Our Experts

Valerie Doherty oversees the human resources, benefits, legal and risk management departments of Doherty Staffing Solutions, including its various business sub-divisions. Her down-to-earth approach and savvy intellect have continued to nurture her winning attitude, inspiring individuals around her to strive for success in everything they do. Valerie continues to demonstrate a true passion for her profession and is always eager to embrace a new technology or resource for continued company advancement or opportunity.

Valerie earned her BA from St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. Valerie is a member of various organizations including the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the American Staffing Association (ASA), The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) and the Minnesota State Bar Association.

She has been named the National Association of Women Business Owners Businesswoman of the Year, the St. Cloud State University Alumni of the Year and the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management’s Entrepreneur of the Year. Valerie has been featured on the Who’s Who: The Staffing 100 list by Staffing Industry Review and was also honored by the Minnesota Family Business Awards Committee as the Female Executive of the Year, while her company (Doherty Employment Group) received the Emerging Award the same year. Additionally, she was recently bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Minnesota chapter. In 2017 and 2018, she was named to SIA’s Global Power – 100 Women in Staffing List. She was also recently inducted into the NAWBO Minnesota chapter’s Hall of Fame.

Under her management and leadership, the company has been listed in Working Woman Magazine’s 500 Largest Women-Owned Businesses in the United States, Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest-Growing Companies in America (twice), as well as The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s list of Largest Woman-Owned, Top 25 Women Owned, Fastest-Growing Private and Most Productive Businesses in Minnesota. In 2014, the company received the Minnesota Business Ethics Award. Doherty is also a certified Women’s Business Enterprise and also has obtained Workers’ Compensation Risk Certification.

When she’s not working, Valerie enjoys family activities and playing tennis.

Tim Doherty is Owner, Founder and Chairman of Doherty | The Employment Experts, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Tim started Doherty Staffing Solutions in 1980 and then founded the HRO (Human Resource Outsourcing) division, Doherty Employer Services, in 1993. At that time, Doherty Employer Services was Minnesota’s first and only HRO.

Tim served on the executive board and is past president of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO). In addition, he received NAPEO’s highest honor, the Michaeline Doyle award, recognizing his contributions to the industry. Tim also served on the board of directors and is past president of the American Staffing Association (ASA), receiving their highest accolade, the Leadership Hall of Fame Award, in honor of his years of dedication to the employment field. He is also a past president and board member of Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC). In addition, Inc. magazine has twice recognized Doherty Staffing as one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the nation. Along with his wife, Valerie, Tim was awarded the 2008 University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.

William (Billy) Doherty, who previously held multiple prior positions within the group of woman-owned companies, including General Counsel and Executive Vice President, has 15+ years of experience in the workforce solutions and employment services sector. In his current role as President, Billy focuses on strategic oversight of the company’s staffing divisions in all geographic areas, leads the executive teams and implements the organization’s vision, mission and overall direction.

Billy holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Denver and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, golfing and grilling/smoking on his Big Green Egg.

Lisa Koll has been employed with Doherty since 1992. During her tenure, Lisa has had extensive staffing and recruiting experience with businesses representing a wide variety of industries. Prior to employment at Doherty, Lisa garnered additional experience with NCR Corporation. In addition to managing Doherty’s Northern Minnesota territory which includes six offices and ten onsite client locations, she also leads the charge for business development, management, and retention of Doherty’s key business partners.

Lisa achieved a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from the St Cloud State University and continues to enhance her industry-related skills and relationships via involvement with the American Staffing Association, Minnesota Recruiting and Staffing Association, Society of Human Resource Management, Central Minnesota Manufacturing Association, Midwest Contact Center Association, Central Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Council and St Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

As Vice President at Doherty, Lisa is responsible for the growth and operations of the Minneapolis Metro and Wisconsin regions. Her tenure with Doherty began in September of 1997, and she has been in the staffing and recruiting industry since 1995. During this time, Lisa has had progressive staffing and recruiting experiences with businesses representing a wide variety of industries. Her key areas of expertise include staffing, recruiting, implementation, and client management/retention. In her current role, Lisa creates and implements successful sales plans to meet and exceed goals each quarter. In addition, she leads, designs, and delivers customized employment solutions for high volume clients and national accounts.

With a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Minnesota, Lisa continues to enhance her skills via involvement with the American Staffing Association and Woman Owned Business Enterprise organizations. Additionally, she serves as President of the Minnesota Recruiting & Staffing Association, where she has been an active member for many years. Lisa also brings a wealth of hands-on industry experience and top notch management skills to her role at Doherty.

As Vice President at Doherty, Charlie is responsible for the growth and operations of the Southern Minnesota and Iowa regions. He joined the Doherty team in June of 2020 and has been in the staffing and recruiting industry since 2000. During this time, Charlie has had progressive staffing and recruiting experiences with businesses representing a wide variety of industries. His key areas of expertise include staffing, recruiting, implementation, and client management/retention. In his current role, Charlie creates and implements successful sales plans to meet and exceed quarterly and annual goals. In addition, he leads, designs, and delivers customized employment solutions for high-volume clients and national accounts.

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and management experience from past positions, Charlie brings a wealth of hands-on industry experience and top-notch management skills to his role at Doherty.

Ben Krakow has been in the financial management arena since 1999 with experience in both medium and large companies. Ben started with Doherty in 2020 and, as a key member of the Executive Management team, plays a strategic role in the overall management of the Doherty companies.

In his role with Doherty, Ben utilizes his 20+ years of experience in the financial sector to lead the development of malleable financial models for forecasting, business case analyses, as well as merger and acquisition strategies.

