About us

At Apprentice Force, our goal is to help 10,000 people earn meaningful employment in 2016 and help to spark the growth of small business in America.

Executive Management

Wayne Marquez
Founder and Chief Executive Officer

His 21 years of executive leadership have enabled him to assemble a dynamic team of entrepreneurs, executive recuriters, online training experts and software designers to create Apprentice Force.   Being a passionate social entrepreneur who believes that creativity, hard-work, focus, talented staff and a commitment to innovation has led to the creation of companies that don’t ask why. They ask WHY NOT?

With combined gross revenues of $17 million, the companies he has led have provided hundreds of thousands of people with a life changing vision of what their future could be. Whether our Apprentices are recent college graduates or successful professionals exploring a new career, our innovative process will empower everyone to experience their possibilities with real work, developing new skills and expanding their network on the quest for their own American Dream.
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As founder and former executive director of Directions for Our Youth, I appreciate the staff, volunteers and supporters who've made their 25th anniversary with a $4.5 million annual budget possible.  He is a graduate of NYU Law School and earned a BA from SUNY at Albany.

Jon Fenner
Chief Technology Officer

John is a  senior-level IT Consultant with over twenty years experience with a wide array of skills and industry experience, including information technology, security, systems architecture, alternate energy research, software development, network architecture, strategic planning, business management, and consulting.

As CTO and VP Engineering at a number of successful companies, including HotChalk, ProductFactory, BestFreebies and Venalytica, he has taken companies from start-up to mergers and acquisitions.  Mr. Fenner has also successfully grown and later merged his consulting firm, Elite Resources.  John earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and Engineering with emphasis in Artificial Intelligence, University of Texas at Arlington.

Kristina Van Ruden
Client Relations Manager

With over a decade of advertising and sales experience, Kristina has developed extensive contacts within the advertising community. Working with diverse clients such as Toyota, Estee Lauder, Target and Texaco, in as varied roles as media buying, interactive sales and client relations, she understands the importance of trust and great relationships.



Prior to joining Apprentice Force, Kristina worked with the Haworth Group, Saatchi & Saatchi, Hal Riney & Partners and Blair Television before handling interactive ad sales for Real Media.  She graduated from Augsburg College with a BA in Communications.

Dan Kostrikin
Director of Recruiting 
Dan has more than 20 years of progressive success at growing companies with a unique blend of experience including Quality Assurance, Operations Management, Sales & Marketing and Talent Acquisition.  Dan's specialty is implementing change management initiatives and re-organizing operations to maximize profitability   He has worked with Goodyear Aerospace, Nissan, Toyota, Blue Shield, Broadcom, Live Nation, Nestle and Activision in offices worldwide including Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand.

As a successful Executive Recruiter for years, Dan is uniquely qualified to lead our recruiting efforts for Apprentice Force.  He holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California in Irvine.​

Michael O'Donnell
Director of Internet Marketing 
In addition to implementing the latest internet marketing techniques and strategies, Mr. O’Donnell also excels at utilizing outsourcing to automate and systematize daily business operations. He has worked with hundreds of companies throughout the United States and Canada to improve their web presence and plans to do the same with Apprentice Force.

Michael has a strong affinity for our Apprentices because he participated in an unpaid internship during his Junior year of college. While his internship was beneficial to him, he admires the fact that Apprentices get concentrated work experience without all the “fluff” of an internship. Michael earned a Bachelors of Science in Marketing from Penn State University.

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