Meet Our Team

Funmi Popoola is the President of GSG Talent Solutions and Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Goodwill Central Texas. Funmi has over 12 years of progressive leadership experience with Fortune 300 Retail Organizations and in the nonprofit sector, most recently as Vice President, Operations with Seattle Goodwill for the past three years. He is passionate about developing people, operational excellence, elevating customer experience, and delivering results in support of services. Funmi is also personally committed to our mission, having benefited from the services of similar organizations as he settled into the country in 2002. Funmi earned his undergraduate degree in Marketing/Management from Wichita State University and his master’s degree in Business Administration from Fort Hays State. He is currently completing his Executive Development Program through Goodwill International. In his spare time, Funmi loves to give back, most recently challenging himself to complete a half marathon with WorldVision, raising funds to provide clean water for children in villages and communities in Africa. He also enjoys cooking and spending time with his wife and three children.

Keith originally came to GSG in August of 2012 as Business Development Manager for the launch of private industry recruiting. Under his leadership, private business grew from $50,000 to more than $2.7 Million by 2016. Keith rejoined GSG in December of 2017 as Senior Director, where he is responsible for strategically building relationships and exploring revenue-based opportunities within GSG staffing services for both the private and State divisions.

Keith holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Texas Tech University. He began his career as a Sports Anchor, however he soon moved to sales, sales management, and operational management. Keith spent more than 12 years of his TV career in Abilene, TX and Missoula, MT with media company Lamco Communications. He held multiple roles with Lamco, including Vice-President and General Manager, National and Local Sales Manager roles, and General Sales Manager. He also worked for the CBS Television Network as a National Account Director.

Keith is a former Board Member on the Leander Excellence in Education Foundation and has volunteered his time in the Leander Independent School District (LISD) as the Chairman of the Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students) program. In addition, he has been the emcee of LISD’s annual convocation for two years, hosting more than 5,000 attendees.

Mike joined GSG Talent Solutions in November of 2018 as the Recruiting Supervisor. Prior to joining the team, he spent several years honing his skills with a private staffing firm and brings years of experience in human resources and personnel management. Mike has a passion for the recruitment and staffing operations process and looks forward to growing GSG Talent Solutions in the Central Texas. Austin market.

Mike graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BA in political science. In his free time, Mike enjoys fishing, hiking, board games, cooking, and traveling. He has been to several countries and his goal is to visit every country in Europe.

Gabe oversees the Business Solutions team for Goodwill. Gabe earned his degree in Social Work and a Master’s in Business Administration. He has over ten years of experience in Social Work and Human Services in both Government and Non-Profits settings. Gabe is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.

As Business Solutions Placements Supervisor he leads a team of Specialists that help connect businesses throughout Central Texas with qualified candidates that obtained training and education with Goodwill Industries. Gabe’s team works closely with GSG Talent Solutions and partners to help employers connect with qualified candidates. He is a dedicated professional with strong organizational skills and thoroughness that are vital when assisting individuals through the various steps of finding employment and self-sufficiency.  Gabriel’s biggest passions are helping people, traveling and helping create strong communities.”

Steven is a native New Zealander that made his way to Central Texas via Minnesota. Upon joining GSG, he first put his skills to work as a Data Analyst then transitioned to Salesforce Database Administrator & Operations Supervisor. His 13-county job-market market analysis steered the organization into a new and innovative direction. Before joining GSG, Steven pursued a career in Customer Service and Technology. He is self-taught, with an awareness that every day is a learning experience at any age. He finds fulfillment in celebrating the successes of our team and those of our workforce.

When Steven isn’t managing operations, he is busy spending time with friends and family, enjoying the sights & sounds of Lake Travis and Central Texas.

In his current position as State Contract Coordinator for GSG Talent Solutions, Ryan is responsible for state contract compliance and data analysis. With 20 years’ experience at Goodwill, Ryan began his journey with Goodwill in 2000 as a recruiter for GSG Talent Solutions. Since then, he has held multiple positions within the organization—including Career Case Manager and Employment Skills Trainer. In 2008, he took on roles of project management and data analysis, before returning to GSG in 2015.

