Meet the Talento Team

Brooke Stuart

With over 15 years of experience in strategic talent solutions, Brooke Stuart is a powerhouse in client development and enterprise recruitment. As a Managing Director at TalentoHC, Brooke brings unmatched insight into fast-changing hiring landscapes across the U.S., with a sharp focus on IT and Sales/Marketing talent. Her priority? Delivering value, speed, and precision to hiring leaders and organizations that need support where it matters most.

Brooke has led high-performance teams at both national and global organizations, including The Judge Group and eXcell, a division of CompuCom Systems. She’s known for scaling partnerships with Fortune 100 clients, building impactful hiring strategies, and transforming recruitment from a reactive task into a strategic advantage.

At TalentoHC, Brooke connects growth-minded companies with top-tier professionals for direct hire and contract roles—helping them stay agile and competitive in today’s evolving workforce.

When she’s not transforming hiring outcomes, Brooke enjoys traveling, staying active, and spending quality time with her daughter, son, family, and friends.

Industry Experience

Technology, eCommerce, Financial Services, Government, Retail, Defence, Oil & Gas, Healthcare

Functional Experience

Information Technology, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Product & Program Management, Supply Chain

Jill De Forest

With over 30 years of executive search experience, Jill De Forest is a force in the world of consumer brands, lifestyle products, and transformative leadership. As the founder and former CEO of De Forest Search, Jill built one of the industry’s most respected boutique firms, known for its deep expertise and successful placements across marketing, creative, product development, and operational leadership.

Since joining TalentoHC in 2022, Jill has played a pivotal role in expanding the firm’s reach—helping evolve it from a boutique agency into a global executive search powerhouse. Today, she leads De Forest Search Powered by TalentoHC, a dedicated division specializing in leadership talent across toy, entertainment, gaming, beauty, wellness, food & beverage, fashion, and tech.

Jill’s career began in corporate recruiting at Mattel, where she cultivated long-standing partnerships with some of the most recognizable names in the industry. Her ability to understand brand vision and align executive talent with strategic business goals has made her a trusted partner to global organizations, high-growth startups, and Fortune 500 companies alike.

A business builder at heart, Jill thrives on developing meaningful client relationships and delivering talent solutions that drive lasting impact. She’s placed hundreds of mid-to-C-Suite leaders across the U.S.—and she’s just getting started.

Industry Expertise

Consumer & Lifestyle Brands | Toy & Entertainment | Beauty & Wellness | Gaming | Food & Beverage | Fashion | Tech (Fintech, Data, SaaS, CPaaS) | Marketing Agencies | Automotive | Environmental & Climate Tech

Functional Expertise

Marketing (Brand, Digital, Retail) | eCommerce | Product Innovation | Licensing & Development | Sales | Human Resources | Legal | IT & Data Science | Operations | Supply Chain

Outside the Office

Jill’s passion for her work is matched only by her love for family, real estate investing, and rescue dogs Bentley and Bosco Bear. When she’s not developing client partnerships or mentoring rising talent, she’s spending quality time with her husband Steve and their three kids, Dane, Lexi, and Cole.

Vanessa Stern

Vanessa Stern is Director of Customer Development and Experience specializing in Executive Search, Direct Hire, Retained, Contingent, and Contract-to-Hire.  

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Vanessa attended Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Canada Flintridge. Her passion for the arts led her to pursue a BA in Media Arts with a Double Minor in Art History and Graphic Design from The University of Arizona.

She began her career working in the interior design industry focused on sales and business development for high end luxury showrooms at The Pacific Design Center.  As a natural connector, she pivoted to recruitment in 2009, working 10 years for Robert Half International managing and leading the top producing Creative and Marketing team in Los Angeles.  She went on to work for New York-based Solomon Page expanding their West Coast footprint and operations for Creative and Marketing. 

In 2021, she started working in-house for Paramount on the Pluto TV tech strategy team focused on scaling its engineering headcount domestically and internationally.  With over 15 years' experience, in 2024 she returned to her roots in staffing by joining TalentoHC.

She lives in Brentwood with her husband Josh and 3 children Barron, Serena, and McLaren.   

Industry Experience

Consumer & Lifestyle Brands, Entertainment, Beauty & Wellness, Travel & Leisure, Food & Beverage, Fashion & Retail, Advertising, Technology, Financial Services, Real Estate, and Healthcare.

Functional Experience 

Marketing (Brand, Digital, Retail), eCommerce, Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Sales, Product & Program Management.

