Jamaal Jenkins
Jamaal Jenkins
Director of Talent & Recruitment, OneTouch Direct
For Jamaal Jenkins, recruiting wasn’t part of the original plan—it was an unexpected opportunity that turned into a lifelong career.
Fresh out of college after playing Division I football at the University of South Florida, Jamaal was doing what many graduates do: searching for his next step. During that period, one of his former teammates reached out with a simple suggestion.
“Put on a suit and come interview for this recruiter position.”
At the time, Jamaal had no idea recruiting was even a profession.
But after stepping into a small staffing company in Tampa for that interview, something immediately clicked. The fast-paced environment, relationship-building, and ability to connect people with opportunities felt natural to him. What began as an introduction to the industry quickly evolved into a long-term passion for talent leadership.
“The rest is history,” he reflected.
Over the years, Jamaal built his career by combining competitive drive, relationship management, and people leadership—skills that were sharpened long before recruiting, during his years as a collegiate athlete.
Today, he brings that same team-first mentality into leadership, focusing on building high-performing recruiting organizations centered around trust, accountability, and people development.
What Shaped His Leadership Philosophy
Jamaal credits much of his growth as a leader to the mentors and executives who helped shape his perspective throughout his career.
One of the most influential was Alex Donnelly, a market president he worked alongside while leading a recruiting team in St. Louis. What stood out most to him was her servant leadership approach and the way she remained deeply engaged with the people she led.
For Jamaal, seeing a leader who genuinely prioritized supporting and developing others left a lasting impression on how leadership should look in practice.
He also points to Kai Mitchell, former CEO of Kforce, as someone who expanded his understanding of how to build impactful teams and think strategically about business leadership at scale.
Another major influence was Don Harvey, a longtime mentor who helped Jamaal develop the discipline and mindset required to consistently grow as a leader year after year.
Together, those experiences reinforced a leadership philosophy centered on accountability, growth, and empowering people to succeed.
How Recruiting Is Evolving
Jamaal believes AI and technology are fundamentally reshaping the recruiting landscape—particularly through the growing role of data and analytics in hiring decisions.
Historically, recruiting has always been deeply relationship-driven. Success often came down to emotional intelligence, communication, and the ability to understand what motivates people.
While those skills remain critical, Jamaal sees AI introducing an entirely new layer of precision into the hiring process.
Recruiters now have access to tools that can help identify stronger talent matches based on measurable data and insights rather than relying solely on instinct or past experience. In his view, that shift is helping recruiters make more informed decisions earlier in the process.
At the same time, he emphasizes that technology should enhance—not replace—the human side of recruiting.
Understanding people, building trust, and communicating effectively will always remain core to the profession.
Still, Jamaal is clear about one thing: AI is not going away.
“It’s only going to get bigger and better,” he explained.
Jamaal’s Advice for Talent Leaders in 2026
Looking ahead, Jamaal encourages talent leaders to embrace change rather than resist it.
For recruiters and organizations hesitant about AI, his advice is straightforward: get comfortable with it now.
The leaders who thrive over the next several years will be the ones who learn how to integrate technology into their recruiting strategies while continuing to strengthen the human relationships that drive successful hiring.
He believes the future of recruiting will require both data-driven decision-making and strong people leadership. Recruiters who can balance those two areas will be best positioned to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.
Jamaal also believes many of the lessons learned through sports apply directly to recruiting and leadership: discipline, teamwork, resilience, and consistency all matter over the long term.
That combination of competitive mindset, servant leadership, and forward-thinking perspective is what makes Jamaal Jenkins a standout leader in talent acquisition—and a deserving member of the Talent 100.
