About Us

Northeast Indiana Talent Attraction, Inc. (NEITA) is a team of local professionals, many of whom have relocated to Northeast Indiana. We understand the often daunting stresses that candidates feel as a part of the decision and relocation process. That’s why we’re here to help.  We’re well versed in our region’s many aspects, particularly lifestyle, culture, and specific family needs. By working with candidates throughout the entire recruiting experience, we help drive increased job acceptance and retention for the employers in Northeast Indiana. As a result, this saves our clients money and time, and creates better lives for the relocating new hires we support.

Our Team

Founder / PresidenT

Lynn Reecer

Lynn Reecer is the Founder and CEO of Northeast Indiana Talent, Inc. Known in the community as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, connector, and community advocate, Northeast Indiana Talent Attractions, Inc. is an extension of Lynn’s belief in the region and its mission to attract top talent and improve quality of life. As a serial entrepreneur, Lynn is consistently a leader in the area for new and innovative approaches to business; she owns three companies, including Brookwood Cabinet Co., supplying custom and semi-custom, high-quality cabinetry, counters, and hardware.

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Lynn started Reecer Properties in 2010 as a boutique real estate firm based in Fort Wayne, and Syracuse, IN.  She and her team’s great success in real estate is credited to a team business model of functional expert workhorses, providing white-glove service and exceptional sales results for their clients. She and her team have consistently been ranked 1st in sales volume out of 1,400 agents and teams for several years in a row in the NE Indiana MLS and in the top 5 in the state of Indiana. 

In 2019, Encore Sotheby’s International Realty acquired Reecer Properties, allowing Lynn to focus her attention on her team, her clients, and her growing businesses.  In 2019 Lynn earned the SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) designation, held by only 1% of Realtors nationwide. SRES® designees have unparalleled training and experience in serving seniors (50+) with their home downsizing needs or transfers to assisted living.

As part of her commitment to bettering the community, Lynn co-founded the Aboite New Trails, Inc. Under Lynn’s leadership, Aboite New Trails raised over $12M and built 20 miles of new bicycle and pedestrian trails throughout southwest Allen County. In 2010, Lynn led the merger to form Fort Wayne Trails, which now boasts a 100+ mile trail system that serves over 300,000 residents and visitors.  During this time, Lynn was awarded Citizen of the Year by the Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne for her full-time volunteer contributions to the community over several years.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Lynn earned her B.S. in Marketing from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Lynn married Dr. Mark Reecer and eventually moved to his native Fort Wayne, where they raised their three children. Today Lynn and Mark are very social empty nesters who love sharing outdoor recreation  and indoor entertaining time with family and friends in   Fort Wayne, on Lake Wawasee and in Bonita Springs FL.  Their travel time is usually taken up visiting their kids in Seattle, NYC and soon to be São Paulo Brazil.

Vice President

Kate Leach

Kate Leach is the Vice President for Northeast Indiana Talent Attraction. With a bachelor’s in finance from University of Indianapolis and past experience in insurance and banking, Kate brings corporate finance experience to our team. Kate has 7+ years of running and managing successful business.

Kate grew up on Winona Lake/Warsaw and is now involved in the Syracuse-Wawasee area. Happily married with a family, she’s raising her kids to be Indiana lake-lovers.

Talent Recruiting and Sourcing, Latin America,

CLARA PICARELLI

Clara joins NEITA as the company’s new Director of Talent Recruiting and Sourcing for Latin America. Clara will be based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Clara is from São Paulo, Brazil and had a successful 14-year career with the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly leading cross functional teams in Latin America. Her focus was mainly in Business/Strategy and Finance positions. 

Clara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), a Master’s degree in Business Consulting from the Faculdade Instituto de Administracão (FIA USP), both in São Paulo, Brazil, and a Master’s in International Business from the Université Pierre Mendés in Grenoble, France. Clara is a native speaker of Portuguese and is fluent in English and Spanish. In her spare time she loves to travel to different countries with her husband to learn about different cultures, diverse experiences, and connect with people across the world. 

Talent Recruiting and Sourcing

Jenny Garver

Recruiting and consulting has been my passion for 31 years. My favorite part of those 31 years has been the relationships cultivated from the connections that I was so fortunate to encounter. My clients and recruits are friends – I have watched their families grow, their careers bloom and enjoyed years of friendship. I have been fortunate to gain experience in many different recruiting spaces including large hospital systems, small boutique niche firms, international nursing and start up companies. Recruitment for me comes down to relationships and providing unforgettable experiences for those that I am fortunate to assist. It is not a job it is my passion!

account Manager

dianne hovermale

Dianne is a lifelong Grant County, Indiana, resident and a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University. Passionate about service and community, Dianne currently serves as the Vice Chair for Greater Grant County. She has been an active part of Women’s Life and led efforts to raise significant funds to build in-home access to books for Grant County preschool children.