Maureen Christiansen

Maureen Christiansen is Manager, Customer Development at Talento Human Capital. After twenty years as a Business Development leader in CPG, Maureen transitioned into the search industry. Having worked in customer development roles at large and small companies including PepsiCo, ConAgra Foods, FIJI Water, and Bolthouse Farms, Maureen offers a unique and candid perspective to employers as she has built teams and understands how important hiring excellent talent is to the overall success of an enterprise. Decades of management experience also allow Maureen to work closely with candidates on strategizing best-fit opportunities for personal and career growth.

Industry Experience

Consumer Products, Food & Bev, Skin Care/Cosmetics, B2B Manufacturing, Heath & Wellness

Functional Experience

Marketing, Sales/Business Development, eCommerce/DTC, Insights/Data Science, R&D, Supply Chain/Logistics, Operations, Human Resources and Finance/Accounting

Maureen Chianese

Maureen Chianese is a Manager/Customer Development & Experience expert in the Recruiting Division at Talento Human Capital.

Prior to joining Talento, Maureen spent three-plus years recruiting for De Forest Search. At De Forest Search, she excelled in challenging Executive searches and was recognized as SRA’s top recruiter for the month of January 2022 out of 90+ offices. Maureen finds satisfaction in solving staffing needs at all levels, from discovering the next C-suit high performer to the college graduate in their first professional role.

When not managing and directing, Maureen enjoys

Spending time outdoors with her busy family

Industry Experience

Consumer Products, F&B, and Brand Licensing.

Functional Experience

Communications, Sales, Marketing, and Design.

Todd Markowitz

Todd Markowitz is a Senior Talent Advisor at TalentoHC, where he partners with leading companies in the lifestyle consumer products and consumer experiences sectors to identify and place high-impact leaders—from mid-management to the C-suite. With over 20 years of executive search experience, Todd offers deep expertise in talent strategy and a proven commitment to building long-term, trust-based relationships with both clients and candidates. His work spans diverse industries and functions, consistently delivering leadership solutions that align with each organization's culture, vision, and strategic goals.

Known for his ability to connect top-tier talent with transformative opportunities, Todd leverages an extensive network, market insight, and a highly personalized approach to executive recruitment. His strengths lie in identifying and presenting candidates who not only meet the technical requirements of a role but who also bring the leadership qualities and values needed to drive growth and innovation. From first conversation to final placement, Todd ensures a seamless, supportive experience that reflects his passion for helping people and companies thrive. 

Industry Expertise 

Tech (Fintech, Data, SaaS, CPaaS) | Consumer Products | Toy & Entertainment | Beauty & Wellness | Gaming | Food & Beverage | Fashion | Manufacturing | Automotive | Aviation & Hospitality

Functional Expertise 

Sales | Marketing (Brand, Digital, Retail) | eCommerce | Product Innovation | Supply Chain | Legal | IT & Data Science | Operations | Licensing & Development | Human Resources

Outside the Office 

Todd enjoys exploring the beauty of his hometown, Temecula Valley Wine Country, where he has developed a refined appreciation for exceptional wine. He also deeply values time with his wife, Terese, and their two sons, Justin and Dylan – whether they’re sharing a meal, catching a movie, or embarking on a new adventure together.  

Jessica Dorn

Fabiana Andrade

Fabiana Andrade is the Lead Recruiter for the Los Angeles team, where she helps drive growth across functions by recruiting for roles ranging from highly technical to creative and strategic positions. With nearly three years of recruiting experience, she’s known for her adaptability, strong candidate relationships, and willingness to take on new challenges. 

In her second year, she brought in her own client and, in partnership with Client Executive Maureen Chianese, placed six candidates in under a year—strengthening both the client relationship and internal collaboration. Fabiana was also the first person on the LA team to build a contractor base, helping establish a foundation for flexible, scalable hiring in a fast-moving market. 

This year, she has grown into a leadership role and now plays a key part in onboarding and mentoring new analysts—two of whom are already progressing quickly and making an impact across the team. 

Originally from Bolivia, Fabiana brings a global perspective to her work and communication style. She studied Psychological and Brain Sciences at UC Santa Barbara and regularly applies behavioral insights to assess candidate fit, support team development, and guide thoughtful hiring decisions.

Outside of work, Fabiana lives in Los Angeles with her wife and their dog, Miles. A lifelong athlete, she’s always game for a run, tennis match, or pickleball—just don’t ask her to play basketball.

Ali Danesh

Sloan Simpson