Board of Directors

PRESIDENT: Daphne Phalon

Daphne Phalon joined the MSA Board of Directors in 2014 and became our President in January of 2020. In addition to providing Association and industry leadership, Daphne is President and Founder of Ardent Staffing Solutions, a Massachusetts based skilled manufacturing and professional staffing agency. 

Daphne has committed her entire career to staffing, beginning back in 2000 at The Davis Companies, a large National firm headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts. After leaving The Davis Companies, Daphne held the positions of Vice President of Eastern Operations at The Job Center and Chief Operating Officer for United Personnel. In both of these roles, Daphne was responsible for driving operational efficiency, profitability. compliance and growth in the light industrial staffing sector.  

Daphne is highly involved in compliance and legislative matters facing the staffing industry. She works closely with the American Staffing Association (ASA) and Massachusetts Staffing Association and is a member of NEHRA and SHRM. She is a regular public speaker and training facilitator on topics facing the industry such as worker’s compensation insurance, safety, and hiring practices. Additionally, Daphne is a member of the ASA Safety Committee and OSHA/ASA Safety Alliance. Through this partnership with OSHA, Staffing Industry leaders work toward creating safe work environments for all of our workers, contract and permanent alike.

Daphne is a graduate from the University of Massachusetts with a BA in English and a Minor in Psychology. Additionally, Daphne has held her SPHR Certification since 2005 and achieved both her CSP and SHRM-SCP certifications in 2014.

Contact Information:

Daphne M. Phalon
President
Direct: (508) 530-7209
Email: daphne@ardent-staffing.com
5 Mount Royal Ave, Marlborough, MA

LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR: Jori Blumsack

A CPA, Jori graduated magna cum laude from Bentley University. She earned an Elijah Watt Sells Award for her performance on the CPA exam, scoring in the top 125 nationally from over 67,000 candidates. She began her career with Ernst & Young, an international public accounting firm, specializing in financial services and computer auditing. Jori left the firm to become Director of Reporting for Bolt, Beranek & Newman, Inc., a publicly traded high tech/government R&D firm. In this role, Jori was responsible for all internal and external reporting. After leaving Bolt, Beranek & Newman, Inc. after its acquisition by GTE, she worked with small businesses as an interim Controller/CFO.

Jori is responsible for all front and back office operations for The Vesume Group, supporting the day to day operations of the company. Jori also serves on the Board of Directors of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), the largest employer’s association in Massachusetts, co-chairs the Small Technology Business Initiative of the Mass High Tech Council (MHTC), and is actively involved with the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE), a Regional Partner Organization of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Contact Information

Jori A. Blumsack, CPA
Chief Operating Officer The Vesume Group, LLC
978-687-6000
Jori@TheVesumeGroup.com

TREASURER: Bill Diana

Bill Diana is Chief Financial Officer. He oversees all financial matters and strategies. He joined the firm in 2000. Bill earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and an MBA from Babson College, and is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts.

He resides in Medfield with his wife and three children.

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Mark O’Hara

Mark is the Chief Revenue Officer at Whitridge Associates, Inc. Whitridge Associates provides expert IT, Engineering and Life Sciences talent to a diverse group of businesses throughout the country including technology companies, financial services, defense contractors, medical device, and healthcare/life sciences. With a history of unparalleled service to both our clients and consultants, Whitridge is one of the most highly regarded staffing companies in New England.

Mark is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. He resides in Acton, MA with his wife and two children.

Contact Information:

Mark O’Hara
Whitridge Associates, Inc.
50 Thomas Patten Dr., 2nd Floor, Randolph, MA 02368
(617) 657-6907
m.ohara@whitridge.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Janet Santa Anna, CSP

Janet is the President and CEO of The Resource Connection, Inc. (TRC) which she co-founded in 1987. TRC is a full service staffing company headquartered in Middleton with a branch office in Boston. TRC provides temporary help services specializing in office support and administrative personnel. Janet is a Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) with over 28 years of experience in the staffing and recruiting industry. Prior to starting TRC, Janet was an Area Manager for an international staffing firm for eight years.

Active memberships include: The Commonwealth Institute, Center for Women & Enterprise, Middleton Board of Trade, North Shore Chamber of Commerce, American Staffing Association, and Massachusetts Staffing Association. Janet holds a Masters of Management degree and a specialized graduate certificate in Organizational Development from Cambridge College School of Management.

Contact Information:

Janet Santa Anna The Resource Connection
161 S Main Street, Suite 300
Middleton, MA 01949-2485
978-777-9333
janet@resource-connection.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Patrick McNamara

Patrick McNamara is an 18-year veteran of developing IT workforce solutions for companies of all sizes. Since joining Atlantic Associates in July 2010, he has served as the company’s Market Director, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business as well as overseeing the company’s business development and growth strategy. Under McNamara’s leadership, the company has achieved year-over-year growth annually despite operating in a challenging financial and business market. At AAI, McNamara has successfully implemented new sales strategies and also brought the company into a cutting-edge technology platform that has increased efficiencies throughout the entire recruiting and sales process. Prior to joining AAI, McNamara spent more than 15 years at TAC Worldwide. There he rose from an account manager to the company’s Market Director where he was responsible for overseeing the IT staffing company’s $25M Northeast region and managing a team of 25 account executives and recruiters.