She lives in Upland with her husband, Perry. She loves entertaining, traveling, hiking, camping, and any activity involving their blended family of seven adult children and a growing number of grandchildren.

Dianne has enjoyed a successful career in sales and marketing and leading non-profits in expanding their fundraising efforts.

Lead Ambassador

Kathy Skekloff

Kathy has lived in Fort Wayne for 35+ years and has loved the growth and development of the city over the years. Kathy has two children working on degrees at Indiana University with her husband of 26 years, Scott. Their dog is like a third child getting the royal treatment, with pup cups and lots of pampering. 

Kathy is an ambassador for NEITA, giving the candidates 5-star treatment from the moment they arrive to tour their new city and helping wherever she can! 

Kathy enjoys decorating, interior design, and being an artist in her free time! She has an eye for detail and assists with staging, design picks, and more! 

Director of business development,

kathy ray

In January of 1988, Kathy Ray relocated to Fort Wayne from Columbia, South Carolina to begin work-ing at her aunt’s little startup company. Her aunt, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard the co-founder of Vera Bradley, gave her the opportunity to learn and function in a multitude of roles during her 34-year tenure at the little startup-turned-publicly traded company.

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After a start in the shipping department, she filled roles in Customer Service, Accounting, Components/Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Information Technology as well. Her final role was as a Dealer Sales Rep selling Vera Bradley product throughout Western and Northern Michigan. She grew the territory from $500K to $3.5M in annual sales revenue.

Kathy has been a volunteer for the Vera Bradley Foundation for 28 years, and has been involved since its inception. As a founding member of one of the Foundation’s events, Tickled Pink, she has played an integral role in raising over $37.5M for the Foundation – all of which has been donated specifically for breast cancer research.

In addition to her business savvy, Kathy was involved in creating the original Vera Bradley logo, which remains on the side of the corporate headquarters in Fort Wayne. One of her proudest creative legacies is her involvement in the creation of the first Vera Bradley Cookbook.

Kathy earned a business degree from Rutledge College in Columbia South, Carolina. She and her husband Bryan have three children. They treasure family time with their grown children, especially if it includes time at their cottage in northern Michigan, ice or fair-weather fishing, snow shoeing, cooking or visiting family in South Carolina. But 34 years after arriving, Fort Wayne has won her heart and become Kathy’s forever home.

Director of Business Development,

Nancy Ecclestone

Nancy Ecclestone is the Director of Business Development for Northeast Indiana Talent Attraction. Nancy joins the NEITA team after a 14-year career in outside sales with Vera Bradley Designs. Prior to Vera Bradley, she taught at Fort Wayne Community Schools for 21 years. Nancy holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Education from Indiana University. Nancy is a Fort Wayne native. She and her husband Scott raised both of their sons here. They travel to spend time with their children in Indianapolis and Tampa frequently. When they are not traveling, they spend weekends at the lake with family and friends.

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As a lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Nancy is very proud of what Fort Wayne has become. She looks forward to combining her 35 years of work experience with her enthusiasm for the area, to attract top talent to Northeast Indiana.

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Joelle Ruefer

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1

Less Headhunter, More Matchmaker

NEITA partners with Northeast Indiana companies to match their top candidates with our community.  We fill in the gaps between the candidates and recruiting teams, helping with the critical decision process.

2

When needs are met,
jobs are filled

We uncover what’s most important to the candidate and their family. From there, our team creates a VIP experience based on their need, wants, and interests. We support candidates by answering critical questions and uncovering any objections that would keep them from relocating. NEITA helps candidates determine if the job and the community are a good fit for them. 

3

Your secret weapon, Their first friend

Upon job acceptance, we continually offer support and resources to the new hire and their family, often becoming their first friend in the community. Families tell us they feel well taken care of by their new company, creating a competitive advantage over other job offers they may get. 

Contact Us

Whether your company is seeking a competitive edge in recruitment or you’re someone considering relocating to Northeast Indiana for career or personal opportunities, you can trust our team to work with you to find a great fit in this community.

Contact Us