OUR TEAM

Veterans of the private service industry, our team knows
what it takes to make the right match

We believe excellence starts from within. Meet the people that make Hire Society great.

EXPERIENCED

With longevity in the staffing world, as well as the industries for which we recruit, our team is best positioned to understand your hiring needs from every angle.

DEDICATED

Our team focuses on seeing each job through until the end. No matter the length of your search and the nuance involved, we remain dedicated to finding your best match.

MOTIVATED

Hire Society is unique in the way our team recruits collaboratively. We believe in a non-commission based pay structure that fosters a greater sense of unity and helps our employees to motivate each other.

David N. Youdovin, Founder & Chairman

The loss of David’s father at a young age made him understand the importance of domestic help early on. When he was four years old, David’s mother enrolled in graduate school and enlisted the services of an extraordinary Colombian woman who worked with David’s family for years and played an instrumental role in shaping David into the person he is today. David understands that while personal staff is a luxury, it is also a necessity, and finding the perfect hire is invaluable.

By his twenty-first birthday, David was successfully producing events in one of New York City’s largest nightclubs and managing a four-star restaurant. He went on to work as a trader and trading floor manager on Wall Street before returning to hospitality in 2005.

David’s return to the service industry happened by chance when a friend asked him to assist in the planning of a Fourth of July party at a private Hamptons estate. A weekend’s worth of work became a new career when the party’s host offered David a full-time position as his Butler/Estate manager. In his new role, David assisted in the day-to-day management and operation of the family’s 50-acre East Hampton estate, their six-story townhouse, and was responsible for the hiring, training, and scheduling of a large domestic staff.

It was while searching for candidates that David first discovered a serious shortage of both qualified candidates and employment agencies to represent those candidates. In 2006, David joined a New York City search firm as a recruiter and later became Vice President and Partner. After six years and hundreds of successful long-term placements within private homes, c-level offices, and major luxury brands, David decided to strike out on his own. In March of 2012, David opened the doors to his wholly owned and operated firm, Hire Society.

Forrest Barnett, President

With a love of entertaining, and deep family roots across the Hamptons, Forrest was a natural choice to head Hire Society’s Southampton office. Having previously worked for many years in New York City in both event production as well as management of a popular restaurant, Forrest returned to the Hamptons lifestyle as a butler and house manager to a large, semi-formal estate.

With music, food, and sailing among his greatest pleasures, Forrest often finds he has much in common with clients and job candidates alike. He looks forward to getting to know our clients and coming to understand their lifestyles, as well as finding those candidates most likely to enjoy, and excel at, maintaining the high standards of living that have made the Hamptons a place for relaxation and convivial socializing for those who call it home.

Nina Tringali, Executive Vice President – West Coast

After spending the last decade living and working in New York City, California-born Nina headed back to her roots, becoming an instrumental part of establishing a West Coast presence for Hire Society. Nina has worked in the private service sector for over fifteen years, accumulating experience as an Assistant, a Chief of Staff and a Talent Manager. Her expertise lies in staffing households and family offices with the utmost care and attention, from the grandest scale to every minute detail. Nina’s knowledge and understanding of the different facets involved in West Coast-private service needs is an added benefit to candidates and clients, alike. Nina enjoys finally being closer to family and friends, hiking, beach walks, exploring fresh and local cuisines, and looks forward to never having to endure another East Coast winter.

Anna Gudmundsson – Business Manager

A native of the Midwest, Anna has lived in the Hamptons for the last 5 years. Having a over a decade of management & recruiting in the retail industry, moving to private service staffing was a seamless transition. Anna is a creative problem solver, who has been described as “cool, calm & collected” in every performance review she has received. She enjoys live music, spending time outdoors, and playing trivia. Having grown up in a landlocked state, every free summer day she spends at the beach.

Sarah Tyler - RECRUITMENT MANAGER – WEST COAST

At 18, Sarah Tyler moved from a small town in Missouri to New York City where the diversity of the City’s culture sparked a desire to travel abroad, leading her to backpack extensively through 15 countries. A newfound love of travel led to a career as a yacht Stewardess in the Caribbean where she developed skillsets in high-end luxury hospitality. This brought her full circle, back to New York, working for UHNW individuals while concurrently earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from New York University. After graduating with honors, Sarah relocated to Los Angeles and joined the Hire Society team, now operating as its West Coast Recruitment Manager. Although no longer yachting, she enjoys both local and destination surfing and volunteers with Surf Rider Foundation and TreePeople.

Kathleen Sullivan – Domestic Recruitment Manager

Growing up in Newport, RI, Kathleen started her career in domestics as a Nanny to a High-Net-Worth family. Upon graduating from college, Kathleen used the knowledge she’d gained working alongside busy principals and shifted her career path; for the past 15 years, she has been working as an Executive Personal Assistant in various industries including hospitality, finance, and fashion. She brings her unique skill set of having worked as a Nanny and overseen domestic staff as an Assistant. Kathleen currently resides in Norwalk, CT with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs.

Nicholas Froehlich – Recruitment Specialist

Nicholas grew up enmeshed in the culinary and service industry of his Hamptons home. After a career in freelance illustration and design, he pivoted to education, teaching professional soft skills for New York’s Special Needs population. An out-of-the-blue phone call from a friend drew him into the world of Private Service, where he accepted a role as a Butler and Majordomo, and for five years, provided top-notch service for multiple Ultra High Net Worth families around the United States. With firsthand knowledge of oversight and support of domestic staff, he is pleased to bring his experience to the East Coast Hospitality desk he now occupies at Hire Society.

Leslie Katz

Leslie Katz – Recruitment Operations Specialist

After years of working in elementary schools throughout New York City, Leslie is taking her talents and passion for assisting families to our Domestic Recruitment Team. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia University in Education. Leslie has lived in New York City for the past 5 years after having grown up on Long Island. Most recently, Leslie held a management position in conjunction with teaching at a privately owned preschool program in TriBeCa. Her experience working closely to accommodate children, parents, and staff translates well to her new role on our Hire Society team.

Kayla Smith – Executive Assistant to Vice Presidents

Born and raised in Baltimore City, Kayla Smith made her way to the Big Apple in 2015 to attend St. John’s University pursing a B.S. in Journalism. Combining her love for providing luxury service and administrative support, Kayla joined the Hire Society Team in 2021 where she was tasked to help manage the workflow of the Executive Vice Presidents of the company, who are based in New York City and Santa Barbara, California, respectively. When she’s not virtually hopping across time zones at work, she enjoys designing, covering trends in plus-sized fashion, and content creation.

Hospitality, professionalism, and integrity are the pillars of Hire Society’s business model.