NLE Team

Karen Schmidt is a Managing Partner with Kaye/Bassman International and oversees all training initiatives and ongoing career development organizationally. On behalf of Next Level Recruiting Training and the Next Level Exchange, Karen is a frequent consultant to search firm owners who have a greater vision of growth, hiring and training. She also serves as the Director of the Kaye/Bassman Foundation, responsible for all fundraising efforts supporting Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Baylor Cancer. Since inception, the Foundation has donated over $1,200,000 to these deserving charities.

When joining Kaye/Bassman in 2001, Karen specialized in the search and recruitment of professionals for clients in the Commercial Construction, Specialty Contractors and Real Estate Development markets. She finished in the top five project staff in 2004 and 2005, achieved the distinction of becoming a Pacesetter within the company and reached a personal production of over $1,000,000 before transitioning into a leadership role. In 2006, Karen pioneered the redevelopment of Kaye/Bassman International’s corporate training program and subsequently created the Next Level Foundation Program compiling best practices from industry trainers and big billers from around the globe. Past speaking credits include The Fordyce Forum, the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS), the Texas Association of Personnel Consultants (TAPC) Texas Tour, the Mid Atlantic Association of Personnel Consultants and the North Carolina Association of Staffing Professionals.

Karen graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with a degree in General Business. In 2010, Karen was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty,” a list of rising young leaders in the Dallas area.

For over 20 years, Greg Doersching has been recognized as one of the most innovative voices in the recruiting industry, having mentored and trained thousands of recruiters with a thorough style and step-by-step training approach that is hard to beat. Greg is an expert in creating and growing Direct Hire and Contract recruiting divisions, and his knowledge and process have helped catapult recruiters and firms to new levels of productivity. Greg is an active recruiter who still runs a highly productive desk, in the trenches just like those he trains and mentors.

Throughout his career, Greg has presented hundreds of workshops and keynote addresses for organizations such as the National Association of Personnel Services, American Staffing Association and the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services, Fordyce Forum and numerous Regional, State, and Local groups. He is consistently rated as one of the top presenters for each conference and is the recipient of the NAPS Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the recruiting industry. Recognized as one of the “Top Producers” for the state of Wisconsin, he served for 2 years as the President of the Wisconsin Association of Personnel Services and now sits on their Board of Directors.

Greg is the proud father to his two boys, Griffin and Greysen, and husband to wife Jessi.

Rob is a Managing Partner and Senior Director of Training and Development for Next Level Exchange. Rob comes from MRINetwork™ Corporate where he served as the Chief Learning Officer, responsible for all training and sales development of more than 1,100 offices worldwide.

Previously Rob was with the Acclivus Corporation, an international performance development company. He has facilitated the Acclivus curriculum on six continents and is part of the Acclivus team responsible for global relationships with companies as diverse as Dell Inc., Accenture, Hitachi Vantara, KPMG Consulting, NASDAQ, Rehrig Pacific Company, Recruit Holdings Ltd, Japan, Shell Energy, and Comcast/NBC Universal. Rob is currently a licensed facilitator for Acclivus Train the Trainer programs worldwide.

Rob’s knowledge of the search industry comes from 12 years with Merritt Hawkins and Associates, now part of AMN Healthcare. Rob served as Vice President of Corporate Business Development.

He is a licensed facilitator for Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Rob holds master certifications in Consultative Selling, Performance Coaching, Advanced Sales Negotiation, Strategic Client Communication, and Major Account Planning & Strategy.

Rob is a keynote speaker and facilitator at continuing education seminars in the areas of business to business sales execution with a focus on collaborative client development, team effectiveness and performance management.

Past credits include Staffing Industry Analysts Executive Forum and Healthcare Forum, the American Staffing Association, The Fordyce Forum, the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS), and the National Association of Physician Recruiters and National Association of Locum Tenens Organization.

Jeff is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Kaye/Bassman International and Next Level Exchange and Co-Managing Director of Sanford Rose Associates International. Jeff has helped Kaye/Bassman-Sanford Rose Associates grow into the 11th largest search firm in the Americas and Next Level into the world’s largest training firm exclusive to the recruiting industry with over 1000 clients in 30 countries. His organization has won national awards for philanthropy and workplace flexibility and has been named the #1 “Best Company to Work for in Texas” four consecutive years.

During his 25 year tenure in the industry, Jeff was named one of the most influential leaders in the staffing industry as well as awarded the 2013 Knutson Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in recruiting.  He is considered an industry expert having appeared on CNN, FOX, Bloomberg and NBC; and is quoted regularly in publications including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Time and Fortune. Jeff is also a frequent speaker within the staffing and human resources community and has been featured in dozens of international training meetings and videos. He lives in Dallas with his wife, Tracy, and their three children.

