Claire Kittle Dixon, Executive Director
Claire runs the day-to-day operations of Talent Market, manages searches for clients, and oversees the organization’s fundraising communications, technology, administration, and cat-herding efforts.
Claire’s career has focused almost exclusively on talent development. She operated her own headhunting firm in the private sector before realizing she didn’t want to build a life around “making widgets.” Seeking a more meaningful line of work, she took her skills and transitioned into a career in the free-market nonprofit movement.
She joined the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation where she served as the Program Officer for Leadership and Talent Development. While at Koch, Claire managed the hiring process for the Foundation and launched and managed two talent programs – the Koch Associate Program and the Koch Internship Program.
Before launching Talent Market, Claire served as the Vice President and Director of Research of the Buckeye Institute, Ohio’s free-market think tank.
Claire serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Public Choice & Market Process and on the Board of Advisors for Tax Foundation.
Claire earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University. After spending years in our nation’s capital, Claire decided to stop and smell the roses in Charleston, South Carolina.
Katy Gambella, Director of Outreach
Katy oversees Talent Market’s outreach to young professionals and manages the outreach team. She also manages searches and executes outreach directly herself.
Katy began her career at the Institute for Humane Studies and later joined the Cato Institute. Starting at Cato as a Research Assistant, Katy quickly realized her comparative advantage (and preference!) is to work with people.
During her participation in the Koch Associate Program, she moved into her role in Student Programs, where she spent nearly four years recruiting, hiring, and supervising more than 300 interns.
Katy is a Midwesterner at heart, but is now an adopted Southerner. She was raised in Michigan, where her family still lives, and studied Economics at Hillsdale College. After graduation, she spent seven years in Washington, DC. She has settled down in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband Bobby and their daughters. When not at work, Katy enjoys running, tasting beer, and running to breweries to taste beer. She plans to pass both of these loves along to her daughters (at the proper age, of course).
Stephanie Keaveney, Senior Manager of Outreach
Stephanie splits her time between managing talent searches for free-market nonprofits, maintaining Talent Market’s social media presence, and engaging in outreach to young professionals interested in liberty-oriented careers.
Stephanie’s career started at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal where she researched and wrote about higher education policy. While there, Stephanie participated in the Koch Associate Program.
After realizing she was not destined for a policy career, Stephanie joined the Charles Koch Institute where she served in a variety of engagement and talent development roles, most recently managing relationships with the Institute’s over 4,500 educational program alumni.
Stephanie is from a small town outside of Eugene, Oregon, and studied political science at Southern Oregon University. She currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her partner, Promise, and two one-eyed cats, Dash and Lady.
Bailey Drouant, Project Manager
Bailey assists free-market nonprofits with their hiring needs by helping them manage the search process from start to finish. Bailey’s passion for the policy realm and mentorship of others began at Louisiana State University where she was heavily involved in her community as both a conservative activist and as a resident assistant.
After graduation, her path led her to Washington, DC where she spent several years as the Operations Manager and Internship Coordinator at Americans for Tax Reform. She became a jack-of-all trades as she worked in intern management, operations, and event planning. Over the course of her time with ATR she was responsible for the hiring, training, and management of over 100 interns who have since grown to establish themselves within the field.
A native Georgian, Bailey is now enjoying the sunshine of Pensacola, Florida, with her cat, Belle, and dog, Greystoke. Beyond her professional work and experience, she is an avid fan of all things Star Wars and Disney, and can usually be found playing video games or watching Law and Order: SVU.
Savannah Rupp, Project Manager
Savannah channels her expertise to manage searches for free-market nonprofits, ensuring they find the perfect match to drive their missions forward. She also supports Talent Market’s outreach efforts by connecting with liberty-minded students and young professionals.
Kicking off her career journey at State Farm, Savannah helped hire, onboard, and train new staff before realizing insurance was not her jam. Seeking more meaningful work, she joined the team at the Institute for Justice. While at IJ, Savannah assisted in finding top talent by managing IJ’s non-attorney hiring at all levels. Her dedication to finding the best and brightest extended beyond mere hiring, as she cultivated relationships with liberty-minded individuals and imparted recruitment strategies to colleagues, fostering a culture of continuous growth and development.
Savannah was raised in a suburb outside of Baltimore, Maryland but spent most of her professional career in northern Virginia after studying psychology at Liberty University. She currently lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she enjoys embracing the laid-back lifestyle and sunny beaches. Outside of work, Savannah can be found exploring new recipes from Pinterest and TikTok and indulging in her love for romance novels (she’s a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers trope)!
