Meet our Talent Acquisition team!
At UC Berkeley, our Talent Acquisition team has a passion for identifying exceptional talent strategies and we are dedicated to helping you build a dynamic workforce that propels our organization forward. Our mission is to provide strategic guidance and foster innovation, diversity, and growth as it relates to your recruitment and staff hiring needs. Check out our team below!
Talent Acquisition
Alex Gomez
Title: Director of Talent Acquisition & Executive Search
Email: agomez@berkeley.edu
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
Title: Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: areyes@berkeley.edu
Alex is a Cal alum with 10 years of experience in higher education HR. He holds a Master’s in Human Resource Management and brings expertise in talent acquisition, HR systems optimization, and diversity-focused hiring initiatives. As a Talent Acquisition Advisor at UC Berkeley, Alex partners with academic, administrative, and operational units across campus to develop tailored recruitment strategies that align with their goals. A SHRM-certified practitioner and active leader in CUPA-HR, Alex is dedicated to fostering inclusive, efficient, and innovative HR practices.
Annum Qureshi
Title: Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: aaq454@berkeley.edu
Annum brings over ten years of expertise in human resources administration coming from a higher education background with a focus on recruitment & talent acquisition. Her main goal is to add value in the organization by implementation of best practices and policies through collaboration and partnership. Annum currently supports University Health Services in their outreach and recruitment efforts.
Esha Bharati
Title: Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: eshabharati@berkeley.edu
Esha Bharati has an MBA in Human Resources Management and enjoys working in the Talent Acquisition space. As an Executive Search Advisor, she supports hiring for complex hard-to-fill executive-level roles as well as maintains a client portfolio, and advises various campus units on hiring best practices and processes.
Gabbi Lail
Title: Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: glail@berkeley.edu
Gabbi is the Talent Acquisition Advisor for UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory. She's passionate about learning what motivates people to strive for specific goals and matching them with roles that will enable them to continue to grow personally and professionally. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from UC Irvine and an MBA from USF with a concentration in Organization Development.
Linda Lundberg
Title: Lead, Transition Services
Email: llundberg@berkeley.edu
Linda is a Career Coach with over 25 years of experience coaching employees in managing career development with the last 14 years at UC Berkeley. She provides support to staff through Transition Services and the Staff Career Coaching program.
Marc Ovalle-Marihart
Title: Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: marc.om@berkeley.edu
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
Title: Talent Acquisition Associate
Email: masonmp@berkeley.edu
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 (She/Her)
Title: Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: miahcompton@berkeley.edu
Miah brings over fifteen years of experience in operations and service to her role in the Talent Acquisition space. With her degree in Sociology, Miah's passion lies in inspiring individuals to reach their full potential, and she excels in relationship-building, strategic operations, implementing innovative processes, and driving positive transformations that contribute to organizational greatness.
Robyn Pease
Title: Talent Acquisition Manager
Email: rpease@berkeley.edu
Robyn brings over 30 years of extensive experience in Talent Acquisition, Management, and Human Resources to her role as Talent Acquisition Manager for University Development and Alumni Relations, focusing on campus Advancement and Fundraising opportunities. She provides career coaching, recruitment expertise, and hiring consultation to campus leadership, specializing in management roles and executive recruitment for the Berkeley campus.
Tara Hertstein (She/Her/Hers)
Title: Senior Lead Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: tara.hertstein@berkeley.edu
Tara has over 20 years of Customer Service, Sales, and Management experience, with the last 13 years focusing on Human Resources and Talent Acquisition. Her portfolio consists of providing consultation and support to Student Affairs, Intercollegiate Athletics, Vice Chancellor for Research, University Development, Haas School of Business, and Alumni Relations Office, to name a few. Tara also conducts and organizes various employee engagement opportunities that encourage staff to develop their professional skills further.
Berkeley Executive Search
Arlene Banaga (She/Her)
Title: Executive Search Associate
Email: arlenedbanaga@berkeley.edu
Arlene Bañaga, Executive Search Associate, has over 15 years of experience in administrative and human resources positions. She joined UC Berkeley’s Division of Student Affairs in 2017, served clients in Berkeley Regional Services in 2019, and most recently partnered with UC Berkeley People & Culture Talent Acquisition staff in executing diverse tasks including the revamp of CALTalent. Arlene began supporting Berkeley Executive Search in May 2023 due to the success and expansion of the BES team. She is a proud alumna of San Diego State University with a degree in Journalism, emphasis in Public Relations and minor in Political Science. As a Council of University of California Staff Assemblies alumna, she seeks to bring the community in alignment with the mission, vision, values and operating principles at UC Berkeley and within the University of California. Arlene supports Berkeley Executive Search Advisors, fellow Associates, and candidates' experiences while streamlining processes to better the team as a whole.
Elizabeth Antoinette Mosley (She/Her)
Title: Senior Executive Search Advisor
Email: eamosley@berkeley.edu
Elizabeth A. Mosley, Sr. Executive Search Advisor, joined us in 2021 from Covered California, the health insurance marketplace for the state. During her tenure, she led recruitment efforts for numerous senior leadership searches including finance, IT, EEO, external affairs, and program integrity roles, and served as the HR representative on the Statewide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Prior to her time with Covered California, Elizabeth was part of the UC Davis Executive Recruitment team. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Master's degree in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Elizabeth has a passion for leading diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Esha Bharati
Title: Talent Acquisition Advisor
Email: eshabharati@berkeley.edu
Esha Bharati has an MBA in Human Resources Management and enjoys working in the Talent Acquisition space. As an Executive Search Advisor, she supports hiring for complex hard-to-fill executive-level roles as well as maintains a client portfolio, and advises various campus units on hiring best practices and processes.
Harrison Chan
Title: Senior Executive Search Advisor
Email: hwchan@berkeley.edu
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 Advisor, he works with campus executives and leaders in support of recruitment efforts for senior-level staff roles across the university.
James Kao
Title: Assistant Director, Berkeley Executive Search
Email: j.kao@berkeley.edu
James manages Berkeley Executive Search and is a Cal alum and possesses a Masters in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in London. Currently, James manages BES where the team advises UC executives and recruits talented individuals for senior-level roles as an internal executive search "firm."
Kento Ashton
Title: Executive Search Advisor
Email: kbashton@berkeley.edu
Kento Ashton, Executive Search Advisor, is a thrice-deployed military veteran of 8 years who specialized in the field of radio transmissions communications. He had the chance to serve as the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Chief of Staff of Communications at the Command Element of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Kento had his start at UC Berkeley serving the front desk of People and Culture in 2020 after shifting from Gas & Chemical specialist opportunities. He joined Berkeley Executive Search in 2021 as administrative and research support with growing responsibilities in advisory and training. Kento is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion and bringing niche perspectives to the BES team.
Tracey P Frink
Title: Executive Search Advisor
Email: tpfrink@berkeley.edu
Tracey Frink, Executive Search Advisor, started working in the People & Culture department at UC Berkeley in 2019, shortly after she joined the Berkeley Executive Search team. She received her BA in Anthropology from UCLA. Tracey provides administrative and research support to the Executive Search Team. Prior to joining BES, Tracey worked for a labor employment law firm in the Bay Area providing administrative support to firm attorneys and the firm administrator.