Our Staff
We have three dedicated Staff Members at Launch Pad Job Club. Kathy Lansford is our Club Leader. Shannon Mantrom is our Executive Director and is the Program Manager for our Leap to Success Program. Charles Black has recently joined us as the Co-Leader for Launch Pad Job Club.
Kathy Lansford
Club Leader
Award-winning trainer, skilled in design and presentation of seminars and workshops that have helped thousands of job seekers secure excellent career opportunities. Kathy is the founder and facilitator of Launch Pad Job Club leading the weekly meeting and its satellite classes.
Shannon Mantrom
Executive Director &
Leap to Success Program Manager
Shannon Mantrom is Executive Director of Launch Pad and Program Manager for the club’s signature program, Leap To Success. The Leap to Success program offers pro bono, professional projects assistance to Austin and Central Texas nonprofit organizations. Since its founding in 2012, Leap to Success has delivered over 115 projects to more than 100 nonprofits totaling over $500K in services. The program won the “2013 Nonprofit Advocate” award from PeopleFund and in 2017 won the “Nonprofit of the Year” award by the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Shannon’s background is 20 years in sales and event coordination (with time off to raise two amazing daughters!) and she has been with the job club since 2012, first as a member, then as Program Manager for the Leap to Success program, and then finally being named the club’s first executive director in 2020. When not heeding the clarion call of the club, she enjoys trying to be a green thumb in her backyard flower garden and escaping Texas summer heat by heading to her family’s cabin in Colorado.
Charles Black
Co-Leader
Charles possesses 25+ years of executive, technical, and professional sourcing and recruiting experience and has worked for Dell, Silicon Labs, Advanced Micro Devices, National Instruments, and others. He has mentored and managed recruiters in the most competitive markets and has been retained for extended engagements with large national consulting firms such as Perot Systems, Price Waterhouse, KPMG Peat Marwick, and Keane Inc. Charles has traveled both nationally and internationally to facilitate recruiting engagements and has provided consulting and recruiter training services for agencies and Fortune 500 corporations.