Susan Isebrand

Sue Miller

As Director of Finance and Adminstration for our agency, Sue tackles all of our back-office operations, payroll and accounting functions, employee administration, and vendor management. She is the master of operations, managing complicated details and varying interests with ease.

Before joining Advent, Sue worked for more than 20 years in various accounting and service roles, including 16 years as an Office Manager and Sales Producer in the insurance industry. Sue is a caring and tenacious professional, and her favorite part of her role is managing many high-priority projects at once.

When Sue isn’t working, you will most often find her spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys vintage shopping and antiquing, loves creating and designing home projects and traveling. Sue has two children and two grandchildren, one of whom she visits in Hawaii as often as possible.

Katy Smith

Katy Smith is the Division Director for our creative, marketing and digital division, Advent Creative Group. Prior to working for Advent Creative, Katy led staffing and recruitment solutions for big box retailers, as well as locally-owned businesses in the fashion industry.

Katy measures her success by the success of her clients and talent, ensuring complimentary matches of both culture and skills to elevate overarching business goals. Her favorite part of her role is being able to positively impact someone’s life every day.

Katy is wildly passionate about helping others professionally and personally. As co-founder of a jewelry line called Painted Clasp, she designs and donates inspirational jewelry to individuals undergoing cancer treatment at local hospitals. Katy loves spending time with her family, including her husband, their two small children, and their pups, GiGi and Toby.

Josie Thuma

Josie Thuma is a Digital Recruiting Assistant with experience in recruiting, talent management, and social media. In her role, Josie is responsible for sourcing talent for clients and managing the talent application process. She most enjoys meeting new people and making meaningful connections every day.

Josie grew up in Edina, MN (a true cake-eater!) and went to school at Denison University in Ohio, where she studied history and education. She enjoys spending time with her family (and her dog), traveling to visit friends, and a good superhero movie. She does not enjoy jogging, swimming in the ocean, or seeing the Minnesota Wild lose!

Kim Tsoukalas

Kimberly Tsoukalas is the business development manager for Advent Talent Group. She brings more than 25 years of management, business development and staffing experience to her role.

Kim is an award-winning professional, with an electric personality and a genuine passion for service excellence. Her favorite part of her job is developing and maintaining relationships with candidates and clients.

When Kim is not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and her sweet Yorkie, Rosy. Kim has a passion for entertaining others as a talented singer and performer, including countless appearances as “Klondike Kate” since being crowned for the Saint Paul Winter Carnival in 2003. Kim loves to travel and is an active volunteer with several organizations. One day, she and her husband plan to retire to the breathtaking Ionian Islands in Greece, where they have family and land.

Michelle O’Kelley

As the Director of Operations for Advent Group, Michelle personally ensures the consistent delivery of service excellence to our clients and employees. With more than 25 years of staffing and recruiting experience, Michelle has a large and loyal following and regularly receives glowing testimonials about her sincerity and dedication.

Michelle has successfully connected thousands of talented individuals with excellent employment opportunities in the Twin Cities, and her favorite part of her role is helping her candidates meet their full potential.

Michelle is an active volunteer, donating her time and resources to Vision Loss Resources (VLR), American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), as well as operating as Business Council Partner with RESOURCE.

Michelle lives in south Minneapolis with her Irish rocker husband and canine kid Stella. When she is not at work, she can usually be found creating a variety of culinary delights or hitting the local bike trails with her family.

Mary Younggren

Mary Younggren is the owner and principal of The Advent Group Inc., an independent staffing agency with three divisions – Advent Office, Advent Creative and Advent HR. As owner, Mary oversees client development, trains and supports internal staff, and ensures the continued satisfaction of clients and employees.

Mary is a Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) with more than 30 years of staffing industry experience, and extensive board leadership and service. Mary has served on the Alumnae Board for the Girl Scouts of MN and Wisconsin River Valleys, responsible for Philanthropy. She is an active member of the Women Presidents Organization in Minneapolis, the Edina Rotary, and the MN Staffing & Recruiting Association, where she also served on the board.

Mary is widely recognized as an expert in her field and regularly consults with local organizations to provide vision, analysis, and innovative recommendations regarding staffing and recruiting, strategic human capital management, and talent acquisition. She has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including Star Tribune, The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, FOX9 Morning News, Minnesota Monthly magazine and Encourage Her Network magazine.

Whether climbing the highest cliff in Norway, or traveling to Haiti to provide aid, Mary isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. She is active in the community as a dedicated volunteer and philanthropist. Mary has been a semi-finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the recipient of the City of Edina’s Volunteer of the Year Award (twice), Edina Rotary’s Service Above Self and Volunteer of the Year awards, Rotarian of the Year Award, the Heart of the Event award by Minnesota Monthly magazine and Crave restaurants, and numerous American Staffing Association awards.