Enriching the lives of others through recruiting is Anne McDonald’s passion, and the driving force behind her successful career and business.
An avid traveler visiting over 23 countries, Anne spent her college summers exploring the globe, from Montana to Germany to New Zealand to Nepal, before beginning her professional career. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Arts in Western American History, Anne continued to pursue her interest in new adventures and moved to Anchorage, Alaska. While in Anchorage, Anne worked for Princess Cruises and Tours for five years in various roles including Port Operations Manager and Recruiter. Returning to her native Oregon, Anne stayed in the field of hospitality working for Sunriver Resort as their Executive Destination Manager and later for Seventh Mountain Resort, most recently as their Director of Conference Services.
Recruiting soon called her back, and with her innate ability to find the right match between candidates and clients, Anne spent the next year and a half perfecting her skills at Robert, William, James and Associates, where she ranked as the second-highest producing recruiter in the country in Q2 of 2002.
Anne continued her career in recruiting at Rebound Physical Therapy where she worked as their Recruiter and Human Resource Manager. In just one year, Anne successfully placed over 50 employees at various clinics and offices throughout Central Oregon.
Finding great success in recruiting alone, Anne opened her own firm in 2007. Since then, the McDonald Group has placed over 50 candidates, and has grown to include two additional recruiters and one office manager.
Anne’s commitment to the community goes beyond her job as a recruiter and a Central Oregon business owner; Anne is on the Board of Directors for Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), a member of the events committee for Opportunity Knocks, a contributor to Soles4Souls, and a co-founder of Empty Bowls. Anne enjoys living in Bend with her family and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Macee. When she’s not at the office or traveling the world, you can find Anne running, skiing, hiking, or rafting.
Spencer Newell discovered Bend, OR during summer training with his college cross country ski team. After graduating from St. Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Spencer took his understanding of the human psyche and began a successful career in sales.
Spencer started at Seventh Mountain Resort, working in banquets and group sales, which is where he and Anne first worked together. After two and half years, he was recruited to Eagle Crest Resort to be the Director of Group Sales. Spencer continued to hone his sales skills and shifted his focus into real estate, working for Brasada Ranch.
His east coast roots pulled him back for a brief while but Spencer soon found himself back in Central Oregon, where he reconnected with Anne, who had been successfully running the McDonald Group for just over a year. The timing was perfect as Anne was just looking to expand and brought Spencer on as a recruiter.
The move into recruiting has been a smooth and rewarding transition, as both his psychology and sales background have provided a terrific base for building great relationships with clients and candidates. Spencer thrives on the impact he can make and the life change that can be created by making a successful match between a candidate and an employer.
Spencer is an outgoing professional that firmly believes in the work hard/play harder balance of life. An avid cyclist and co-founder of the Therapeutic Associates Inc. Cycling team, Spencer has helped the team grow from a local club team to one of the top competitive teams in the Pacific Northwest over a span of just six years. Along with his passion for cycling, Spencer is also involved in his local community and sits on the membership committee for EDCO.
As office manager at the McDonald Group, Kara Johnson is effective at keeping the business organized and running smoothly.
Kara has over 12 years of experience in program management, project coordination, and client service. She began her career in Boise, Idaho at the Treasure Valley YMCA, where she served as the Child Care Director and the Child Development Accounting Director. She then moved on to accept the role of Scholarship Counselor for the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children. In her role at the Treasure Valley YMCA, Kara had a tremendous impact on the children and families in her community. She awarded financial assistance scholarships to aid families with child care expenses, helped create the “Kids of Character” curriculum for school-age programs, and served on the YMCA’s Strong Kids Campaign as a staff liaison.
Since moving to Bend in 2007, Kara has worked as office manager and coordinator for Greystone Consumer Empowerment Systems and PREP Profile Systems, Inc.
Kara graduated from the College of Idaho, with a Bachelors of Science degree with an emphasis in Education and Biology. She loves what she does and enjoys supporting the recruiters and clients at the McDonald Group. Outside the office, Kara spends time with her husband and three year-old son camping, hiking, fishing, mountain biking, and traveling.
Abi Gray derives deep pleasure and professional satisfaction from building strong relationships with her clients and helping them achieve their goals. Determined and thoughtful in her own life, Abi has found recruiting to be a perfect fit. Her ability to connect with people and find common ground has driven her success.
Abi graduated from the University of Puget Sound, where she received both the Puget Sound Dean’s Scholarship and the Florence Ruth Art Scholarship. She attained Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business and Studio Arts. While in school, she was the VP of Marketing for the Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity. Through her efforts, average yearly membership increased 30% during her tenure.
After graduating from college, Abi moved to Bend and worked as the Compliance Coordinator for Rebound Physical Therapy. Her penchant for travel then took her to Australia for three months, where she thoroughly explored the east coast, enjoying a five week stay at a yoga retreat in Byron Bay. Upon her return to the U.S., Abi moved to San Diego, where she was an Enrollment Advisor at the University of San Diego, providing assistance to up to 400 students. The opportunity to return to Bend came up and Abi jumped at the chance. She is thrilled to be back and is excited to be a part of the team at McDonald Group.
Abi still makes time in her life for art by painting and refinishing furniture. When not at the office or in her studio, Abi enjoys many outdoor activities including running, cycling, hiking and camping. She also practices yoga and loves to cook.
By placing an emphasis on matching candidates and clients,
McDonald Group builds a strong community through business partnerships bringing companies and candidates the best results.
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