Job Contender

The Start

Spearheded by Dr. Herbert J. Kellner, Executives from United States Online University, Lifelong Learning Magazine and ITD International met with business executives, performance coaches and training specialists in the US and Europe. The goal was to explore the developmental needs of the unemployed, but also to create an innovative, engaging program to overcome this crisis.

The result was the launch of the Job Contender Alliance. In a “first of its kind” partnership, the purpose of the Job Contender Alliance is to bring together world-class trainers, consultants, business coaches and recruiters from major companies to benefit the job seeker. The founders of Job Contender Alliance are convinced that top-quality, targeted training and coaching leads to a higher Employability Quotient (E.Q.).

In today's job market, making the right decisions is more crucial than ever. This is true for employers and job seekers. The Job Contender Alliance is where HR professionals, trainers, business coaches and the unemployed come together to share their knowledge and individual experiences.

Strategic Partners

The Executive Team

Herbert J. Kellner, Ph.D., is the Founder of the Job Contender Alliance and the Executive Producer of the Job Contender TV Series. Dr. Kellner is president and CEO of ITD International and United States Online University. He holds advanced degrees in Psychology and Communications from both German and American universities. Herbert is Executive Editor of Lifelong Learning Magazine, author of numerous books. He developed more than one hundred video training programs, some of which are international bestsellers. Dr. Kellner was the recipient of the 2003 APX Award (Achieving Performance eXcellence), the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) Professional Contribution Award, and the European Award of Masters for Innovation. AV Video & Multimedia Producer Magazine selected Dr. Kellner twice as one of the Top 100 producers.

Dr. Mikel R. Walton is Co-Developer of Job Contender and serves as our Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives. In this position, Mikel leads initiatives in support of the company's strategic priorities, including content development, international expansion, cross-platform opportunities, and digital growth. He works closely with the executive team to ensure continued progress toward the company's goals. Mikel is a senior executive in United States Online University's Research & Development Council and primarily focused on instructional systems design and seminar development. He is Senior Editor for Lifelong Learning Magazine and oversees the Train the Trainer program worldwide.

Cindy Olivier serves as Vice President for Outreach and Development. In this position Cindy represents the Job Contender within the communities of TV networks, production companies and corporate sponsors. She brings a wealth of experience from her executive positions within the training & development as well as the TV & film industry. During her tenure with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Cindy achieved the status of 5-Star Trainer. Her implementation of the Train the Trainer Program resulted in a Malcolm Baldrige Service Award for the hotel chain. Cindy is a member of the Screen Actors' Guild and American Federation of Television & Radio Artists and a former member of the SAG nominating committee.

Robert Holmes serves as Senior Vice President, Advertising and Partnership Marketing. Robert brings a wealth of experience to the Job Contender. Involved in Internet technology since the earliest days of digital entertainment, Robert has worked for HL2, Paul Allen’s Starwave, Free Range Media, Sierra Online and Edmark Software. His award-winning projects and client work have included the award-winning documentary Sting: All This Time, where he worked collaboratively with the artist Sting, Game of The Year award-winning Gabriel Knight game series, Microsoft, MSN, Yahoo, Tommy Bahama, Vulcan, Seattle’s Best Coffee, H&R Block, Amazon, Cinnabon, T-Mobile, Vail Resorts, Starbucks, and Hewlett Packard. Additionally, Robert has worked as a composer, engineer and producer for Paramount Pictures, CBS, Warner Brothers, NBC, Columbia Records, A&M Records and Saban International.

Connie Penn, Ph.D., serves as our Senior Vice President, Program Development. In this position, Connie leads the implementation of the Accreditation Program for Career Coaches. Dr. Penn is a clinical psychologist in private practice with degrees from UCLA and CSPP San Diego. She is on the faculty of United States Online University and president of the Accrediting Alliance for Training and Development. She is coauthor of the widely used training programs “Conflict Management” and “Relationship Booster–The Heart-Body-Brain Connection”.. She is also on the board of directors of Mercy Force, a media-driven organization, utilizing the Internet, television, multimedia programs, seminars, workshops and conferences to empower homeless people to reverse their situation and restore their lives.

Zach Johnson serves as our Director for Social Media Marketing. He began his career in Internet Marketing as a head Internet Marketing Coach for one of the leading internet marketing technology companies, TrafficGeyser.com. He was soon working directly with some of the leading online personalities and companies including Mike Koenigs, Frank Kern, Tony Robbins, Jorge Cruise, T Harv Eker, and more. In true entrepreneurial form Zach founded ZBiz Inc. after becoming convinced that he had developed a new internet strategy that brought superior results in much less time than comparable companies and approaches. ZBiz Inc is on a mission to revolutionize the way businesses connect with their prospects and customers through developing a unique customer lead generations approach that provides quality customers at hyper growth speeds unrivaled by traditional sales and marketing approaches.

Thomas Stopa serves as our Director for Sponsor Relations. He is also in charge of Community Relations. In this role he supports community groups, churches, universities and career centers to utilize the Job Contender programs to the full extend. Thomas is a computer and engineering professional with a passion teaching others. He has a background with both avionics and flight test; presently, he is working towards a Professional Engineering license in the state of California and a seaplane license. He has worked on several aerospace programs throughout Arizona and California.

James Axiotis is Co-Executive Producer for the Job Contender Series. He has 24 years of experience in producing commercials, music videos, live news, hour-long dramas, sitcoms and corporate videos. James is also a producing-writer and oversees all phases of production from concept to final editing and trafficking. He has worked with ABC, CBS and NBC. James has a more detailed résumé available on The Internet Movie Database. In his own words: Everything I do is held to the standards that have been set before me. As a producer, I am called to be the creative force to any production that I am a part of. Most people think of producers only when they think of money. Yes, we do deal with budgets, locations and actors. We make deals with all vendors, unions and studios. Yet without a vision, there is nothing to produce.

Production Company

Kurt Snider is the principal DP/Camera Operator for Solana Productions, Inc. Kurt has been awarded 14 Emmys for Producing, Writing, Shooting and Editing. He currently shoots for clients like“Entertainment Tonight,” “The Insider,” “Oprah,” MTV, “Rachael Ray Show,” “Dr. Phil,” “The Doctors” and more. Prior to establishing Solana Productions, Kurt was Supervising Producer of NBC’s “Prime Suspect,” Executive Producer “Third Thursday” KNSD San Diego and a Segment Producer/Photographer/Editor for PM Magazine. He was also a Television News Photographer in San Francisco, Boise and Wichita, where he graduated with a BA in Journalism from Wichita State University.