Ryan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Industrial Organizational Psychology and a minor in Management from the University of Houston in 1999. After a stint abroad in Norway, Ryan returned to the United States in 2000, where he then began his career with Goodwill. He has worked in information technology with both the University of Houston and the Norwegian University of Business and Economics in Bergen, Norway.

When not working, Ryan remains engaged in leadership roles at various non-profit organizations in the Austin area. He also enjoys home-brewing beer, indie films, acting, team soccer, and cycling.

Sergio is an accomplished staffing specialist with experience spanning over a decade. He began recruiting with GSG in 2007 and has a passion for helping people connect with meaningful work. Prior to joining GSG, Sergio worked over 10 years as a media professional in television production and streaming audio content. He is a graduate of Hispanic Austin Leadership and holds a B.S. in Communication/Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin.

Outside of work, Sergio enjoys reading, travel and singing with the St. Austin Parish Choir.

Rikki Santaella joins the recruiting team at GSG Talent Solutions with over ten years of experience in customer service and client management. Rikki brings a unique skill set to her position as a state recruiter where she enjoys connecting exceptional people with state employers.

She attended The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a degree in Sociology. Studying Sociology strengthened her understanding of the social world and helped her to gain skills in connecting with others and fostering relationships. During her education, she worked as an Administrative Director supervising the publication of the Sociological Insight research journal.

Rikki engages in the community by volunteering with Central Texas Food Bank and Keep Austin Beautiful. She enjoys cycling, live music, traveling, Longhorn football, and loves spending time with family and friends. Whether she is working or playing, Rikki knows that every interaction and every conversation with another person is an opportunity to make a positive impact.

A native Austinite, Lamesia is a Certified Staffing Professional with 7 years of recruiting experience. Lamesia loves serving the community by connecting people to meaningful employment.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter.  

A Southern California native, Nina moved to the Austin area in 2008, and brought her talents to GSG in 2012 as an Administrative File Clerk. After playing a vital role to GSG operations for many years by improving processes, establishing new systems, and supporting the staff in countless ways, she learned a lot about the staffing industry along the way and was promoted to recruiter in 2017. Nina is passionate about helping people overcome obstacles to sustainable careers and has an affinity for bringing people together — whether it be her own team or candidates to employers. Nina enjoys dancing, attending her children’s football games, and cheering on the Oakland Raiders. Nina is a dedicated mother to three beautiful children and is a new grandmother to a beautiful baby girl as of December 2019.

Austin was hired into the GSG family in September of 2019 as a Business Solutions Placement Specialist. As a BSPS, Austin was geared towards placing Clients through Goodwill Careers and Technical Academy GCTA in the TechHire and General Motors grants. These grants funded the PC Technical training course for Clients to obtain their CompTIA A+ certification. Austin was promoted to recruiter in February of 2020, where he is now focused on fostering relationships with candidates and connecting them to meaningful work with employers in our private and state divisions.

Austin graduated at The University of Texas at Austin in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in African and African Diaspora Studies. Spending most of his college career-enhancing African American leadership on campus, volunteering to mentor at-risk youth, serving minority communities in Austin area and campus ministry development. After college, Austin worked for a J-1 visa sponsorship company placing thousands of international students for work and travel opportunities. Later, starting his own business being coached to developing assets online and training entrepreneurs in personal development and leadership skills. In his spare time, Austin likes to play basketball, hanging with friends, salsa/bachata dancing and watching horror movies.

After spending several years in marketing and finance, Alissa transitioned to the recruiting industry when she joined GSG in 2019. Alissa was initially hired on as a recruiter for both state and private divisions, and was promoted to Business Development Manager for the North branch in February of 2020. As a Business Development Manager, Alissa focuses on creating relationships with her candidates and finding the best fit for them. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University and holds a BBA in Marketing.

In her spare time, Alissa enjoys the outdoors, playing sports, listening to live music, and spending time with friends and family.

The focus of the Business Development Manager is to establish new relationships and maintain positive existing relationships with our Company Partners and Clients. Trust, transparency, accessibility, customer service, and genuine care for people is what motivates Faith as our Account Executive. Faith was recently nominated for a LUNA Award for “Outstanding Professional of the Year”.  

