Meet our Talent Acquisition team!
Alex Gomez
Alex, Director of Talent Acquisition, is a Cal alum. He has been at UC Berkeley for 17 years, moving from student to administration. Alex received his BA in Anthropology, and since graduating has been working in the recruitment and talent acquisition space. Alex was the inaugural recruitment supervisor when Shared Services at Berkeley was established and built the team, as well as processes, from scratch. He sponsored the creation of BES in partnership with HR leadership. He is passionate about bringing in talent to support the missions of Berkeley in teaching, research, and public service.
Alex Reyes
Alex is a Cal Alumnus fully invested in supporting UC's academic mission. He has worked in various front-end HR capacities at UC Berkeley and strives for a transparent, collaborative Talent Acquisition experience. As Talent Acquisition Advisor, he serves academic, administrative, and operational units across campus.
Arlene Bañaga
Arlene joined the UC Berkeley People & Culture Talent Acquisition Team in November 2021 as Talent Acquisition Associate. Prior to her role, she worked in the Division of Student Affairs and Berkeley Regional Services at UC Berkeley honing both her administrative and human resources talents. Arlene provides support to Talent Acquisition Advisors, who support various client groups across the UC Berkeley campus.
Esha Bharati
Esha serves as the Talent Acquisition Advisor at People & Culture. Esha has her MBA in Human Resources Management and is experienced working in the Talent acquisition space and advising on hiring best practices. As a collaborative partner, Esha offers consultation and recruitment support to various departments on campus and is dedicated to ensuring compliance while promoting fairness and equity in the hiring process. She is also a part of the Berkeley Executive Search team that provides services to the entire University of California system in hiring senior executives and leaders.
Harrison Chan
Harrison is a Cal grad who returned to his alma mater after some time in the technology sector. In his role as an Executive Search Associate, he supports both the internal executive search function at Berkeley and departments within Finance and Administration, including the Controller's Office, Student Affairs IT, and portions of the VCA's immediate office.
James Kao
James is our Executive Search Manager, a Cal alum and possesses a Masters in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in London. Currently, James manages executive searches where he advises campus executives and recruits talented individuals for senior-level staff roles.
Jon Hill
Jon has over 25 years of Human Resources and Staffing experience with the last 14 years of his career at UC Davis and UC Davis Health. He has recruited for both Campus and Hospital staff during that time including research, clinical and information technology departments.
Linda Lundberg
Linda brings extensive experience in career coaching, program design and delivery, job development, and recruiting. She has a passion for providing resourceful, innovative and motivating career guidance. Linda provides support for employees whose jobs are impacted by lay-offs or other organizational restructuring. She also coordinates the Preferential Rehire program for represented employees. She holds a Master of Arts in Career Development and is a Hudson Institute Certified Professional Coach.
Marc Ovalle-Marihart
Marc provides recruitment support for a variety of campus departments primarily focused on healthcare, recreation, safety, and learning. These include University Health Services, School of Public Health, School of Optometry, Recreational Sports, UC Police Department, Research Training & Learning and the University Library. In addition, he facilitates campus workshops and trainings covering the recruitment process as it relates to the University. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Marc recruited nurses and other healthcare professionals for one of the largest and busiest hospitals in California.
Mason Perez
Mason will be joining our team as a Talent Acquisition Associate. With his MA in Counseling and over six years of professional experience, Mason is excited to start his new journey in the field of HR. He has worked most of his professional career in the academic setting with his most recent time at Stanford University administering their data science program.
Miah Compton
As a Talent Acquisition Advisor, Miah provides advisement and recruitment guidance to various client groups across campus. These include Berkeley Law, the School of Public Health, the Space Sciences Laboratory, Facilities Services, People & Culture, Equity & Inclusion, Housing & Dining Services, the Disabled Students Program, Accounting, Procurement, the College of Natural Resources, Department of Chemistry, and many others. In addition, Miah has facilitated workshops and trainings regarding the recruitment process and professional development as it relates to the University. Leading with authenticity, she is passionate about providing excellent customer service and encouraging people to meet and achieve their full potential.
Robyn Pease
Robyn has over 20 years of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition experience. She is the Talent Acquisition Manager for the University Development and Alumni Relations Program, specializing in Management and Executive Recruitment campus-wide.
Tara Hertstein
With over 12 years of Talent Acquisition experience, Tara is passionate about attracting and hiring talented professionals who are committed to helping shape and further promote the mission of the University. Her portfolio includes 6 of the major divisions on campus including Student Affairs, Intercollegiate Athletics, Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Berkeley Extension, Berkeley Regional Services, and the University Development and Alumni Relations Office. Aside from Talent Acquisition, Tara dedicates time and energy to facilitating, organizing, and participating in various employee engagement opportunities that encourage staff to further develop their professional skills.
Tracey Frink
Tracey supports the Executive Search Team, working with various departments on campus for high-level executive searches.