Georgia's Staffing Solutions with Heart

Lenard Hairston founded Happy Faces Personnel Group with his son Michael, in 1995. A motivated strategist, experienced manager, and strong relationship builder, founding a family-owned company had been a natural goal for Lenard. He envisioned the agency as a business that engendered “happy faces” by helping others and promoting positivity and honest values as it provided employment opportunities for the communities across the state of Georgia.

While the name has changed, Michael and the team at Snelling Georgia work every day to carry Lenard’s vision forward by continuing to support Georgia businesses and by creating opportunities and happy faces.

Michael Hairston, U.S. Veteran small business owner founded the company now called Snelling Georgia along with his father, Lenard Hairston, in 1995. Michael led the initiative through which Happy Faces Personnel Group as it was then called, became a vendor on Georgia’s Statewide Contract and he continues, three decades later, to serve the State and its communities. Michael brings an engineer’s vision and deep management experience to his consulting work, sharing the extensive knowledge of intersecting industries, operations and systems on behalf of agencies and businesses statewide.

Monica O’Connell, Ph.D., SHRM-CP, has worked in a range of academic and non-profit contexts before joining the team at Snelling Georgia. Her decades-long record of administration and cross-sector management, strong communications skills, teaching, coaching and consulting experience, organizational development and emphasis on inclusive practices all contribute to the broad-ranging perspective she applies to staffing.

Cynthia Dunaway,  is a highly skilled recruiting and staffing professional with a strong background in management, HR and full-desk recruiting. With expertise in high-volume recruitment, recruiter coordination, and staffing across various industries,  Cynthia specializes in sourcing top talent for both short-term and permanent placements. Dedicated to building strong client relationships and streamlining the hiring process. Passionate about connecting the right candidate to the right opportunity, Cynthia is dedicated to delivering effective staffing solutions and optimizing workforce success.

Vilmore Whyte holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and has over 7 years of experience in payroll management. He is a Certified Payroll Specialist, a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, a Certified Excel Professional, and a Certified Associate of Project Management. Throughout his career, he has developed a deep understanding of payroll processes and compliance, along with strong communication skills for working with stakeholders across departments. His advanced skills in Microsoft Office enable him to manage data efficiently and produce accurate reports. He is known for his attention to detail, ability to streamline processes, and commitment to delivering reliable payroll solutions that support business goals.