Contact Information:

Pat McNamara Trillium Technical
1208 VFW Parkway
West Roxbury, MA 01032
617-477-5254
pmcnamara@trilliumtechnical.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: John Bogosian

John Bogosian, President and a principal of King & Bishop, as well as the CEO of Biomedical Search Consultants Division, brings over 25 years of well rounded entrepreneurial experience in Management Consulting, Coaching, Staffing, Human Resource Consulting, and Business Development. With John’s innovative approach, vision for the future leadership and guidance, King & Bishop is growing nationally and internationally offering a portfolio of services designed to meet clients’ needs.

Before John joined King & Bishop in 2004, he was a national recruiter and gained increasing responsibility in managing the New England Region for B&M Associates, a national temporary technical staffing firm. From there, he went on to start up a local temporary staffing firm. He was recruited to take his experience in staffing and business development to one of the larger international career and executive coaching companies. During his tenure, John was Vice President and responsible for career coaching, facilitation and new business development. He developed an appreciation and passion for assisting organizations and individuals at all levels through the coaching process.

John earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University and completed MIT Sloan School’s program, “Reinventing Your Business Strategy.”

Contact Information:

John Bogosian King & Bishop
333 Wyman Street, Suite 175
Waltham, MA 02451
781-530-1117
jbogosian@kingbishop.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Kevin Donovan

Kevin joined TradeSource, Inc. in 2006 as the Director of Risk Management & Benefits from TAC Worldwide Companies (Advantage Staffing). Kevin is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the company-wide safety program, all insurance coverages, benefits and compliance with all regulatory and legal issues.

Kevin has over nineteen years of experience in the Temporary Staffing Industry and twenty-five years in Insurance and Risk Management.

Kevin is OSHA 500 Certified (Trainer) in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry and has an accredited Supervisor License in Asbestos Abatement under the Toxic Substance Control Act.

Kevin is a member of the Safety Committee for the American Staffing Association.

Kevin holds a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Anselm College and is a Notary Public.

Contact Information:

Kevin Donovan Director, Benefits & Risk Management, TradeSource, Inc.
205 Hallene Road Unit #211
Warwick, RI 02886
1-401-921-6008
fax 1-800-741-3859
Kdonovan@tradesource.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Kyle Davidge

As a Senior Sales Executive, Kyle Davidge has assisted Kronos in developing and delivering SaaS solutions as well as other tools which assist the Staffing Industry in navigating the ever changing landscape of Employer Compliance and Labor Law. Prior to joining Kronos, Kyle spent 8 years partnering with the Staffing Industry as a National Account Manager at Monster. As part of his previous roles, he has also maintained a seat on the Georgia Staffing Association’s Board of Directors since 2011, and has actively been engaged with numerous state chapters across the country, as well as the American Staffing Association, Staffing Industry Analysts and Techserve Alliance. Kyle has spent the majority of his professional career working closely and learning the day to day operations of the Staffing Industry. He has experience and built relationships with staffing companies of all colors, shapes and sizes.

Kyle attended Framingham State College, and currently resides in Franklin Massachusetts with his wife and 3 young children.

Contact Information:

Kyle Davidge Kronos Inc.
900 Chelmsford St.
Lowell, MA 01851
508-243-6268
Kyle.davidge@kronos.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Robert J. Mocerino

Mr. Mocerino currently serves as Senior Vice President, Managing Director for White Oak Commercial Finance and is responsible for originating and developing opportunities within the staffing and government contract communities. 

Having extensive experience in providing working capital solutions and promoting client and partner relationships specific to the staffing industry.   After operating his own accounts receivable management company for 18 years. Mr. Mocerino began his career at Sterling National Bank in 2003 and was responsible for managing the portfolio and credit and collections area for the payroll finance division. While at Sterling he transitioned from credit into client originations with a focus on staffing and government contracting.

Robert serves on the board of directors for the NY and Massachusetts Staffing Associations and is an active member of the American Staffing Association and California Staffing Professionals Association.   

Contact Information:

Robert J. Mocerino
Senior Vice President, Managing Director
Staffing and Government Originations
White Oak Commercial Finance, LLC
1155 Avenue of The Americas, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Direct (516) 998-6000
Email: rmocerino@whiteoakcf.com
Website: www.whiteoaksf.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Vinda Souza

Aravinda Rao Souza is Bullhorn’s Director of Marketing Communications, in charge of the company’s global public relations, analyst relations, and internal communications strategy. A technology PR pro by trade, Vinda also manages Bullhorn’s strategic positioning with influencers and industry associations. Before joining Bullhorn in 2012, she held managerial positions at DataXu and fama PR. Follow Vinda on Twitter @seriousvinda.

