Dan Wagner founded Aspire in 2005 leveraging his extensive network to match hundreds of senior-level managers and executives with private-equity-backed growth businesses. He brings over 25 years of experience scaling and transforming early-stage ventures in human capital-intensive services including professional search and staffing, field, and technology-enabled service businesses. During Dan’s career, he has led the strategic growth vision for Aspire and other companies by identifying opportunities for expansion and determining the best talent to get there.
Katie Birkelo is the President of Aspire spearheading the company’s national expansion plans with a focus on strategic market growth. Katie brings over 20 years of experience in strategic leadership, operations management, and business development, specializing in the staffing and talent acquisition sectors. Throughout her career, she has led transformational initiatives in some of the largest staffing firms in the world, including Randstad USA, Beacon Hill Staffing, and Robert Half, where she consistently delivered exceptional results while maintaining her hands-on approach to leadership.
Kristen Rose is a Managing Partner for Aspire Staffing, overseeing both sales and recruitment for the Chicago area. She is a highly experienced staffing professional dedicated to helping accounting and finance teams find the best talent available. With 10+ years of experience focused in the accounting and finance staffing space, Kristen has successfully placed hundreds of professionals, both as consultants and in direct hire roles. She has worked with start ups creating an accounting department from scratch, to Fortune 100 companies building teams for large multi-year projects. Kristen's expansive experience gives a specialized staffing experience to every client she works with. Kristen holds a Business Management degree from Loyola University Chicago. She is originally from Columbus, Ohio and now lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband.
Chris Chaput is the Managing Partner of Aspire's Philadelphia office, overseeing the placement of Accounting and Finance professionals across all levels in the Greater Philadelphia market. With 8 years of experience in the staffing industry and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Chris brings a rare combination of firsthand financial expertise and deep recruiting knowledge to every search he leads.
His consultative approach and long-standing client relationships have established him as a trusted resource for both growing organizations and finance professionals looking to take the next step in their careers. Chris specializes in serving middle market and private equity-backed companies ranging from $20M to $1B in enterprise value, where the need for precise, high-impact finance talent is often most critical.
