# Cynthia Stewart

> Cynthia Stewart is the San Jose founder and president of Power Personnel, a woman- and minority-owned staffing company she started in 1994 after turning down a financial analyst role at Xerox. Inspired by lessons learned in her father's shop and by her 1991 MBA thesis on African American businesses, Stewart grew a one-woman operation into a healthcare workforce partner credited with more than 40,000 placements, long-running hospital relationships, nine consecutive Joint Commission certifications, and repeated Staffing Industry Analysts recognition.

- **Role:** President and Founder at Power Personnel
- **Organizations:** Power Personnel, El Camino Hospital Finance Committee, Women Health Care Executives NorCal
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Marketing, San Jose State University, Master of Business Administration in Finance, California State University, East Bay
- **Known for:** Founded Power Personnel in 1994 and grew it from a one-woman startup into a multimillion-dollar healthcare and professional staffing business., Power Personnel has made more than 40,000 placements., Named to Staffing Industry Analysts' Global Power 150 Women in Staffing in 2023 and 2024.

## Career timeline

- **1970s** — Settled in San Jose and, by age 11, was learning customer service, negotiation and business operations in her father Robert Stewart's store.
- **1991** — Completed the MBA thesis 'Profiles of African-American Businesses.'
- **1994** — Declined a financial analyst opportunity at Xerox and founded Power Personnel in San Jose with no office, clients or existing book of business.
- **1995** — Power Personnel began long-running partnerships with Stanford Health Care and Stanford Medicine Children's Health.
- **2007** — Power Personnel received its first Joint Commission healthcare staffing certification.
- **2013-2016** — Power Personnel appeared on Staffing Industry Analysts' Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms list in four consecutive years.
- **2021** — Appointed as a community member of the El Camino Hospital Finance Committee after a competitive selection process.
- **2022** — Power Personnel returned to SIA's Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms list, ranked No. 104, its sixth appearance.
- **2023-2024** — Named in consecutive years to SIA's Global Power 150 Women in Staffing.
- **2026** — Reported that Power Personnel had surpassed 40,000 placements over more than 30 years.

## Achievements

- Founded Power Personnel in 1994 and grew it from a one-woman startup into a multimillion-dollar healthcare and professional staffing business.
- Power Personnel has made more than 40,000 placements.
- Named to Staffing Industry Analysts' Global Power 150 Women in Staffing in 2023 and 2024.
- Led Power Personnel to six appearances on SIA's Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms list, including No. 104 in 2022.
- Led Power Personnel through nine consecutive Joint Commission healthcare staffing certifications.
- Received an Outstanding Community Service Award from the California Business Education Association.
- Received a Community Leadership Achievement Award from the San Jose Chamber of Commerce.
- Selected as a community member of the El Camino Hospital Finance Committee in 2021.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published a Labor Day reflection describing work access as consequential for individuals, families, businesses and communities, while noting Power Personnel's recruiting reach across the United States, Philippines and India.
- **2026-08** — Marked Black Business Month by recounting her 1991 MBA thesis, her decision to decline a Xerox role, Power Personnel's 1994 founding and its more than 40,000 placements.
- **2026-04** — Participated as a Women Health Care Executives NorCal board member in the organization's 45th anniversary Woman of the Year gala, attended by nearly 300 healthcare leaders.
- **2025-03** — Power Personnel announced its ninth consecutive Joint Commission certification for healthcare staffing services.

## Links

- Website: https://www.powerpersonnel.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiastewart94

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/cynthia-stewart
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27