MEET THE TORCHLIGHT TEAM

Heidi started her own firm in order to focus on that which she loves most: matching top talent with the right employer to create a rewarding, long-term relationship. In fact, she built her reputation on it. Prior to founding TorchLight, Heidi worked at Melcrum, an internal communications consulting firm. There, she built a client base that included more than 300 of the Fortune 1000 companies, significantly increasing the company’s market penetration for a newly-developed research platform.

As director/vice president of McKinley Marketing Partners, Heidi worked with senior marketing, communications and PR professionals to fill more than 150 positions. Prior to McKinley, Heidi led the sales and client relations team at National Journal Group, an Atlantic Media Company.

Heidi holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Colgate University and a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University. Actively involved in the local community, she currently serves on the board of United Community, a leading human services nonprofit agency in Northern Virginia. Heidi’s love of travel has led to her living in 3 continents besides the US -South America, Europe and Asia!

Susan is not only a maven of math and savvy with technology – she’s also a master of all things operational. As Vice President of Operations, Sue deftly oversees finance, human resources, analytics and systems for TorchLight Hire and TorchLight Marketing.

Susan started her career in the actuarial practice of Willis Towers Watson – Boston, designing and valuing retirement plan alternatives for large companies and non-profits. At the Arlington office of Towers Watson, she focused on benefit pension plan administration before heading to Atlantic Media Company, where she served as director of compensation and benefits. Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Colgate University.

With a son to keep up with, “spare time” is a luxury in Susan’s world. However, that doesn’t stop her from dreaming of foreign travel — a passion that was ignited in college when she taught English abroad for two years in Japan and in the former Czechoslovakia.

With more than two decades of strategic marketing and communications experience, Diana Gardner is deeply passionate about creating an inclusive and intentional experience in the recruiting process.

Having served on both the agency and client side of the house, Diana has successfully led award-winning omnichannel campaigns for start-up brands and household names across the B2C, B2B, B2G and nonprofit sectors.

Before joining TorchLight, Diana was VP of Client Development for a communications and fundraising agency, where she oversaw client leadership and development for enterprise accounts.

Diana holds a BA in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Central Florida and a MS from Florida State University. A Yacht Rock enthusiast and self-described gym rat, Diana lives for college football, Caymus Cabernet, and all things vinyl. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband of 25 years, teenage daughter, and two goofy golden retrievers.

Danielle comes to TorchLight with experience in the Human Resources field with a focus on talent development and talent acquisition. Danielle prides herself on her ability to build lasting relationships with candidates and really enjoys taking the time to get to know them.

Her passion for working with others is a big part of why she likes her job – it allows her to meet new people and forge new relationships daily! A native of East Tennessee, she grew up in and currently resides in its “sweetest” city: Sweetwater. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University (Go Bucs!) and shortly after that, graduated from Tusculum University with a master’s degree in Talent Development.

Danielle is passionate about climate change and protecting endangered species. She’s such an animal lover that she currently has three cats and two dogs and would have more if she had the space!

Kim strives to make the human resources experience a positive one for each job candidate and employee as she manages benefit and payroll activities for TorchLight Hire.

Kim started off in a different recruiting world, working in admissions for Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program before serving as the Admissions Director for American University’s School of International Service.  While heading up the admissions department at Envision, a company that sponsors youth leadership development programs, Kim made the move to the human resources team, which launched a new career path.  From there, she became the Benefits Manager at Atlantic Media, confirming how much she enjoyed working in the field of benefits.   

Born and raised outside of Rochester, New York, where the winters are long and bitter,  Kim thoroughly appreciates the brief, mild winters in the DC area.  She also values living in a metropolitan area that has plenty of green space.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in French literature and East Asian studies from Colgate University.  In her free time, you can find Kim in the kitchen baking, spending time with her family, or trying to get her strong-willed French Bulldogs to walk around the block. 

Amy is able to connect with clients and candidates through their shared professional experiences. An accomplished marketer with 17 years of experience, Amy’s insider perspective on the marketing industry lends a unique, supporting element to the recruiting process.

Amy started her career as a marketing coordinator for two of the biggest names in the sports marketing business: IMG (International Management Group) and Octagon Athlete Representation. Later Amy became a regional marketing manager with Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), where she managed the regional events and partnerships program.

Following MBUSA, Amy joined The Atlantic Media Company as a senior marketing manager. There she had the opportunity to work on custom event and marketing programs for premier clients like Pfizer, Booz Allen Hamilton and more.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from James Madison University. She cares deeply about her community and is involved in pet adoption, food insecurity, and health and wellness.

Julie has a knack for building strong internal cultures as well as candidate and client partnerships. Not only can she design and deliver an impeccable employee experience – she’s made it a daily practice. Julie began her 20-year career working in the hospitality industry. It was there that Julie found her passion for working with people to build their careers and grow the organization. This passion led her to work with a wide range of employers in a variety of industries from food service to government contractors, military branches, and many others.

Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations/Journalism, with a minor in Psychology, from California State University, Long Beach. She is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights as well as the rights of individuals with disabilities and shares her time and talent to support these issues. She enjoys remote work living where she can spend time with her family by the pool at her new home in St. Louis.