Secure Talent Executive Advisory Board

At Secure Talent, creating a dynamic, relevant and valuable company is directly tied to an uncompromised commitment to building relationships and seeking direct input from trusted business leaders. As a result, the Secure Talent Executive Advisory Board has been established to support business communities.

The advisory board is selected by president and founder of Secure Talent, Jeff Phelps, and brings together thought leaders from a broad cross-section of industries.

The primary goal of the advisory board is to invite relevant dialogue about business trends, cultivate a resource for feedback on strategies and product offerings, and brainstorm solutions that solve problems and meet the needs of businesses and independent contractors.

Labor Sourcing and Procurement Expert:

Michèle Coquis

As former contract labor category manager for EDS Supply Chain Management, Michèle Coquis’ responsibilities included strategy development, category management and operation of one of the largest technical and clerical buys in the industry.

During her 23-year career at EDS, Michèle Coquis took on several roles, including data center migration, client account startup, client support and management. Between the years of 1993 and 1996, Michèle served in various leadership roles in EDS’ operations and presence in South America, including account administration in Venezuela and new account startup in Chile, where she was responsible for implementing tax and legal presence in the country.

Prior to EDS, Michèle was international marketing manager for Case CE, a division of J.I. Case Company (now Case Corporation), where she conducted market research studies and forecasted production for the company’s Latin American, European, Middle Eastern and Asian sectors.

Michèle holds a master’s in international management from the American Graduate School of International Management and a bachelor’s in business administration with a specialization in marketing from George Mason University. Aside from living and working in the United States, UK and South America, Michèle has extensive travel experience and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Sales and Customer Service Expert:

Vicki Foshee

Vice President, Direct Sales
Automobile Club of Southern California

Since April of 2007, Vicki Foshee has served as vice president of direct sales for the Automobile Club of Southern California. She is responsible for the direct sales team including three sales centers in Southern California, Texas and Maine. Her team is responsible for sales delivered through the direct channel that includes the following territories: Southern California, Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Northern New England.

Before joining the Automobile Club of Southern California, Vickie served as AVP of Call Centers of 21st Century Insurance Group’s Current Customer organization. Her responsibilities included leading the service team to provide superior customer service to more than 800,000 customers, including all facets of service, billing, underwriting and retention of 21st Century Insurance Group’s customer base.

Prior to joining 21st Century Insurance Group, Vickie served as senior vice president of DIRECTV Broadband, Inc.’s Customer and Carrier Services Organizations, responsible for the provisioning, installation, maintenance, repair, billing and retention of DIRECTV Broadband, Inc.’s customer base. Additional responsibilities included management of three separate call centers with more than 600 technicians and customer service representatives, and management of 10 ILECs, CLECs and IXCs that provided DIRECTV Broadband, Inc.’s network backbone, tail circuits and local loops.

Prior to joining DIRECTV Broadband, Inc., Vickie was general manager of NorthPoint Communications Service Delivery and Support Organization. Under her leadership, NorthPoint Communications tripled the customer-installed base in less than five months.

Before NorthPoint Communications, Vickie spent 19 years at SBC Communications and affiliates, holding multiple positions including assignments in SBCIS (SBC’s Internet service provider), Industry Markets (SBC’s wholesale division), Bay Operations (including assignments in switching, outside plant, engineering and special services) and Customer Service and Procurement.

Vickie also served in both active and reserve military organizations with 22 years of experience in logistics, maintenance, procurement and telecommunications, including a three-year assignment with the National Security Agency (NSA). She participated in several unit deployments throughout her career including various state and federal missions to Panama, Germany, Italy and Korea. Vickie was awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, as well as a number of other medals and awards and she has achieved the rank of major.

Human Resources Expert:

Lynda Ward Pierce

Vice President, Human Resources
MobiTV, Inc.

As vice president of human resources for MobiTV, Inc., and a key member of the company’s leadership team, Lynda Ward Pierce is responsible for the overall design and implementation of HR policies and programs. As part of the organization’s executive management team, Lynda manages the promotion of employee commitment and engagement programs, and of complex and critical tools used to foster a culture consistent with MobiTV's core values.

Prior to joining MobiTV, Lynda served as head of human resources, facilities and security for SVB Financial Group, where she built a world-class human resources department designed to address very specific business objectives. Lynda was instrumental in helping the company adjust through periods of tremendous growth and international expansion.

Lynda’s had a number of major achievements during her years with SVB Financial Group, including the creation of the company’s rewards and recognition programs, designed to motivate and retain employees internationally; the creation of a centralized response mechanism to manage the company’s internal auditing process; involvement in milestones leading to the company’s recognition as one of the “Best Places to Work in the Bay Area” two years in a row; hiring and planning for international expansion to India, China and the United Kingdom; and successfully managing employee relations planning and execution during the restructuring of the company’s largest division.

Lynda’s extensive background and work ethic has positively impacted the growth, retention and success for all of her previous employers including Organic, Inc., Navigant Consulting, Inc., and LECG Corp.

Lynda is a graduate of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), where she earned a bachelor’s in managerial economics and philosophy. She then attended the UC Davis Graduate School of Management and later completed course work for her master’s in human resources and organization development at the University of San Francisco.

Employee Development Expert:

Cheryl M. Van

As former vice president of talent acquisition at Yahoo! Inc.'s organization development and learning sector, Cheryl M. Van was responsible for helping the company create a more efficient process of talent acquisition and development. Her focus at Yahoo! was recruiting, talent planning and forecasting; employee, leadership and career development; succession planning; and performance management and talent profiling.

Prior to joining Yahoo!, Cheryl was vice president of human resources at Critical Path, Inc. Previous to that, she served as vice president of employment and development at Visa International. Cheryl also spent several years in human resources at Apple Inc. and Kaiser Permanente.

With more than 20 years of experience in human resources, Cheryl has earned the reputation of being a forward thinker and change agent with well-developed abilities for helping individuals and organizations optimize achievements. She speaks frequently at seminars and conferences, and has been featured in publications as a subject matter expert on topics related to career resiliency and strategies for attaining workplace success.

In addition to her professional experience, Cheryl is involved in several extracurricular activities. She has been on the board of directors for the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club for more than 14 years and was a charter member of the Silicon Valley Women’s Forum on Race Relations.

A native of San Francisco, Cheryl holds bachelor’s in communication studies and sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s of human resources and organization development from the University of San Francisco.

Learn more about the Secure Talent Executive Advisory Board.