Kathleen Quinn Votaw

CEO and Founder at TalenTrust LLC, CEO at KQV Speaks

Kathleen Quinn Votaw is the founder and CEO of TalenTrust, a strategic recruiting and human capital consulting firm that has helped companies nationwide address immediate needs and drive long-term growth since 2003. She is the author of the 2016 book Solve the People Puzzle and is a regularly published columnist and popular speaker on topics related to HR strategies and workplace culture. 

Kathleen has overcome a multitude of personal and business challenges in becoming a strong leader who was able to exceed TalenTrust’s growth goals throughout the Great Recession and become one of less than 2 percent of women business owners to break the million-dollar mark. Along this journey, she has formed the core belief that people-centric, relationship-based workplaces are the key to attracting and retaining the talent to take businesses to the next level. With her knowledge and experience, and a mission to help HR professionals attain the skills needed to provide strategic value to their companies, she is a key disrupter in her industry. 

She has helped more than one thousand companies across multiple industries navigate uncertainty and continuous change to develop purpose-based, inclusive cultures; targeted recruitment strategies; and, most importantly, inspired employees who want to come to work each day. 

From proactive hiring processes to human-centric leadership, Kathleen’s practical insights and actionable recommendations have impacted diverse organizations, including John Hancock, Kaiser Permanente, the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Renaissance Executive Forum, EO, the Association of Corporate Growth, and Vistage International.  

Kathleen recently completed a Stanford Graduate School of Business program focused on strategy, innovation, and organizational design. She has received many awards, including the coveted Inc. 5000 for two consecutive years; 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year from Enterprising Women Magazine for her work to fuel lasting change in companies across the nation; and multiple achievement awards from Colorado Women’s Chamber, ColoradoBiz Magazine, and Denver Business Journal. Kathleen is currently serving as an advisory board member for Enterprising Women and is the former board president for ACG-Denver.