnout During Organizational Change Model (B-DOC) to describe what causes and maintains employee burnout.

As President/CEO of Change Management Solutions, Inc., she provides eLearning and coaching focused on eradicating the 10 workplace stressors that lead to employee burnout. Dr. Puleo has extensive experience in strategic planning, human resources, and change management as well as training and organizational development.

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Executive Director, Keystone Development Partnership (KDP)

John Tkach, Keystone Development Partnership (KDP), Executive Director, specializes in managing Pennsylvania Industry Partnership (IP) workforce development projects since 2005.

John is currently working on several projects in concert with the Pennsylvania Apprenticeship and Training Office and the US Department of Labor’s, Office of Apprenticeship to promote the acceleration and expansion of Registered Apprenticeship programs.

John and his organization provide technical assistance to employers, unions, and other organizations to develop, register, and implement registered apprenticeship programs.

John also has extensive experience managing data-driven training programs and providing programmatic and fiscal oversight on federal, state, and local projects. He is able to monitor, document, and coordinate training programs, develop community partnerships, and coordinate with regional workforce agencies, Local Workforce Development Boards, and training providers.

KDP develops and manages workforce programs that help ensure businesses have the talent they need to thrive. We bring together employers, unions, training providers, industry associations, community-based organizations and public agencies to collaborate on initiatives that strengthen communities.