Chalker Group Leaders Share How They Attract Top Talent to Birmingham

RCB President Jeff Stone and Rotarians Barbara Burton, Jen Dent, Walton Foster

This week, the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) welcomed Rotarian Barbara Burton, Founder of Chalker Group, along with Rotarians Jen Dent and Walton Foster, Co-Owners and Presidents of Chalker Group, for a panel presentation entitled “Recruiting to Birmingham.” The discussion highlighted how the specialized recruiting firm partners with organizations such as UAB to recruit top talent by connecting candidates and their families with the people, resources, schools, neighborhoods, and community networks that help them envision a life in Birmingham.

Dent and Foster shared Chalker Group’s personalized approach to recruiting, which focuses on helping candidates evaluate not only career opportunities but also quality of life for their families. The panel also featured Dr. Thomas Chi, Chair of UAB’s Department of Urology, and his wife, Judith, who relocated from San Francisco to Birmingham. They discussed how the city’s sense of community, hospitality, educational opportunities, and collaborative spirit influenced their decision to choose Birmingham. The conversation underscored the role that talent recruitment plays in Birmingham’s economic growth and how community involvement helps attract and retain leaders from across the country and around the world.

About Jen Dent & Walton Foster

A Birmingham native, Jen Dent developed a deeper appreciation for her hometown after living abroad in Argentina on a Rotary scholarship and later in Los Angeles, where she earned her MBA in Marketing from Pepperdine University. Walton Foster, also from Birmingham, attended Washington and Lee University and worked in the arts in Nashville and New York before moving back to the Magic City 15 years ago.