Patti T. Mayer
President & Chief Operating Officer
(972) 234-6811

Patti joined AGResearch in 2003 as Financial Director, assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in July 2007 and the role of President in September 2010. 

Prior to entering her role with AGResearch, Patti managed both the IT, financial and administrative aspects of the EDS Executive Stock Plan, writing and upgrading internal programs, as well as running vestings, paying dividends and initiating stock transfers.  Patti also served as liaison with brokers, transfer agents, payroll and tax departments, both domestically and internationally as the Plan expanded from 200 to 10,000 participants.  Prior to her tenure with EDS, Patti‘s financial background earned her accounting/management positions with Wells Fargo Business Credit and ITT Financial Services.  She brings her unique background to AGResearch, lending us her solid insight and experience. 

Patti, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, resides in Richardson, Texas along with her husband of 40+ years and their beloved Shih Tzu’s. A longtime member of the WBCS, Patti spends her free time playing golf at a local golf club or Skypeing with her grandson.

Alissa B. Hawkins
Vice President Operations, Director Research Services
(770) 974-3598

Alissa joined AGResearch in 2003 bringing over a decade of executive level research experience and management to our Team. The Research Team consists of seasoned researchers with over 80-years combined experience. Using valuable resources and cold calling techniques, Alissa and her Team have served over 1,000 research projects since inception of the firm. In addition to managing the Research Team, Alissa provides daily consultative ideas and solutions to AGR’s clients. The value-add of working with a generalist firm allows Alissa to bring industry specific knowledge to the each project served. In September, 2010, Alissa was promoted to Vice President Operations, and will retain her current responsibilities as Director of Research Services.

Prior to joining AGResearch, Alissa held the position of Director of Research at two retained search firms and formerly managed her own research firm. Alissa participates in local research organizations and is a member of many national associations. Her experience includes, but is not limited to: Big 4, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals/Bio Science, Technology, Manufacturing, Construction Materials, Retail, Telecom, Non-Profit, Higher Education and Consumer Products.

Alissa resides in the northwest suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia with her two sons and is a participating member of the Georgia Women’s Business Council (GWBC).

Larry Proffitt
Director, Candidate Development
(804) 556-4845

Larry Proffitt is currently the Director of Candidate Development for AGResearch.  Larry brings over a decade of experience in the recruiting and human resources industry and has worked within Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Technology, Financial, Insurance, Defense/DOD, Retail, Oil & Gas, Energy, Construction and Logistics/Transportation industries to name a few.  While communicating with Management to C-Level executives, he has aided them in their search for a variety of positions from Individual Contributor to Executive level.  Larry’s and his Team’s success in sourcing candidates comes from solid networking skills, research, cold-calling, and web/internet search engines.  Larry brings a solid recruiting instinct and works effectively under pressure while maintaining a positive relationship with candidates, clients and co-workers alike.  He has a Bachelor of Science is Business Administration from Old Dominion University and his major was Human Resource Management.

Larry resides in historic Richmond, Virginia with his wife, son, daughter and plethora of pets. He enjoys playing guitar, softball and is a Marathoner.

Ruth-Dinaz Sarkari
Manager, Strategic Sourcing
(469) 443-7984

Ruth was recruited to AGResearch in August 2007 as Manager of our Sourcing Group. She brings ten years of advanced internet sourcing, Boolean String syntax and research expertise with a combination of metrics, benchmarking and establishing best practices. Her range of data mining expertise covers multiple industries and job functions. Her talent sourcing skills are enhanced by an AIRS training. She also spearheads database intitiatives and manages negotiates all research/online resources for AGResearch.

Previously, Ruth was a Senior Associate with DHR International handling full life cycle recruiting. Prior to DHR, Ruth was a Senior Business Associate / Head of Research and Candidate Development with Hyle Human Capital Partners where her focus was the development and implementation of search strategy and the early identification of potential candidates using passive mining techniques on the Internet and other search engine software. Ruth has worked as a Lead Project Analyst (Internet Researcher) for eResourcing, Mid-Level Search & Selection Division of TMP Worldwide.

Ruth-Dinaz Sarkari has an MBA (Operations Management and Marketing) from the Kania School of Management at the University of Scranton, PA, and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree with a concentration in Life Sciences and Chemistry from the University of Bombay, India. 

Ruth makes her home in a northeast suburb of Dallas, TX with her husband and twins, spending her spare time chasing her young children while feeding hamsters & fish, juggling extra curricular activities and handling a steady stream of house guests.

D. Cheree' Harrell-Steward
IT/Systems Coordinator
(940) 783-5811

Cheree’ Harrell-Steward leads the AGResearch IT department and, with her diverse knowledge of systems and applications, provides AGResearch superior support for 20+ local and remote users. She effectively manages AGR’s IT needs during transition phases, including installing effective information systems, establishing protocols for service requests, documentation of peripherals/equipment, implementing structured firm-wide computer/system audits, providing training and support on multiple software programs, and troubleshooting computer/server software and hardware errors and operations. With a strong knowledge of hardware and software, Cheree’ is responsible for IT purchases and implementation. She has experience in all aspects of systems administration, as well as integrated support and services.

Previously Cheree’ worked for IBM, providing vendor support for Wal-Mart, diagnosing software and hardware problems for their U.S. and U.K. (ASDA) RISC 6000 pharmacy servers. Her experience as a team lead in handling critical situations and down servers, working directly with Wal-Mart support and on-site IBM technicians, and training other support team associates provided her with the foundation for success. Her comprehensive knowledge and ability to work effectively and build confidence makes her an invaluable asset to AGR.

Cheree’s leisure pursuits include reading, love of the outdoors, traveling and hanging out with family and friends. She resides in Sherman, Texas with her husband, daughter and Great Dane.