Ben holds a master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. He and his wife, Angela, live in Bloomington, Minnesota with their five children.

As the Director of Operations for Doherty, Sarah utilizes her nearly two decades of experience in human resources, recruiting, compliance, and management to advance and improve the company’s corporate operations strategies and technology solutions for all divisions.

A multifaceted operations professional with a strong compliance management, employee coaching/development, and staffing/recruiting services background, Sarah utilizes her wide skill set to act as a dynamic centralized solutions advocate for Doherty and all its divisions.

Sarah earned her Bachelor of Art’s degree in Marketing at Metropolitan State University (St. Paul, MN) and her Master of Art’s degree in Management from the College of St. Scholastica (Duluth, MN).

An enthusiastic learner, Sarah is always interested in continuing to enhance her existing knowledge base of human resources and management-related expertise by discovering new approaches and technologies to enhance operations for the staffing/recruiting arena.

As the Vice President of Marketing for Doherty | The Employment Experts, Amy utilizes her 20+ years of experience in advertising strategy and creative coordination to enhance the company’s corporate branding strategy and internal strategic planning efforts for all divisions.

A multifaceted marketing professional with traditional media, digital/social media and graphic design experience, Amy utilizes her wide skill set to act as a flexible, dynamic solution advocate for Doherty and all its divisions.

Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication studies, with a Visual Communication emphasis and Art minor at the University of South Dakota (Vermillion, SD).

An enthusiastic learner, Amy is always interested in continuing to enhance her existing knowledge base of marketing-related expertise and learn about the next up-and-coming strategy in the advertising arena.

Tad Schoeppner joined Doherty in 2006 and is currently focused on managing an experienced business development team which partners with businesses in the Northern Minnesota area to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD where he studied Mass Communication, Tad utilizes his education and background experience in Sales Management to share expertise with hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Tad directly at 218-454-4473, Ext. 4823 or tschoeppner@doherty.com. 

Alyson Moss joined Doherty in 2021 and is currently focused on partnering with businesses located within the East side of the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area and Western Wisconsin to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from University of Wisconsin-River Falls where she studied Psychology and the University of Minnesota where she studied nursing, Alyson utilizes her education expertise and background experience in financial services to find workforce solutions for hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Alyson directly at 952-832-8384 or amoss@doherty.com

Bethany Kennedy joined Doherty in October of 2019; she takes pride in working collaboratively with her clients to find the best customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN, Bethany, utilizing her extensive hospitality background and degree in Psychology, provides talent acquisition expertise to hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. Bethany’s strategic and collaborative approach drives her to find solutions that work for individuals, teams, departments, and organizations.

Bethany believes talent acquisition shouldn’t be difficult, tedious, or tiresome. It’s her job to make it as smooth and straightforward as possible. If you are interested in chatting with Bethany about your employment needs, connect with her directly!

Chris Laughlin joined Doherty in 2017 and is currently focused on partnering with businesses in the Southern Minnesota area to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI where he studied Professional Golf Management, Chris utilizes his education and background experience in Corporate Administration to share expertise with hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. As part of the Southern Minnesota community, he is an active member of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and enjoys making a difference in his volunteer work for them. If you have employment needs, contact Chris directly!

Deb Waldvogel joined Doherty in 2011 and is currently focused on partnering with businesses in the Northern Minnesota area to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. Deb utilizes her years of business development experience to share expertise with hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Deb directly!

Jacob Johnson joined Doherty in 2015 and is currently focused on partnering with businesses in the Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota areas to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from University of North Dakota in Grand Forks where he studied Business and Political Science, Jacob utilizes his education and background experience in Human Resources to share expertise with hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Jacob directly!

Jordan Peterson joined Doherty in February of 2018 and is currently focused on developing professional connections to provide businesses in the St. Paul area with customized, innovative workforce solutions. A top graduate from Winona State University in Winona, MN, Jordan utilizes his extensive educational background and prior business consulting experience to provide talent acquisition expertise to hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Jordan directly!

Keenan joined the Doherty Team in 2021. He is passionate about making a difference for both our clients and candidates in Southern Minnesota. He believes a successful business starts with hiring well-rounded, qualified candidates who are ready to make an impact for their new employer. The most rewarding aspect of being a Business Development Manager for Keenan is building long-lasting relationships with his clients. After attaining a marketing degree from Minnesota State University Mankato, he moved into a B2B sales position where he was able to serve the Southern Minnesota and Iowa markets for the past two years. Keenan has experience working with business owners, HR directors, and production supervisors, helping them overcome their business challenges. Outside of the office, Keenan enjoys watching & participating in sports, playing with his golden retriever, Lucky, and spending time on the lake. If you have employment needs, contact Keenan directly!

Leah Pudlick joined Doherty in January of 2012 and is currently focused on partnering with businesses in the St. Cloud area to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN where she studied Communication, Leah utilizes her education and background experience in Customer Service to share expertise with hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Leah directly!

Megan Imholte joined Doherty in 2017 and is currently focused on partnering with businesses in the St. Cloud area to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud where she studied Marketing, Megan utilizes her education and background experience in Marketing Management to share expertise with hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Megan directly!

Eric Lewandowski joined Doherty in 2023 and is currently focused on partnering with businesses located within the Southwest area of the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul metro to provide customized, innovative workforce solutions. A graduate from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he studied Business Administration, Eric utilizes his educational expertise and background experience in business services to find workforce solutions for hiring managers and operational leaders in a variety of industries. If you have employment needs, contact Eric directly at 952-832-8343 or elewandowski@doherty.com.