2024 HR & Finance Forums
Tom Clark
Partner
The Wagner Law Group
Tom is a partner in the Boston and St. Louis offices of The Wagner Law Group, a certified woman-owned law firm specializing in ERISA and Employee Benefits. He also serves as the firm’s chief operating officer. Tom’s expertise encompasses all aspects of employee benefits including the design, implementation, and compliance of retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and executive and incentive compensation arrangements.
Jennifer Wilson
Chief Executive Officer
ARMSRx
Jennifer, Founder of ARMSRx, is currently celebrating 20 years business. She offers her clients over twenty-five years of knowledge and expertise in the Employee Benefits and Pharmacy Benefits Industry. During her career she had developed the first fully insured carve-out Rx program and has encountered considerable changes in the pharmacy benefit marketplace. Jennifer quotes, “There’s not much we haven’t seen”. Her broad consulting experience includes building payors an in-house PBM model, hybrid PBM solutions for health systems, PBM procurement, consulting and contract negotiation.
Dr. Ron Menzin
Regional Medical Executive for the Northeast
Cigna Healthcare
As a Board-Certified Internist for 13-years, Ron was a Primary Care Physician on Long Island – initially in his own practice and then as a lead physician for a hospital-based primary care network. In his current Medical Executive role, Ron and his direct reports support client and provider facing opportunities to improve the health and vitality of those served by Cigna Healthcare with an emphasis on quality outcomes, affordability and increasing access to healthcare. Ron is the immediate Past President of the Nassau County Medical Society, currently the 2nd VP for the Nassau Academy of Medicine and a member of the MSSNY House of Delegates. Ron received his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and completed residency and fellowship training at Nassau County Medical Center, now the Nassau University Medical Center.
D. Finn Pressly
Partner
Ballard Spahr
Finn Pressly counsels clients on health and welfare benefit plans. Throughout his extensive experience as an employee benefits attorney, he has advised employers across industries on benefit plan design, compliance audits, health care reform planning, and day-to-day plan administration. He guides clients through compliance issues related to ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, and ACA, including COVID-19 vaccine incentive programs.
Nick Stefanizzi
CEO
Northwell Direct
Nick is the CEO of Northwell Health’s for-profit, direct-to-employer health services company Northwell Direct, where he is responsible for the strategy, operations, growth, and financial performance of direct-to-employer services. To date he has built a strong network of partnerships among employers, providers and stakeholders in the tri-state area leading a venture to year-over-year revenue of more than 200% since taking on this role in 2020. His goal is to make healthcare more accessible and affordable or as he states: The evolution of healthcare as we know it.
Drew Thompson
Head of Sales and Growth
Northwell Direct
Drew has 15 years of experience working in business development and account management within the insurance industry. Thompson is skilled at leading both strategic and operational sales activities that focus on establishing industry alliances and revenue growth. He has built and managed successful sales teams and has extensive background in developing and fostering relationships with brokers, consultants, and C-suite executives. At Northwell Direct, Thompson’s responsibilities include leading the sales team in their efforts to grow new business opportunities for the network offering, which can save self-funded employers up to 20% in medical spend. Thompson also has a hand in helping to create workplace solutions for Northwell Direct – which are clinical and wellness programs that employers can offer on-site, near site or virtual to their employees. In addition to his work in business development, Thompson also oversees Northwell Direct’s marketing team to drive overall brand awareness.
Ben Conley
Partner
Seyfarth Shaw Law Firm
Ben has a broad-based practice focusing on all aspects of employee benefits, executive compensation, fiduciary governance and data privacy. He garners nationwide recognition for his thought-leadership on health and welfare plan design and compliance issues. He regularly speaks and publishes on cutting-edge benefits developments, having counseled clients through the turbulent times of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation and the COVID-19 benefits-related upheaval.
John Robinson, CPCU
National Absence Practice Lead
The Hartford
John is a proven insurance professional having been in the industry for over 30 years. His experience covers many different product lines including absence management, short and long term disability, life and personal lines property/casualty, workers compensation and general liability. John has experience with several companies including 22 years with The Hartford, 8 years with Prudential and 5 years with American Financial Group. John holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John Fisher College, and also holds the Charter Property and Casualty Underwriter designation.
Kali Panagos, Pharm.D., R. Ph
Executive Vice President, Consulting & Clinical
ARMSRx
Dr. Panagos has over twenty years of pharmacy experience, the majority of which have been exclusively dedicated to pharmacy benefits consulting and managed care environments. She has extensive expertise in pharmacy benefit consulting, PBM clinical programs and operations, specialty and channel management, pharmacy benefit design, formulary design, utilization and claim adjudication platforms, pharmacy rebates, pharmacy networks and client success strategies.
Wende Ward
Senior Vice President Strategy & Business Development
ARMSRx
Wende has twenty-five years of pharmacy benefit management experience, working with all lines of business and across all market segments, including health plans, employers, third party administrators and government programs.
Dan Kuperstein
Senior Vice President, Compliance
Corporate Synergies
Dan is an attorney with experience in a broad array of sophisticated employee benefits and labor and employment matters, including ERISA, the Affordable Care Act, COBRA, HIPAA and GINA compliance. His experience includes representation of both public and private companies, as well as health and pension plans.
