IT and life sciences staffing firm Eliassen Group appointed Michael Barker to the company’s board of directors. Barker formerly was senior VP and general manager of Experis, North America, a division of ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN).

“Mike is an outstanding leader with tremendous industry experience and a proven track record of success,” said Eliassen Group CEO David MacKeen Jr. “Mike is very well known in the staffing industry and highly regarded, having made numerous contributions to the advancement of our field. He is a welcomed addition to our board.”

Barker has a long history in the technology staffing industry as well as other technology experience. He held leadership roles in staffing at Experis and Comsys IT Partners Inc., and also founded LAN Solutions, a systems integration company he sold to Evernet, a company that became part of Control Data in the early 1990s.   

“Having competed with Eliassen Group in the technology staffing space for many years, I have witnessed first-hand the tremendous growth and geographic expansion of the company,” said Barker. “The company's reputation in the industry has been stellar since their founding in 1989, and I'm thrilled to be joining the board and working closely with Ian Blasco, David MacKeen and the other board members.”

Eliassen Group ranks No. 17 on Staffing Industry Analysts list of largest IT staffing firms in the US.