Trevor Gelder

From Agency to In-House Leadership

Gelder progressed quickly in the agency world, moving from individual contributor into leading small teams. Over time, he became increasingly interested in the corporate side of talent acquisition, working inside one organization rather than recruiting for many from the outside. He made the transition to in-house recruiting and steadily grew into leadership roles across multiple organizations.

Today, he serves as Vice President & Head of Talent at Progress Residential, one of the largest property managers of single-family rental homes in the United States. There, he oversees both talent acquisition and learning & development, leading a team of nearly 20 across a business that sits at the intersection of an established industry and an emerging one.

“It's an exciting industry,” he says. “Property management has been around a long time, but the single-family rental space is still evolving. There's a lot of room for innovation in how we attract, develop, and retain talent.”

What Still Drives Him

Even after decades in the field, the same core motivations that drew Gelder to recruiting in the beginning still energize him today. The first is competition. A former athlete, he has always been driven by the pursuit of winning, and recruiting gave him a professional outlet for that mindset. “There's always competition for talent,” he says. “Getting to the finish line first, building strong teams, and doing it the right way, that still fuels me.”

The second motivation runs deeper. Beyond the scoreboard, what keeps him invested in the profession is impact. “Changing careers is one of the most stressful and meaningful transitions in someone's life,” Gelder explains. “We have the opportunity to truly change someone's trajectory.”

That sense of responsibility shapes how he leads. At Progress Residential, both hiring managers and candidates are viewed as customers, and the goal is to deliver a best-in-class experience for both.

Balancing Technology and the Human Touch

Like many talent leaders, Gelder is closely watching the rise of AI and new recruiting technologies. He sees clear benefits, but he is cautious about overcorrecting toward automation. “There has to be balance,” he says. “Recruiting is built on relationships. Technology can support us, but it can't replace genuine human connection.”

In practice, that means using tools and automation where they earn their place, particularly in early-stage communication and efficiency gains, while remaining deliberate about keeping people in the loop. His team is intentional about ensuring candidates always feel they have access to real people. “We want candidates to feel like there are humans here who care about their experience,” he says. “That connection point still matters.”

For Gelder, the future of recruiting is not about choosing between AI and people. It is about integrating both in a way that strengthens, rather than weakens, the candidate journey.

Advice for Talent Leaders in 2026

As the talent landscape continues to evolve, Gelder believes clarity of purpose is what will separate strong talent teams from the rest. “We have to be clear on why we do this work,” he says. “This isn't just transactional. There's real meaning behind bringing the right people into an organization.”

He encourages leaders to communicate that purpose consistently, reminding recruiters that their work directly shapes company performance, culture, and innovation. “When people understand the impact they have, it changes how they show up,” he explains. “We're not just filling jobs. We're creating value and helping build something bigger.”

It is a formula built from the pieces of his own career: competitive drive, human empathy, and a clear sense of mission. Gelder believes those qualities will remain essential to great talent leadership no matter how much the technology around it evolves.