MEET THE 2026 NEXTGEN LEADERSHIP CLASS

The 2026 NextGen Leadership Class recognizes emerging PEO industry leaders who are helping shape the future of the PEO industry through innovation, operational excellence, advocacy and service to small and mid-sized businesses.

NAPEO’s NextGen Leadership program highlights rising professionals across the PEO ecosystem who demonstrate leadership within their organizations and a strong commitment to advancing the industry’s mission of supporting America’s employers and workforce.

Please join us in congratulating this group of leaders who will shape our industry’s future.

Andrew Bartholomew
Operations Director, Helpside
Lindon, UT

How Will You Capitalize on the Biggest Opportunities Ahead for PEOs? The biggest opportunity on the horizon for the PEO industry is improving business-practice hygiene for small businesses at scale. After working with hundreds of small business owners, I’ve seen a consistent challenge: many do not fully understand their true cost of doing business or where they are exposed from a compliance or liability perspective. In an increasingly complex regulatory and talent environment, this knowledge gap presents a significant opportunity for PEOs to lead. At its best, the PEO industry serves as both infrastructure and consultant, providing sophisticated, cost-effective solutions that allow small businesses to compete with larger organizations. From benefits strategy and payroll compliance to risk management and HR technology, PEOs can level the playing field while improving long-term sustainability. As a PEO operator, I see my responsibility extending beyond delivering competitive solutions. I believe the industry must continue shifting toward a consultative sales and service model that prioritizes education, transparency, and long-term client success. High touch service and relationships will remain critical differentiators as technology becomes more commoditized. Through NAPEO and peer collaboration, I aim to help elevate industry standards, promote best practices, and ensure PEOs are viewed not as transactional vendors, but as strategic partners in the growth and resilience of small businesses nationwide.

Fun Fact: Outside of work, I love spending time with my wife and two kids. We love time out on the lake, going out to dinner, and enjoying movies at home.

Emily Duncan
Vice President of Business Operations, Questco
The Woodlands, TX

How Will You Capitalize on the Biggest Opportunities Ahead for PEOs? The PEO industry stands at an exciting crossroads, with one of the most significant opportunities on the horizon being the thoughtful and strategic use of artificial intelligence. AI has the potential to transform every facet of the services we provide. By leveraging AI and advanced analytics, PEOs can streamline administrative tasks, reduce operational inefficiencies, and provide predictive insights. This technology also opens the door to creating more personalized experiences for employees, improving engagement, and ultimately enhancing retention across client organizations. Beyond operational efficiency, AI offers the chance for PEOs to position themselves as strategic partners rather than transactional service providers. By harnessing AI driven insights, we can proactively identify workforce trends, anticipate compliance challenges, and offer solutions that help clients grow and scale their businesses more effectively. For the industry, responsible AI adoption can raise the standard of service delivery, set benchmarks for best practices, and provide measurable outcomes that demonstrate the value of PEO partnerships. I see my role as a transformational leader in this process, ensuring that AI is implemented thoughtfully, ethically, and in a way that complements, not replaces, human expertise. For my business, this means integrating AI tools to enhance operational performance, improve client satisfaction, and free our teams to focus on high-value, relationship driven work. For the industry, it means contributing to knowledge-sharing, advocating for best practices, and helping shape standards that ensure technology adoption benefits clients, employees, and PEO providers alike. Ultimately, I believe the most successful AI initiatives will be those that remain people focused, using technology as a tool to elevate human decision making, foster innovation, and build a more agile, resilient workforce. By approaching AI with this mindset, I aim to help my organization capitalize on these opportunities while advancing the PEO industry’s reputation as a forward-thinking, client-centered partner in workforce solutions.

Fun Fact: My husband and I run an animal rescue in Oakhurst Texas where wayward animals come to live and never get adopted out.

Ashley Martinez
VP Operations, ESAC
Little Rock, AR

How Will You Capitalize on the Biggest Opportunities Ahead for PEOs? The future of the PEO industry is bright, and the biggest opportunities continue to surround AI and technology while always considering advocacy. My company is committed to the success of the PEO industry and its stakeholders. We work every day to help our customers increase positive marketplace exposure and simplify their compliance requirements to help them receive the full value of our services. We will continue to enhance our services with the help of emerging technology. Technology is moving at lightning speed. It is imperative that we stay current with new opportunities, both in my organization and as an industry. I will continue to be “in the room” learning as much as I can when opportunities present themselves and lending my knowledge and experience to ensure that we are creating systems, services, and processes that are effective, accurate, and protective of confidential information. With respect to advocacy, it’s easy to push to the backburner when running on all cylinders learning and developing the latest and greatest technology, but it is imperative that we as an industry continue to nurture relationships at the federal, state and local levels. The more work we can do to educate the masses about how great PEOs are, the more successful we will be now and into the future. This is why our future is bright today!

Fun Fact: I most enjoy being a dog mom to my two rescue pups, Hershey and Star. My husband and I love planning vacations that include our furry family members, with Florida’s Emerald Coast being our top destination. I’m an avid Dave Matthews Band fan, and I enjoy supporting local theatre and down time with a good book.