Contact Information:

Vinda Souza Bullhorn, Inc.
100 Summer Street
617-478-9100
vsouza@bullhorn.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Mim Zayas, CSP

Mim Zayas is the VP of Operations at United Personnel and was promoted to this role after beginning with United as the Director of Talent Acquisition. Mim has spent much of her career in the Staffing Industry, with over 15 years of experience in recruitment, operations and account management.

In her role as VP of Operations, Mim focuses on the operational objectives of the organization focusing on recruitment, fulfillment, and compliance, spearheading significant internal initiatives including the implementation of a new ATS and quality assurance programs.

Before joining United Personnel, Mim worked for Fujitsu as their Vendor Manager where she had oversight of multiple vendors to their MSP Program, both international and domestic. Prior to her work at Fujitsu, Mim served as Agile1’s Director of On-Site Services overseeing MassMutual’s MSP Program. Under her direction that program saw tremendous growth, tripling its weekly billing and growing the profit more than 210% over projections. Mim’s introduction to the staffing field was as a recruiter for both Light Industrial and Professional contract and contract to permanent placements for an agency in Nashua, NH where she also had the opportunity work on direct hire placements.

Mim is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Chamber’s Executive Committee. Her focus with this non-profit is to assist with several important community initiatives as well as a member of the Shining Stars Committee which generates significant revenue for the chamber.

Mim graduated from College of Our Lady of the Elms with a BA in Business Management. Mim also holds her CSP and is working to assist United Personnel with the OSHA Safety Standard of Excellence for 2019.

Contact Information:

United Personnel
293 Bridge Street, Springfield MA
Phone: 413.314.6059 | Fax: 413.730.4264

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Maura Mann

As vice president of The Nagler Group, Maura’s work ethic and client service strategy drives the company’s award-winning growth. She oversees sales and recruiting operations for the company’s locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Prior to joining The Nagler Group, Maura held senior management positions for multiple local and international staffing and recruiting organizations, but when she had the opportunity to join The Nagler Group, she jumped at the chance to use her expertise to help grow the organization.

An active local networker, her non-stop enthusiasm for meeting new people and staying busy—both at work and outside the office—makes Maura The Nagler Group’s very own Energizer bunny. She sits on the Board of Directors for Tewksbury Youth Skating Association (TYSA) and is a member of local professional organizations, including: SBANE, where she sits on the Women’s Business committee; NEHRA; SHRM; and ProVisors. When she’s not coaching The Nagler Group team, Maura is teaching CCD at her church, leading Learn to Skate classes, and volunteering at her son’s school.

A Boston College alumna and diehard Boston sports fan, she lives in Tewksbury with her husband and son.

Contact Information:

Maura Mann
781-405-4438
mmann@naglergroup.com

DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Jamal Mahijibhai

Everyone deserves to have their voice heard. For some, speaking up for themselves is not always easy. In my experience, this is especially true when candidates are trying to find meaningful employment that does not just “pay the bills” – but is also fulfilling and rewarding.

I founded MSG Staffing in 2005 as a place that inspires ordinary people to do extraordinary things and to let their passion shine. Over the years I have trained my staff to be stalwart advocates for our candidates and the clients we send them to. Our staffing professionals are passionate about gaining a deep knowledge of our candidates’ experience, current situation, and what they are looking for in a new position. With that information, we can eliminate the traditional hiring process barriers for applicants so we can work on matching the right candidate with the right opportunity faster.

A critical lesson I learned from working as a Registered Nurse is the importance of providing quality care to improve patients’ lives. I took this lesson and made it the foundation of my company’s mission: improve the lives of our internal team, the Healthcare Professionals we employ, and the client facilities we serve.

My professional values can be summed up as:

• Offer Care and Support
• Strive for Improvement
• Always be Humble and Work to Earn Trust

MSG Staffing has been honored with the Best of Staffing award in both the Talent Satisfaction and Client Satisfaction categories. We also have earned the Joint Commission certification as a testament to our continued dedication to providing quality staffing services, and we are one of only three staffing agencies in Massachusetts that hold that distinction.  MSG Staffing has been recognized in our community for our ongoing commitment outside of work to improving lives – this has been done through our support of charities like Safe Home, VNA Care, Worcester County Food Bank, Veterans Inc, various homeless shelters, and Rebuild Worcester Together.

My personal hobbies include running, hiking, and traveling with my family.

Contact Information:

Jamal Mahijibhai, CEO of MSG Staffing, Inc

25 Union St., Suite 105
Worcester, MA 01608
Phone or Fax: (508) 799-6674
Jamalm@msgstaffing.com