Deanna Critchley
Area Vice President, Cigna Pharmacy Management
Cigna Healthcare
Deanna has been in the healthcare industry for 27 years, with the majority of her tenure in Pharmacy Benefit Management. Currently, Deanna has been with Cigna Pharmacy for the past 9 years as the Area Vice President in the NY/NJ Market. She managers a team of Pharmacists and Account Executives/Managers who support existing Cigna Pharmacy Integrated clients for the market. Prior to Cigna, Deanna worked in Account Management, Contracting and Product roles for Express Scripts (formulary Medco).
Sinthusan Sinnadurai
Vice President, PBM Services
Beth Israel Lahey Health
Sinthusan has worked at Beth Israel Lahey since July of 2022. His role oversees operations of the BILH in-house PBM program for employees along with serving as the President of the newly formed subsidiary ScriptWell. ScriptWell offers a forward-thinking Rx solution and Centers of Excellence program that pares patients and employers with the most cost-effective purchasing strategies in the industry.
Gina Rutledge
Director, Paid Family and Medical Leave Product Management & Strategic Planning
MetLife
Gina is responsible for the future roadmap of MetLife’s PFML solution and supports our MetLife customers with PFML expertise. She drove the development of the Granite State Paid Family and Medical Leave program, the 5th state program in the US to be built. She actively provides insights to help improve new state and federal programs that are considering paid leave laws, and partners with various trade groups and public stakeholders to create user friendly operational rules and regulations to support these paid leave laws. She has over 20 years of experience building insurance products for individuals and employers. In her tenure at MetLife, she has also designed coverage for Individual Disability, Group Disability, and Life Insurance.
Kelsy Holliday-Schiavon
Director, Expanded Services
Unum
Kelsy has 12 years of experience in disability management and leave of absence with a particular focus on corporate and statutory paid leave. She has worked with many of Unum’s integrated products, including LTD, STD, Leave, ADA and Paid Leave programs. One of the responsibilities of her current role includes leading a team to plan for and implement Unum’s statutory paid leave offerings.
Eileen Scoggins
Director, BenefitsVIP®
Corporate Synergies
As Director of BenefitsVIP, Corporate Synergies’ high-touch, first-to-call employee advocacy and service department, Eileen instills a consistent focus on urgent and accurate benefits issue resolution. She manages BenefitsVIP staff, analyzes call/contact types to identify emerging trends or issues, and employs methods to resolve them.
Gary Cassidy
Director, Employee Education, Communication & Wellness
Corporate Synergies
Gary Cassidy and the Corporate Synergies’ internal creative team generate professional, branded programs that support clients, and engage, and educate their employees. As Director of Employee Education, Communication and Wellness, he draws upon his 25 years of extensive insurance industry and employee benefits experience and design and communications background, to deliver targeted communication campaigns and wellness programs in support of client goals.
Luray Tobar
Client Solutions Director
Corporate Synergies
Luray Tobar is responsible for the operational leadership Corporate Synergies Group Client Solutions team, which has the primary responsibility for coordinating the both initial setup and ongoing maintenance of employer and participant administrative support services. The primary role of the Client Solutions team is to automate process and mitigate risk through the use of technology and/or Benefits Administration outsourcing.
Yvette Benson
BenefitsVIP Operations Lead
Corporate Synergies
In her current role as Operations Lead, Yvette is responsible for onboarding new clients onto the BenefitsVIP platform, introducing the advocacy services to our clients’ HR Teams and handling the ongoing internal BenefitsVIP communications of client renewals and open enrollment. Yvette also monitors quality assurance and NPS Survey Results to ensure client satisfaction. Yvette Benson has been a member of the BenefitsVIP Team for 18 years.
Melissa Loudon
BenefitsVIP Team Lead
Corporate Synergies
Melissa Loudon supervises the BenefitsVIP Coverage Advocacy team whose benefits advocates provide concierge-level service to Corporate Synergies clients’ employees and dependents. She assists with complex and escalated claims and other coverage issues on behalf of plan participants and HR departments and provides regular coaching and guidance to her team members to ensure client satisfaction. Melissa celebrates15 years with BenefitsVIP in 2024.
Olga Cameron
BenefitsVIP Team Lead
Corporate Synergies
Olga Cameron is Senior Team Lead for BenefitsVIP, Corporate Synergies’ proprietary employee benefit advocacy and support center. As second in command to the BenefitsVIP Director, she assists in the implementation of department technology platforms and supervises the department’s Benefits Administration and Eligibility Team. Olga has been with BenefitsVIP for 18 years and in the industry for 26.
Stephanie Eisele
Employee Communication Supervisor
Corporate Synergies
Stephanie Eisele is a creative and multi-talented Graphic Designer and Communications Specialist. She provides support for clients and Corporate Synergies’ Marketing team. Stephanie develops strategic solutions for her clients’ employee benefits communication and education needs. She consults closely with clients and helps guide strategic planning with the goal of increasing employee engagement and participation and reducing costs. Through campaigns, enrollment guides and more, Stephanie helps employees learn how to choose and use their benefits.
Keiren Dunfee
Senior Graphic Designer
Corporate Synergies
Keiren Dunfee is a creative and multi-talented Senior Graphic Designer with over 20 years of experience assessing client needs, developing concepts and executing strategies. She provides graphic design support to the Marketing and Client Communications teams.
Kara Keenan
Project Specialist
Corporate Synergies
As a member of the Client Solutions team she supports the implementation and maintenance of benefits administration platforms for all new and existing clients. Her seven years of expertise in the field ranges from benefits management and system configuration, to issue resolution related to both employer and participant support. She is committed to process improvement and holds a Bachelor in Communication Studies from Rowan University.
