Sara Boyd
Senior Vice President, Nelson & Associates
Sara Boyd joined the Nelson Family of Companies to manage Accountants Plus in 2002. Sara also oversees Nelson & Associates. Before joining Accountants Plus, Sara spent 12 years working for a large international Accounting and Financial staffing firm and took her business from revenues of $1.5 million to $40 million. Through hiring top talent and retaining her employees she took under performing branches to the coveted “Number One in Profitability” and “Branch of the Year” spots among a playing field of 80-100 branch locations. She holds a BA from the University of Colorado.
Craig S. Nelson
Chief Executive Officer
Craig S. Nelson joined the Nelson Family of Companies in 2001 as General Counsel with responsibility for legal, administration, safety & risk, and human resources. Eventually, three professional staffing units—Nelson Technology, Nelson & Associates and Nelson Staffing—were added to his list of responsibilities. In 2006, Craig relinquished his corporate duties to take charge of both Nelsonjobs.com and the Recruiting & Retention team while continuing to lead the staffing units. When Gary Nelson stepped down as Chairman of the Board, Craig accepted responsibility as CEO of the company in January, 2012. Highly involved in the community and participating on several boards, Craig follows the family tradition of giving back. He is on the board of the Marin Economic Forum and the executive board of the North Bay Leadership Council; he was the Chair of the Executive Leadership Committee of the 2011 North Bay Heart Walk; and he is the past Chairman of the Marin County Workforce Investment Board. Prior to joining Nelson, Craig spent seven years with the Criminal Division of the California Department of Justice and before that, three years as a litigator with the Law Offices of Bowles and Verna. Craig has a Masters of Law from the University of San Diego, his Juris Doctor from Hastings College of Law, and degrees in Business Administration and Economics from California State University, Chico. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1990.
Gary D. Nelson
Founder
With a wealth of experience in all aspects of the human resources industry, Gary Nelson is considered an expert in the talent management business. He continues to explore new avenues for providing value to clients and for maintaining the standing of the Nelson Family of Companies as a clear leader in the workforce management and human capital industry.
Gary’s keen grasp of prevailing economic and business trends has enabled him to lead the company to its position as Northern California’s top independent talent acquisition firm and one of the 50 largest staffing companies in the United States. A graduate of San Jose State University with advanced work in industrial relations, Gary had 10 years of experience in human resources before founding the Nelson Family of Companies in 1970. Prior to that time, he was associated with Data Technology Corporation, Fairchild Semiconductor, American Optical Corporations’ Analytical Instrument Division, Marin General Hospital and the California State Personnel Board.
In his local community, Gary is recognized as an outspoken advocate for healthcare and education. As a community activist and philanthropist, he has spearheaded efforts to open and support public charter schools. Gary was also a leader in developing Sonoma’s “Field of Dreams” project to create a major youth baseball and soccer complex. He and his wife established the Gary and Marcia Nelson Community Care Fund and Endowment in support of emergency room services in Sonoma Valley.
