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Reba Elder

Market Manager, Client Relationship Executive - Technology , Kforce Inc

For Reba Elder, recruiting began with an unexpected shift from sales, admissions, and training into the world of staffing.

After college, Reba started her career in mattress sales before moving into admissions for a for-profit trade school in the allied healthcare space.

In that role, she helped prospective students explore programs, understand career paths, and take steps toward their futures.

Over time, she became an admissions representative, then moved to Denver to manage a team and train admissions recruiters across the organization.

That experience gave her an early foundation in recruiting, even before she officially entered the staffing industry.

“I loved the ability to train, help people, and align them with opportunities,” Reba recalls.

After several years in Denver, a former colleague encouraged her to explore staffing at Kforce.

At first, Reba did not know much about the industry. But the more she learned, the more she realized how transferable her skills were.

She joined Kforce in Kansas City and quickly found a career path that combined relationship-building, problem-solving, business understanding, and helping people find meaningful opportunities.

“I wish I had known about it way before,” she says.

Making the Right Connections

Today, Reba works in a hybrid market manager role at Kforce, operating on the sales side while managing her own portfolio of customers.

Her work centers on connecting with HR, talent acquisition, business, and technology leaders to understand their goals, challenges, and hiring needs.

She helps clients identify talent for projects, fill capability gaps, and solve business problems through the right people.

For Reba, the most energizing part of the work is making those connections.

“At the end of the day, although we are a business, we are helping people,” she says.

That help goes both ways.

Kforce supports clients by finding the talent they need, while also helping candidates discover their next opportunity.

Over the years, Reba has gained a deeper understanding of business, technology, consulting, and the many ways talent can shape an organization’s success.

“I never thought I would understand business and technology to the extent that I do,” she says.

Learning Through Leadership

Looking back, Reba credits several leaders with shaping her growth.

One of the earliest was Chris Volker, her first regional leader at Kforce.

Chris promoted her into the market manager role and gave her the opportunity to grow faster within the industry.

He helped her step into leadership, mentor others, and gain broader exposure across the firm.

“He enabled me to be a leader, to learn, to coach, and to train,” Reba says.

Another influential leader was Alex Donley, who empowered Reba to use her voice, build relationships, and connect across the organization.

Through Alex’s support, Reba gained visibility across Kforce and developed relationships beyond her local Kansas City market.

Reba also points to Jackie Coleman as someone she deeply admires.

The two worked together for years through leadership changes and market shifts, and Jackie encouraged Reba to stay at Kforce during a time when she might have considered leaving.

“She saw my future going somewhere,” Reba says.

Her current leader, Katie Bizzle, has also played a major role in her development.

Reba describes Katie as one of the strongest operational leaders she has worked with, someone who provides the structure, support, and trust needed for experienced professionals to thrive.

Across these leaders, one theme stands out: trust.

“They trusted me to learn quickly and run on my own,” Reba says.

Using Technology to Work Smarter

As technology and AI continue reshaping recruiting, Reba has seen the impact most clearly in efficiency.

At Kforce, technology helps teams connect with contacts, update information, and better align talent with open roles.

On the candidate side, data and tools help match profiles to opportunities more quickly.

But Reba believes technology is only part of the equation.

AI can make the process faster, but human judgment remains essential when evaluating fit, personality, and the nuances that do not always appear on paper.

“There’s obviously the human element on the back end,” she says.

For Reba, the value of technology is not replacing recruiters. It is giving them better tools to serve clients and candidates more effectively.

Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026

As talent leaders navigate a fast-moving market, Reba’s advice is grounded in partnership.

“Trust your partners,” she says.

For her, successful hiring depends on transparency, collaboration, and communication.

The best outcomes happen when leaders are open about their goals, challenges, talent needs, and where they have flexibility.

Whether working with an external partner like Kforce or an internal business partner, Reba believes strong relationships make the hiring process more effective.

“The market is tough,” she says. “You never know when you’re going to need to tap someone on the shoulder for support.”

She also encourages leaders not to view staffing and recruiting partners as purely transactional.

When trust is built and both sides understand the business, hiring becomes more efficient, strategic, and human.

By combining relationship-building, business understanding, technology, and a deep commitment to helping people, Reba Elder represents the kind of talent leader who turns recruiting into meaningful connection.