Faith earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Administration with an Emphasis in City Planning and a minor in Cultural Geography from San Diego State University in 2002.  Her previous experience includes working for two of the largest developers in Customer Service, Marketing, Forward Planning, and finally Sales. Faith currently serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission in The City of Taylor. Her inherent love of people, commitment to service, and ability to form trusting relationships, has made her a natural fit as our Account Executive. 

As the Digital Media & Marketing Specialist, Jenna is focused on making sure that the public image of GSG Talent Solutions shines. She manages all social media pages, website design, copyediting, graphic design, content and digital media production, print and digital marketing campaigns, and more.

Jenna graduated from Texas State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in International Business and a minor in Mass Communications. Jenna spent her college career working to build her management experience within the communications, public relations, and marketing industries, and has worked on multiple contracts with NASA and other nonprofit organizations since graduation. Owning her own sports media production business, Jenna loves to capture and play sports of all kinds. In her limited free time, Jenna enjoys engaging in volunteer and activism programs, attending concerts, and managing her house plant addiction.

As a payroll specialist, Giovanna oversees the weekly payroll cycle. She assists in time entry and ensures all temporary employees’ timesheets are verified, facilitating timely paycheck receipts. Her high degree of accountability and responsibility has made her a perfect fit for this role. She is a 2019 graduate from University of Houston and holds a BBA in Accounting. She immensely appreciates her time in college, there she realized she developed a passion for volunteering in her community, such sorting food in the Houston Food Bank, teaching Junior Achievement to kids in local elementary schools, and participating in local tax centers. Giovanna has previously worked as a Reconciliation Assistant at her university when she was completing her studies.

Giovanna is a talented flute player, likes to play badminton with her family and friends, and enjoys discovering nutrition-dense vegetarian recipes.

Alyssa joined GSG in March 2019 and works a Recruiting Coordinator, assisting the Recruiting Team in managing job-seekers and their administrative needs. She graduated from Genesis High school in Bastrop, Texas. Alyssa is a proud mom of a beautiful son.

As a Business Solutions Placement Specialist, Susie is able to pursue her love of helping people and ultimately contributing to their goal of finding work. Her career began in marketing, but she chose to follow her passion and obtained a Life Coach certification, assisting people with life transitions. Specifically, she helps individuals look at their strengths and interests to determine career fit, while finding the resources necessary to achieve their goals.

Susie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Social Science with an emphasis in Psychology from Kansas State University.

Outside of work, Susie is an avid writer, contributing to her Life Coaching endeavors through pertinent and timely career and life goals instruction.  

Maria is a Business Solutions Placement Specialist who enjoys working with a dynamic team passionate about helping others. Most recently, Maria worked for the Department of Disability Determination Services with Health and Human Services of Central Texas where she gained vital experience working with individuals with disabilities. Prior to HHS, Maria worked for both Bank of America and Wells Fargo as a Personal Banker where she gained ten plus years of financial, sales and operations experience. She also worked for M. Tucker, a Division of Singer, where she was a Key Account Representative for Compass Group USA, Restaurant Associates, one of the six largest foodservice distributors of wholesale restaurant supplies and equipment in the Metro NY area and along the East coast.

Maria grew up in New Jersey where she received her B.A. in Psychology from New Jersey City University. Growing up in the inner city herself, she learned to appreciate the opportunities around her, was inspired to follow her passion of helping others.    

Alana Terry-Ramos has been a Placement Specialist with Business Solutions since July of 2020. Alana is originally from San Antonio (Go Spurs go!) and moved to Austin about two years ago. She graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a minor in Communications from Trinity University. Alana has a passion for helping people and assisting them in finding the next step in their career. This all started with her first job at a nonprofit, that led into recruiting for about five years. Alana understands that securing a job you love can be so life-changing, and she loves helping people find that in themselves. In her free time, Alana loves to dance, bake, and attend concerts. She loves trying new recipes and mixing ingredients to create new flavors, and she also loves volunteering- especially with children.