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. Catherine Jewel has joined us as the SWATs Program Manager (Search With A Team).
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.
Catherine Jewell
SWATs Program Manager
(Search With A Team)
Catherine Jewell is a Career Coach and career transformation partner. She's on a mission to help successful mid-level professionals soar to new heights, earning 30-50% more in their very next job. With over 25 years of experience in advertising, marketing, and career coaching, Catherine knows just what it takes to tackle the job market like a pro.
Catherine helps her clients craft the perfect resume and LinkedIn Profile that cause recruiters to call. She believes that getting a new job is like marketing a product, and she’s an expert at creating the right messages to get interviews and land jobs.
Catherine's no stranger to success. She's already helped more than 3,000 adults make fulfilling career changes and earn more in the process. As a professional speaker, trainer, and Career Coach, she knows the ins and outs of the job landscape. And, she's the author of three career-changing books, including "New Resume New Career," a one-of-a-kind book packed with 50 real-life stories of Career Change triumphs.
As the Career Passion® Coach and a certified Professional Career Manager (PCM), Catherine's got the know-how to guide job seekers on the path to success. Her passion for helping others find their true calling sparked at the age of 41 during a business presentation, and she's been unstoppable ever since.
An experienced volunteer, Catherine Jewell is ready to help with programming, training and events to build the services and reach of Launchpad Job Club.