Don Truza, CEO
Donald R. Truza, SHRM-SCP, CMF, SPHR, started with the firm in 1991 after going through his own position elimination, became President in 1995 and took over the corporation from its founder in 1998.
Don has been helping all levels of associates with outplacement/career management, client branding, strategic planning, communication development, trailing spouses/partners, mergers, acquisitions, startups, and leadership development.
He is certified as a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), a Career Management Fellow (CMF) and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He is also the recipient of the James House Williamson award, one of the highest recognitions in the Human Resource field.
He has served as the North American President and the Global President of the Association of Career Management Firms International (ACMFI), on the Board of the International Association of Career Management Professionals (IACMP) and Board Member of the Institute of Career Certification International (ICCI). Other Boards include the Economic Development Committee, the Boys and Girls Club, Leadership Association, President of 6 local SHRM Chapters and member of the Diversity Committee.
Prior to joining the career management field, he spent 15 years in line positions from Industrial Engineer to Plant Manager and then staff positions as Executive Vice President of Operations/Strategic Planning/HR with international organizations including Sea Ray Boats, Rubbermaid, Philips Consumer Electronics and B.F. Goodrich.
In those corporate rolls he has staffed over 5,500 professional positions resulting in screening over 55,000 resumes and conducting over 22,000 face-to-face interviews.
As a result of his extensive career management experience, Don has been interviewed on CNN’s Headline News, NBC, CBS, FOX, and ABC TV, talk radio, quoted in the Wall Street Journal (twice), published articles in magazines, and spoken at national and international conferences as well as college commencement ceremonies.
He has been invited to speak on numerous university campuses in the Business Departments including Berkley, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgia Tech, Florida, BYU, Michigan, Ohio State, MIT, South & North Carolina, Akron, Northwestern, and three UT’s (TN, TX and Toledo) to name a few.
As an entrepreneur, he has owned several other businesses including a manufacturing facility, movie production company, coastal rental property, a stock car race track, a landfill and a yacht charter service.
While working on his Bachelor’s degree in night school for eight years, Don worked full time during the day that required him to join several unions as a carpenter, machinist, and concrete finisher where he was asked to serve the rank and file as their union steward.
These positions have given him training from the AFL-CIO and the very unique experience of being on both sides of the bargaining table.
He is a graduate of the University of Akron, and Kellogg’s Advanced Management Program at Northwestern University.
Anne Marie Truza
Anne Marie grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, IL where she began a modeling career at the age of 15 and was chosen to participate in the Junior Miss Contest in Illinois.
After attending the International Academy of Merchandising and Design (Fashion Merchandising) she was recruited into property management where she was promoted to a Property Manager for one of the largest apartment complexes in Chicago (Presidential Towers) consisting of 2038 apartments.
A couple of additional property management assignments took her to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, back to Chicago and then to Knoxville Tennessee where she managed the largest apartment complex in the area. The property owner even named a street after her for her dedication to clients and strong management and administrative skillsets. After several years she moved into the commercial property industry.
Because of her extensive management and networking skills, she was recruited to run the day-to-day operations of The Transition Team, Inc. in 2007. She was soon promoted to the firm’s Chair overseeing the marketing, sales, web design, customer relations, administration, trade shows, events and all materials.
She developed the firm’s program on “Working an Event” and often works with clients to increase their networking as well as the firm’s Trailing Spouse/Partner Acclimation and Job Search program.
She has managed projects as large as 6,500 associates from Syracuse, New York to Seattle Washington.
She has received numerous accolades and letters of commendation for her strengths and skills to network into corporations on behalf of the TTT’s clients.
She is involved and a member of the Tennessee Valley Human Resource Association, the Oak Ridge Human Resources Association, Oak Ridge Staffing Association, Loudon Monroe County Human Resources Association, the Clinton Area Human Resources Group, Greater Athens Human Resources Association, Southeast Tennessee Human Resources Association and has attended E-Woman Network and the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.