Brian Harmsen

Founder

Brian Harmsen is the founder of Designworks Talent and a strategic talent acquisition leader with over 20 years of experience designing scalable hiring and workforce planning solutions. His background spans Fortune 100 companies, startups, and global remote teams across media, technology, financial services, and nonprofits.

Brian has held senior roles at Disney, Fox Interactive Media/News Corp, and ABC Television, where he advised C-level leaders and led data-driven recruiting strategies—including building the first-ever digital media team to stream on-demand video content. He combines creative problem-solving with strategic insight to help clients attract and retain high-impact talent.

Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Development and a Master’s in Public Administration/HR Leadership from Arizona State University.

Maureen Pankotai 

RECRUITING director

Maureen Pankotai is a seasoned talent acquisition consultant and Director at Designworks Talent. She specializes in scalable recruiting operations, systems optimization, and high-impact hiring across executive and technical roles. With nearly two decades of experience, she supports companies in building data-driven processes, optimizing Applicant Tracking Systems, creating tactical dashboards and C-Suite/ Board level reporting.

Maureen also brings expertise in managing offshore recruiting vendors and, over the past five years, has specialized in data science and technical hiring for AI startups.

Maureen holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Manitoba and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, including a semester at the London Business School

PUJA GUIHAMA

RECRUITING MANAGER

Puja Guihama is an accomplished People & Talent professional with extensive experience driving recruiting strategy, team development, and people operations across global enterprises and high-growth environments. Her background includes leadership roles at Amazon, where she managed recruiting teams and delivered strategic hiring initiatives for Corporate BD, Music UX, Games Marketing, and AWS Generative AI.

In her current role as Franchise Managing Partner for Rumble Boxing Pasadena, she oversees studio operations for a 20+ person team and leads HR compliance, full-cycle hiring, employee relations, community partnerships, and local marketing. Previously, Puja held key recruiting roles at Niagara Bottling, Nestlé USA, Warner Bros., and The Walt Disney Company,

MEAGAN TIDWELL

RECRUITING MANAGER

Meagan Tidwell is a recruiter based in Texas with experience spanning corporate and agency environments, including full-cycle recruiting in the commercial construction and healthcare industries. She has managed the hiring process end-to-end, from candidate sourcing and screening through interviews, offers, and placement, partnering closely with hiring managers to identify the right talent for each role.

Meagan's experience across both internal talent acquisition and external client-focused recruiting has given her exposure to multiple industries and verticals. She has worked in different recruiting environments, adapting her approach to fit each organization's structure and hiring needs.

In addition to her recruiting background, Meagan has experience in healthcare business development and B2B sales, working directly with decision-makers to build client relationships. This combination gives her insight into both an organization's hiring needs and the talent required to meet them.

JERRY COOKSEY

MARKETING DIRECTOR