The Babbage Team
Wanda Scholz, President
Wanda Scholz, President, graduated from the University of Maryland with a Degree in Information Systems Management and began her career as an IT Contractor for one of the first IT Staffing Firms, COMSYS. She was then hired internally by COMSYS to transform the highly manual operations of the firm to the most technically advanced and largest staffing firms in the US before leaving as their CIO to join AETEA, as Vice President of Washington Operations. Expanding her role from IT to Operations, she led both sales, recruiting and built a successful ERP Practice supporting many fortune 500 companies in the DC Area. She joined ALTA in 2004 as Executive Vice President and was instrumental in the growth of the company to over 50M in revenue. In, 2016, ALTA was sold, and she took a sabbatical to enjoy the fruits of many years of hard but rewarding work. Today she leads Babbage as their President to build the most progressive, customer focused solution staffing firm in the industry.
Wanda and her husband Bill are blessed with 3 beautiful daughters Jessica, Jennifer, and Madelyn who are young adults and still the center of their lives. They enjoy spending time with family and friends at Bethany Beach and spoiling their dog, Riley. They hope to travel over the next few years to make up for cancelled trips due to COVID.
Howard Petty, Managing Director of Client Relations
Howard Petty, Managing Director of Client Relations, joined Babbage in November of 2021. He brings 35+ years of experience in management and sales, with specialties in human capital solutions to the insurance, technology, banking, and financial sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia.
Howard began his career at the largest staffing firm in Baltimore, MD where he worked his way up to a VP role supporting an international cosmetic client requiring 500+ contractors per day on various shifts. He then joined a staffing firm where he learned the IT staffing business and managed a high-volume telecommunications client that aided in the company’s early growth. He later moved into management before leaving to start his own staffing company in 2001. By 2009 his company was performing due diligence on behalf of a government sponsored entity (GSE), re-underwriting several hundred thousand non-performing loans. The experience led to due diligence on behalf of the United States to resolve an alleged False Claims Act liability leading to a $74 million lender settlement, among others. Prior to joining Babbage, Howard created another company with a group of investors to manage similar discreet client investigations, audits, and financial risk assessments.
Today Howard's staffing philosophy is simple: Do your work on the front-end to create good back-end results.
You can typically find Howard golfing or fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.
Lauren Hill, Director of Talent Acquisition
Lauren Hill, Director of Talent Acquisition joined Babbage in June of 2021. She has 23+ years of HR/Recruiting/Onboarding experience in both the private and public sectors. Before joining Babbage, Lauren led the Talent Acquisition team at a large Senior Living organization who focused on corporate and leadership positions throughout North America. She has often given trainings regarding identifying, onboarding, and retaining top talent to reduce turnover. Lauren believes that the secret to her success is effective communication, attention to detail and portraying a sense of urgency.
Education/Certifications/Trainings:
• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, East Carolina University, 1999
• Recruiter Academy Certified Recruiter, 2017
• PHR Certification (current)
• Certified TechServe Alliance Certified Professional Services Recruiter (CPSR), 2022
• Certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, 2021 (University of South Florida, Muma College of Business)
Lauren’s recruitment and staffing philosophy: Being a Recruiter is not just the act of connecting someone with a job; it's about connecting someone with the opportunity to pursue their passion.
Lauren and her husband, Bryan reside in Northern VA with their twin daughters who are VERY active in sports that include softball and competitive swimming.
Lauren Wester, Client and Talent Acquisition Manager
Lauren Wester, known as Wester to the Babbage team, Client and Talent Acquisition Manager, joined Babbage in March 2022. She spent 10 years in the healthcare industry, focusing her time on sales and marketing, with an emphasis on building relationships and providing solutions. Prior to joining Babbage, Lauren held several positions with a large organization, leading business development, account management, coaching, training, and onboarding new hires. She loves to help, encourage, and serve others and brought that passion to Babbage to support both candidates and clients. Lauren also enjoys learning new things and attending trainings to build her skill set. Her proficiencies in communication, organization, and attention to detail are essential in her success.
Education/Certifications/Trainings
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing, East Carolina University 2010
• Recruiting Innovation, Certified Tech Recruiter, 2022
• Crucial Conversations – Mastering Dialogue, Certified, 2018
• Predictive Index, Certified, 2018
Wester’s recruitment and staffing philosophy: “Serving others comes in many forms; I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to serve others daily by helping both clients and candidates achieve their goals”
You can typically find Wester on a ball field with her three boys and her husband, Matt.
Zana McLeish, Talent Recruiter
Zana McLeish, Talent Recruiter joined Babbage in March 2022. Zana has 4 ½ years of HR/Recruiting /Generalist experience. She started her HR career as an HR Generalist. In this role, she conducted new hire orientation, coordinated onboarding, administered benefits, and handled employee relations / performance management. She then found her true career passion as a Talent Recruiter. Zana is always prepared to assist in driving the business and supporting her team, clients, or candidates in whatever way possible.
Education / Certifications / Trainings
• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2017
• MAGIC of Customer Relations, by Communico, Certified 2021
• Recruiting Innovation, Certified Tech Recruiter, 2022
Zana’s recruitment and staffing philosophy: Zana believes there is no better exercise than to lift others up and living this mantra day in and day out builds strong and long-lasting relationships. Being a part of individuals growth into a meaningful career is extremely rewarding to her.
Zana enjoys trying new restaurants with her husband, Toby and shopping with her fur baby, Bub.