Jill Nelson
Managing Founder
Jill Nelson
Jill Nelson boasts over 40 years of experience in varied roles within the mining industry. She began her career as a mining engineer with Shell Mining before transitioning to the waste industry with BFI, where she managed remediation projects, environmental health and safety, and hazardous waste landfills at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. She later returned to BFI as a landfill sales manager. In 2008, Jill moved to Downing Teal in Denver, specializing in mining industry recruitment. Desiring to blaze her own trail, she co-founded Brooks & Nelson with Lois Brooks in 2016. Her goal has been to provide exceptional, client-tailored recruiting services. Passionate about matching top-end talent with the right opportunities, Jill is a staunch supporter of the mining industry and serves on the boards of trade associations, colleges, and the governor-appointed Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board.
Connect: LinkedIn
Brett Rovansek
Executive Search & Business Development Strategist
Brett Rovansek
Brett Rovansek is a global talent acquisition and executive search leader with more than 20 years of experience recruiting corporate, technical, and executive talent. Over the past five years, he has developed a strong specialization in the mining and metals sector, partnering with companies across the industry to identify and attract subject matter experts that advance complex operations and projects. Prior to specializing in mining, Brett built a global talent acquisition career spanning corporate, technical, and executive recruiting across multiple industries. He has designed and implemented scalable recruiting strategies, launched proactive sourcing functions, and standardized hiring processes across global organizations to improve efficiency, candidate experience, and hiring outcomes.
Connect: LinkedIn
Nicole Sulzen
Global Strategic Talent Acquisition Leader
Nicole Sulzen
Nicole brings more than two decades of expertise in talent acquisition and human resources, with a proven track record of building and expanding high-performing teams across the mining, engineering, and environmental sectors. She has led complex strategic recruiting initiatives supporting both corporate functions and global operations, working closely with executive leadership to deliver essential talent in highly competitive markets. With her extensive experience, industry insight, and disciplined approach to talent strategy, Nicole strengthens Brooks & Nelson’s ability to deliver outstanding results for our clients. Her addition truly showcases our continued commitment to bringing top-tier recruiting expertise in every search we undertake.
Connect: LinkedIn
Becky Braketa
Global Recruitment Operations Partner
Becky Braketa
Becky brings extensive expertise in talent acquisition, talent management, and HR operations, with a proven ability to streamline processes, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, and keep complex recruiting operations running efficiently. Her background includes roles with industry-leading organizations such as Newmont and Lockheed Martin, where she supported leadership assessment programs, onboarding design, recruiting analytics, and large-scale HR initiatives. Becky is skilled at building connections by organizing dynamic environments, optimizing workflows, and ensuring accuracy and consistency throughout the recruiting process. Whether managing high-volume tasks or refining systems and reports, she takes a meticulous, detail-oriented approach that enhances team performance. We are thrilled to welcome Becky as we strengthen our top-tier recruiting team dedicated to serving clients in the mining and natural resources industries.
Connect: LinkedIn
Join our list to receive important
updates and news from Brooks & Nelson
updates and news from Brooks & Nelson