Nicholas L. Turner (Nick) is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Kaye/Bassman International and Next Level Exchange and Co-Managing Director of Sanford Rose Associates. Post degree, Nick spent several years working in the financial industry and has spent upwards of 16 years since in the executive search industry. Nick’s primary role for all three organizations is the management of all operations, technology, legal and financial matters. He insures accurate and effective utilization of key functions and services throughout the continuance of business activity, overall operations for the network and corporate operations.

Nick holds the responsibility for the creation, design, application and integration of new and existing programs and services, information technology infrastructure and global operations. He serves his Next Level clients with guidance related to business modeling, strategic expansions, operational infrastructure and financial consulting.

Nick earned a Bachelors in Business Administration majoring in Finance, Real Estate with an emphasis in Accounting and Economics from Baylor University. He has been published and quoted in numerous business publications to include the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Dallas Morning News, CNN, CNBC, Fox Business and has been recognized as a leading consultant to the search industry for operational and financial solutions. Nick resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife Lauren and three boys Holden, Sutton and Corbin, and daughter Layton.

Darren McDougal is President of Next Level Marketing Communications and Chief Marketing Officer/Managing Partner with Kaye/Bassman International / Next Level Exchange. He directs branding, internet marketing, digital marketing and inbound marketing of the firms. With over 35 years of marketing and technology experience in corporate communications, broadcast, online and print mediums, Darren’s responsibility also includes the overall direction of the production, delivery and marketing of the firm’s products and services at Next Level Exchange.

His marketing career began in 1988 in a Fortune 500 retail firm. In 1993, Darren founded the MCD Group, providing broadcast media production and consulting, web development and IT solutions to the financial services, entertainment, technology and recruiting/staffing industries.

Since joining Kaye/Bassman in 2006, and becoming Managing Partner in 2007, Darren has designed and delivered scalable online solutions including the corporate Intranet systems, online training programs, corporate websites, social media strategies, mobile websites and brand management programs.

He has managed a similar role for Next Level Exchange, LLC, and is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the Next Level Exchange brand, online subscription system, ecommerce, ongoing video production/delivery, and launching training programs. Darren has a consulting role helping search firms grow in all aspects of business marketing, brand management and strategic growth.

Erin is the Senior Director of Clients Services for Next Level Exchange and Director of Training for Kaye/Bassman International. Erin joined Kaye/Bassman in 2007 as a Senior Search Consultant specializing exclusively in the Consumer Products industry focusing primarily in sales and sales support roles. In 2011, she launched Next Level Exchange’s sales team and now oversees the team of Client Service Directors who showcase Next Level’s array of services throughout the recruiting industry.

In addition to her role with Next Level Exchange, Erin also serves as the Director of Training for Kaye/Bassman, facilitating the Foundation Training Program to new hires and conducting ongoing learning and development throughout the organization. This core training program applies to all associates at each stage of career progression, from the basic recruiting fundamentals, to effective marketing techniques, to more sophisticated curriculum for long-term development.

Erin graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and minor in Communications.

As Director of Client Services for Next Level Exchange, Michelle is responsible for serving search firm owners and recruiters as they seek avenues for professional growth and continuous improvement. Michelle also runs our Next Level Selection division, a team dedicated to identifying future legends in the search industry for our Next Level clients. Through resume analysis, initial interviews, detailed presentations, personality assessments, and weekly progress reports, she diligently works to find the newest addition and most qualified candidate to join the teams of NLE offices.

Michelle’s background in Public Relations, Business Development and Marketing has helped fuel her success and her passion for ongoing training and education is part of what makes her such a valued consultant to her Next Level Exchange clients. Michelle received her BFA from Stephen F. Austin State University and attended the University of Central Oklahoma for her Masters in Writing.

As the Director of Client Services for Digital Marketing, Aysha is responsible for creating, maintaining and delivering innovative marketing communication solutions. She integrates marketing communication plans using a wide range of strategies utilizing the newest market trends. Aysha also executes multi-dimensional marketing campaign plans for new clients following specific guidelines of the client’s business unit strategy. She also serves as the Director of Client Services for Digital Marketing for Kaye/Bassman International and Sanford Rose Associates International.

Aysha graduated from San Jose State University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Aysha joined Kaye/Bassman in 2008 as a Project Consultant specializing in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industry focusing her efforts primarily in a recruiting role. During her tenure on the Pharmaceutical team, she was quickly promoted to Project Manager, increasing her responsibility in assisting candidates through the search process as well as qualifying for Pacesetter status within the organization. Her previous work experience and business oriented background has equipped her with great work ethic and a firm foundation in the executive search world.