Our Leadership Team

Mark Douglass

Mark joined Equus in 2014 and contributed across regional and national leadership before becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2023. As a leader, Mark’s focus is to foster a business environment that enables more than 3,500 team members to change lives and better communities.

Prior to joining Equus, Mark served as Chief Operating Officer at WorkNet Pinellas and Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance in Florida. Before that, he served as President of Dynamic Educational Systems in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mark also served in the US Coast Guard and is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tampa John H. Sykes College of Business.

Debra L. Giordano

Debra joined Equus Workforce Solutions in 2005 and currently serves as Vice President, Service Delivery, and as a member of Equus Workforce Solutions’ Board of Managers. Debra leads a team of national workforce subject matter experts and internal consultants supporting Job Corps Centers, Career Centers, and Disability to Work operations. Additionally, Debra supports the company’s strategic priorities of leadership, collaboration, innovation, and performance and is actively engaged
in business development.

Prior to joining Equus Workforce Solutions, Debra served as the founding Executive Director of a central New York workforce development board where she worked collaboratively and innovatively to align workforce development with economic development, education, and community development, resulting in the state’s first certified comprehensive career center.

In 2004, Debra was selected for a five-week Rotary International Group Study Exchange to West Africa to study workforce and economic development in developing countries. This was a transformational experience personally and professionally that resulted in Debra being recognized with a Paul Harris Fellow Award. Debra is a frequent speaker/workshop presenter at various industry conferences and a member of several professional organizations. In 2018, Debra was awarded an international Silver Stevie Award for Women in Business as Female Executive of the Year (Consumer Services, 2500+ Employees).

Rudy R. Racine

Rudy R. Racine is Vice President of Operations for Equus Workforce Solutions, where he leads one of New York City’s largest vocational rehabilitation programs and workforce programs throughout the northeast. Under his leadership, Rudy’s team works to address the needs of cash assistance clients who are dealing with medical and/or mental health barriers to employment by providing customized assistance and services to empower them to achieve their highest levels of self-sufficiency.

Previously, Rudy served as a Regional Recruiter responsible for hiring for Enterprise Rent-A-Car in the New York City Metro Area. He also served as the Director of Career Services for DeVry College of New York and held a similar role at Mount Washington College in southern New Hampshire.

In addition, Rudy is the CEO of HireLearners, a professional career and leadership company that provides consulting services to organizations looking to develop high-potential leaders. He is passionate about working with people and helping them achieve their full potential.

Rudy holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Hofstra University.

L. Bradley Williams

Bradley is a visionary executive leader with over 15 years of administrative experience in the workforce development space. In his role as Chief Customer Officer and Vice President of Operations, he leads multi-state teams and manages a diverse portfolio of programs and services that yield excellent customer relationships.

Bradley is known for producing a broad range of results that include increased sales, performance attainment, market penetration, community impact, and outstanding customer experience. As a catalyst for positive change, Bradley provides leadership that impacts our company culture, mission, and vision. He strives for excellence and quality in a highly competitive environment where customer experience, community impact, performance attainment, and budget delivery are top priorities.

Bradley resides in New York City and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Northeastern State University.

Patricia Lankford

A proven and dynamic leader, Patricia has over 20 years of success in business and operations management, financial oversight and relationship building. She is a dedicated, results-driven, master-level development expert.

Since 2002, Patricia has been recognized for providing Job Corps leadership in a variety of roles, including Center Director, Financial and Administration Director, Finance Manager, and now Vice President of Operations.

Patricia holds a Master of Science degree in Public Service Administration from the University of Evansville as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Mid-Continent College.

Lisa Boyd

With more than 20 years in the workforce industry, Lisa’s background includes experience in the non-profit, government, and for-profit sectors across multiple states. She joined Equus in 2015 as a Project Director for Wisconsin Works and has served as the Regional Director for projects in Texas and North Carolina that include One-Stop, WIOA, Youth, NCP, SNAP, TANF, and Child Care programs.

Lisa has brought new opportunities to the organization that has enhanced our existing services. She is committed to our LEGACY values, building effective, high functioning teams, and providing a quality customer experience that creates opportunities and improves the lives of the individuals and families that we serve.

Nicole Ganier

Nicole has over 25 years of talent management experience and has held executive-level leadership positions with national responsibility for sales and operations and is considered to be a thought leader regarding diversity and inclusion.

Throughout her career, she has managed high-performing teams that have delivered best-in-class workforce solutions through a seamless, integrated approach. Her portfolio of clientele includes well-known Fortune 100 brands Bank of America, CitiGroup, Johnson & Johnson, and the Walt Disney Company.

Nicole attended California State University, Los Angeles, and studied sociology at the Universidad de Sevilla in Seville, Spain.

Victor Ponder

A veteran of both financial and operational workforce development management, Victor brings over 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, including successfully managing Equus Workforce Solutions programs in multiple locations. In his current role as Director of Operations Finance, Victor delivers excellent results through close working relationships with operational teams to ensure financial and contractual obligations are met.

Additionally, Victor has considerable international management experience, as he was previously the Managing Director of People Service, a placement and skills organization located in the United Kingdom.

Through his vision and leadership, Victor has encouraged and motivated our management staff to excel. He is a subject matter expert in both TANF and accounting of federal and state program funding. He has established highly successful programs within the business community, local non-profits, and Chambers of Commerce, which are essential to increasing the effectiveness of local workforce development programs.

Victor holds a Master of Science degree in Public Accounting from Harding University.

Robert Knight

Robert is a leading expert on workforce development, welfare-to-work and youth employment policy and programs with over 30 years of direct experience. An accomplished researcher and author of legislation and public policy, he is a motivating speaker and an experienced trainer of both workforce staff and policy boards.

Robert has served as a Professional Staff Member of the United States Senate Subcommittee on Employment, Poverty, and Migratory Labor. He has also served as the President and CEO of the National Association of Workforce Development Boards.

Robert did his graduate work in American Studies at the University of Minnesota and in Urban Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.