The American Staffing Association named information technology professional and veterans advocate Ben Keen as the 2016 National Staffing Employee of the Year.

A veteran of the US Army, Keen currently is an employee of TEKsystems on assignment as a technical operations analyst with the PNC Bank in Pittsburgh. He is the founder of Steel City Vets, a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of vital services to veterans residing in the Pittsburgh metropolitan region.

“It is truly humbling to have been selected as the 2016 American Staffing Association National Staffing Employee of the Year,” Keen said. “I am honored to join the growing list of amazing previous honorees who have embraced the key staffing industry messages of ‘bridge’ and ‘flexibility.’ It is my desire that through this award other veterans may see that while the transition is not always easy, hard work and dedication can pay off in some amazing ways.”

Keen was selected from an inaugural class of National Staffing Employee of the Year All-Stars in five industry sectors — engineering, IT, and scientific; healthcare; industrial; office-clerical and administrative; and professional-managerial. The announcements mark the beginning of National Staffing Employee Week, which honors the contributions temporary and contract employees.

• Engineering, IT, and scientific: Keen.
• Healthcare: Damien Murdoch completed his commitment to the US Marine Corps and now works as a travel nurse with Parallon Workforce Solutions.
• Industrial: Brandon Shingles plays basketball for Uni-Riesen Leipzig in Germany. During the off-season for the past three years, Shingles works for Integrity Staffing Solutions in Lexington, Ky.
• Office-clerical and administrative: Jonathan Morales worked for Parker Staffing Services as a consumer service representative at Nintendo, which led to a permanent placement at Nintendo.
• Professional-managerial: Cynthia Nichols, Ph.D., is a professor in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University and works for the international headquarters of Express Employment Professionals in Oklahoma City.