Billy Miller
President & COO, Spirit HR
Oklahoma City, OK

How Will You Capitalize on the Biggest Opportunities Ahead for PEOs? As complexity rises, so does the value of a great PEO. Our opportunity is to take the employment complexity off clients’ plates and deliver confidence with clear ownership, fast answers, and consistent execution that makes their business stronger. Clients aren’t buying payroll; they’re buying confidence. That confidence is knowing the right things are handled—proactively and correctly—across payroll, benefits, compliance, and risk, without the client having to become their own HR department. The second opportunity is technology that actually improves execution. AI is everywhere. Results are what count. I’m focused on PEO-specific automation and AI that removes busywork from sales, onboarding, and service workflows so our teams have more time for higher-value client interactions—and clients get better outcomes, not just more tools. Finally, we need to keep drawing a bright line between a platform and a partner. We’re not SaaS. We’re SwaS—Service with Software. Tools manage data; PEOs own outcomes and accountability. I’m excited to contribute by continuing to modernize processes with responsible automation, execute with discipline, measure what moves the needle, and share what works so we raise the bar together.

Fun Fact: I am happily married to my high school sweetheart of 20+ years and am the proud dad of two teenage volleyball athletes, which keeps the family calendar full in the best way. Outside of work, I enjoy woodworking and hands-on projects, and I am a big basketball and football fan.

Christopher Myers
CEO, Comploy
Thornton, CO

How Will You Capitalize on the Biggest Opportunities Ahead for PEOs? I believe the largest opportunity for the PEO industry is vertical specialization. Helping like business with industry specific needs from compliance to training and specialized insurance products. We are actively working on identifying the areas for opportunity and which industries would benefit the greatest from a vertically integrated growth partner.

Fun Fact: I love being outside with my wife and kids. We love to camp, hike, ski/snowboard and just about anything else that we can do to take advantage of all that this world has to offer.

Elisabeth Shaw
Chief HR Officer, PrestigePEO
Melville, NY

How Will You Capitalize on the Biggest Opportunities Ahead for PEOs? The PEO industry is poised for growth in three major areas that benefit small and medium sized businesses: technological innovation, the nationalization of the workforce, and political advocacy. Artificial intelligence and technological advancements are increasingly important for our clients. Businesses rely on PEOs for smart solutions and rapid guidance on complex employment, legal, and tax matters across multiple states. They need our expertise to navigate the growing legal compliance with the use of AI in their workforces so they can stay relevant and hire the best individuals for their own companies. To stay ahead, I actively participate in AI-focused conferences and evaluate new tools to better serve our clients and the broader PEO community. Our small business clients also continue to hire across the United States. Many clients are unaware of the employment law requirements in the states they are hiring and need the PEO industry now more than ever to assist them in navigating compliance for their remote hires and multi-state locations. I speak with clients regularly regarding multi-state employee issues and conduct webinars for our clients throughout the year to keep them updated on new state requirements and trends. Our clients are also looking for us to continue to advocate for them in Congress and on our local levels. I will continue to add my voice in the halls of Congress and in my local legislature to advocate for solid and realistic business practices that protect small businesses.

Fun Fact: When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me reading, spending time with my sweet husband, or being happily outnumbered by our four cats. We love our life together in sunny Florida.

Scott Silva
Associate, Silva Capital Solutions, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia

How Will You Capitalize on the Biggest Opportunities Ahead for PEOs? In my view, the PEO industry is entering a generational transition. Owner succession is colliding with an influx of institutional capital. Consolidation is not the risk; consolidation without discipline is. Our prime opportunity now, as a community, is to prioritize integrity, cultural alignment, and long-term value creation. As our industry matures, many multi-generational owners are navigating succession and liquidity decisions that must balance both enterprise value and professional legacy. The entry of private equity has accelerated M&A activity, exposing a gap between the desire for market share and the imperative for operational risk control. My contribution is to guide owners through these decisions with clarity and discipline, with a steady focus on the long-term health of the industry. This means helping PEO shareholders prepare for outcomes that extend beyond purchase price alone. This includes translating valuation, risk, and cultural dynamics into informed judgment calls, not just transactions. When we approach this challenge with emotional intelligence, we strengthen the broader PEO ecosystem. Thoughtful combinations set higher benchmarks for governance, transparency, and risk management, creating greater resilience across the landscape. M&A is not something to be feared but something we must steward responsibly. When executed with intention, it’s not a zero-sum game. Responsible M&A expands the capacity and sustainability of the industry, ultimately delivering compounding benefits to the SMBs it serves.

Fun Fact: My wife Lizzy and I were married in October 2025. This year we’re honeymooning in Paris, the South of France, Mallorca, and Dublin. We’re also celebrating her stepdad’s retirement in Jekyll Island this spring and visiting my mom in Bozeman this summer. We love discovering new places, great food, and experiencing the wonders of the world. Reach out if you have recommendations!

2026 NextGen Leadership Class Sponsor: Slavic401k