Taltier: A Standard of Excellence
—-Stella the bulldog : Penelope the Pug.
CEO | Founder
Luke Tesar, Founder and CEO of Taltier Consulting, brings over a decade of expertise in professional recruiting and relationship development. For Luke, relationships are the lifeblood of successful executive search firm.
His day-to-day activities revolve around this unwavering passion for helping others and adding value.
Raised and educated in Omaha, Nebraska, Luke is an avid supporter of his community and a proud season ticket holder for the University of Nebraska. Go Big Red. While Luke has less to say about his formal education, he often jokes that he majored in Real-World Experience and minored in Never Giving Up at the University of Nebraska tailgates—where the real lessons in relationships, perseverance, and “education” took place.
Luke Tesar has quickly made a mark nationally in the executive search field. In five years, he’s generated over $2.8 million in personal billings and successfully aided over 110 professionals in making significant career transitions. His expertise extends beyond individual placements; Luke has effectively guided teams and spearheaded several market expansions for banks into new territories.
Away from work, Luke is an active member of Champions Run Country Club and a staunch advocate for healthy living, emphasizing nutrition and fitness. His involvement in golf, sparked by his career in financial services, has become a vital part of his life, enhancing his strategic thinking and networking skills. While he enjoys snorkeling and free diving, opportunities in Omaha are limited, inspiring him to seek these adventures elsewhere. Committed to continuous personal and professional growth, Luke thrives on direct feedback and sets ambitious goals for himself and Taltier Consulting.
Let’s help each other!
Stacey Judd | Partner
Stacey Judd joined Taltier Consulting as a Partner after more than two decades inside the banking industry, bringing a perspective that is difficult to replicate from outside our industry. Throughout her career, she has worked directly with clients, bankers, credit professionals and senior leadership teams, giving her a practical understanding of how strong banking organizations are built and how the right people can impact a market, team or entire platform.
Stacey has worked with middle-market companies, large corporate organizations and specialized industry relationships throughout her career. She understands the expectations placed on bankers because she has lived them herself! Developing client relationships and executing transactions to navigating credit, internal leadership and the realities of operating inside complex financial institutions.
Stacey was brought into Taltier specifically because of that depth and versatility. She combines a strong commercial mindset with significant credit and portfolio experience, giving her the ability to evaluate talent from multiple angles. She understands that a successful hire cannot simply look good on paper. The individual must fit the bank’s culture, leadership style, risk appetite, market strategy and long-term objectives. Her background reflects deep experience in corporate and commercial banking, portfolio management, relationship management and leadership across major financial institutions.
At Taltier, Stacey works directly with clients across strategic hiring initiatives, senior-level searches and team buildouts. Her addition strengthens Taltier’s ability to operate as an extension of a bank’s leadership team, providing market insight, industry perspective and thoughtful guidance throughout the search process.
Whether you are building a team, evaluating a key hire or simply want a trusted perspective on the market, Stacey would welcome the opportunity to connect.
25+ years in corporate & commercial banking
Huntington National Bank - Head of Texas Portfolio Management
Comerica Bank - Senior Vice President
BBVA - Senior Vice President
Société Générale - Director
ABN AMRO Capital USA - Executive Director
Earlier leadership and relationship roles with Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Fortis Capital and Comerica
Experience across Middle Market, Large Corporate, Commodities, Credit and Portfolio Management
B.A. Economics — University of Michigan
M.S. Finance — University of Michigan-Dearborn
Notes from the Founder
Our Approach to Search
Executive search isn’t just a service— Let’s call it a relationship business built on trust, timing, and execution. At Taltier, we don’t chase metrics. We build meaningful, lasting partnerships—with every client, every candidate, every time.
Over the years, I've learned that the strongest professional relationships go beyond simply filling roles. They're built by understanding people—recognizing what drives them, what they value, and what they need to thrive. This level of understanding comes from listening closely, moving intentionally, and treating individuals as more than just a LinkedIn profile or résumé. That's how trust develops. That's how lasting success is created.
Whether I’m writing to someone I placed years ago or speaking with a new hiring leader, the standard remains the same: clarity, consistency, and execution at the highest level.
We don’t spray résumés. We don’t make promises we can’t keep. We do the hard work—the quiet discipline that earns confidence and delivers results.
Expertise and Accomplishments
Luke’s executive search career took off immediately. Starting in the Texas market—where the firm had little to no active relationships—he built a thriving practice from the ground up. Over the first five years, he brought in just under $3 million in total billings, with a peak year just shy of $950,000. What began in Texas quickly expanded across the region and eventually the country, as Luke was pushed to stretch his network beyond familiar ground. While Texas and the surrounding states became second nature, national growth became a necessity.
While consistently working with 15–20 new professionals each year, these aren’t one-off wins. Many of his placements are still leading their respective markets today—as market executives, regional presidents, and sitting C-suite leaders. This top-down network makes all the difference. It’s one thing to place talent—it’s another to have real relationships with the people setting the playbook behind closed doors. And if you’re an active candidate, having these built-in connections can save you a lot of time—and a lot of headaches.
Luke’s niche is placing large commercial banking teams and building out markets with strategic intent. He’s successfully executed a team liftout each of the last three years and continues to deepen his understanding of compensation structures, employment agreements, and non-solicitation clauses. He’s always learning—but also recognized as a leader in the space.
Luke is confident in one thing: regardless of your current situation or goals, Taltier is built to find the right solution. The expectations he sets for the brand are as high as the standards he holds for himself—and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
For Employers
Taltier Consulting specializes in connecting top-tier professionals—both actively and passively engaged—with organizations seeking strategic talent acquisition solutions.
We believe the foundation of any successful relationship is built on active listening, incisive questioning, and unwavering transparency—values we bring to every interaction.
We invite you to an introductory consultative call to begin our partnership
Future Leaders
We firmly believe that confidentiality and trust are pivotal for sustaining long-term relationships. We guarantee utmost discretion in all our interactions. Our expertise in understanding market compensations, organizational structures, and advising candidates on how to leverage their backgrounds, gives us a clear industry advantage.
Whether you are content, seeking change, or interested in exchanging industry insights, I am open to a conversation. I welcome the opportunity to meet you and become your 'ace in the hole' whenever you need consulting services.
