Jamy Conrad
UFCU
“Technology is a tool, not a replacement.”
Jamy Conrad has been named to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, the annual award recognizing up to 100 leaders in each category of talent acquisition. Honorees are nominated by peers or found by committees that look for excellent work wherever it happens, then chosen for the depth of their craft and their impact on hiring. This is Jamy's story.
Jamy Conrad did not set out to build a career solely in recruiting. Instead, talent acquisition became a natural extension of a broader career rooted in human resources and business partnership.
The through line began early, in an HR generalist role where recruiting and talent strategy were never a side project but core parts of leading and supporting HR teams. Across multiple roles, Conrad was responsible for helping organizations find the right people at the right time, balancing skills, culture, and business needs against one another. Sometimes that meant directly leading recruiting functions, and sometimes it meant partnering closely with other talent leaders. Either way, recruiting sat at the center of the work.
Today, as Director of People at UFCU, Conrad leads Talent Acquisition, continuing that journey with a focus on building strong teams that align with both the organization's values and its long-term goals.
Technology That Makes the Work More Human
What excites Conrad most right now is the rapid evolution of technology across the hiring journey, and especially what it does at the very beginning of it. From the earliest candidate touchpoints, new tools are changing how organizations present themselves, highlighting values, integrity, and culture before a candidate ever steps through the door. For Conrad, that shift has transformed the candidate experience into something far more intentional and transparent.
Equally important is what is happening on the recruiter's side of the process. Automation is freeing teams from administrative work, allowing them to move faster and operate more efficiently, and creating space for what matters most: meaningful human conversations. Rather than replacing recruiters, technology enhances their ability to connect, listen, and build trust. In Conrad's reading, these advances make talent acquisition more human, not less.
When Sales Tools Meet the Hiring Funnel
Over the past year, Conrad has seen significant growth in tools designed to better align candidates with skills and job requirements, with technology now playing a larger role in evaluating fit, experience, and capability earlier in the process.
One trend stands out as especially notable: the crossover of sales enablement tools into recruiting. Platforms once designed to support sales teams, among them conversation intelligence and performance insights, are now appearing in applicant tracking systems and sourcing technology. That evolution is helping recruiters better understand candidate interactions and improve hiring outcomes.
Innovation continues at a rapid pace, but Conrad believes the goal should always remain the same: using technology to support better decisions, not to remove the human element from them.
Advice for 2026
As talent leaders look ahead, Conrad offers a grounded reminder. "Technology is a tool, not a replacement."
Recruiting, in that framing, will always be about identifying the right skills to support business needs, and no system can fully replace human judgment, context, or connection. As organizations adopt new platforms and AI-driven solutions, personalization must remain a priority.
The future of talent acquisition, for Conrad, depends on balance: embracing innovation while preserving what makes recruiting meaningful, people helping people find the right opportunities.
The Talent 100 exists to celebrate the people shaping the future of how the world hires, and few embody that better than Jamy. We are honored to welcome Jamy Conrad to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, and grateful for the experience, perspective, and craft they bring to this community. Congratulations, Jamy. Welcome to the Talent 100.
About the Talent 100
The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees. Selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.
