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Marsh Broker Tania Gainham Recognized as a 2025 Education Power Broker
Tania Gainham, Vice President, Marsh Helping clients put their best foot forward is one way Tania Gainham secures coverage for institutions of higher education. At York University in Toronto, Gainham remarketed key property policies, which led to a 30% reduction in overall premiums. For McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Gainham’s team secured coverage for a… View Article
Risk Strategies Broker Judith Baxter-Aung Recognized as a 2025 Education Power Broker
Judith Baxter-Aung, VP, Sales/Marketing/Client Management, Risk Strategies Over nearly 25 years, Judith Baxter-Aung has played a pivotal role in transforming student health coverage at major universities. DePaul University in Chicago, which had discontinued its student health plan in 2015, left the student body of nearly 21,000 students without a university-sponsored coverage operation. Through a process… View Article
Gallagher Broker Nichole Johnson Recognized as a 2025 Education Power Broker
Nichole Johnson, Managing Director, Higher Education Practice, Gallagher Higher ed employees are following healthier habits, which is due in part to Nichole Johnson, who helps universities review and improve the health and wellbeing benefits offered to employees. Johnson discovered that Rock Valley College was underfunding its health care budget and was not prepared for high-cost… View Article
Gallagher Broker Eric Pearson Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Eric Pearson, Area Senior Vice President, Gallagher Working with public school districts means being budgetconscious at every step. Eric Pearson excels in stretching limited funds while finding creative solutions by relying on his philosophy to question everything when working with clients. He helped one such massive state school system to achieve district-wide savings with minimal… View Article
Conner Strong & Buckelew Broker John Manion Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
John Manion, VP Business Development Executive, Conner Strong & Buckelew With a background in teaching, John Manion has a deeper understanding of the education sector, for which he brokers costeffective, comprehensive employee benefits solutions. A new client was facing a double-digit increase in its health care spend with its existing carrier, which would significantly strain… View Article
Gallagher Broker Kerry Hands Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Kerry Hands, Area SVP, Health & Benefits, Gallagher Over the past year, Kerry Hands worked with a client that was considering moving from an outsourced Professional Employer Organization to in-house HR. Moving out of a PEO is a complex process. Throughout the process, the client appreciated how Hands guided them through the decision. She was… View Article
Alliant Broker Chad Schulz Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Chad Schulz, Managing Director – Private Equity/M&A Practice Leader, Employee Benefits, Alliant Chad Schulz stands up for the small companies — and wins. He recognizes the challenge that fully-insured smaller employers face with limited strategic options to address the rising cost of health care. In a fully insured world, these options are often limited to… View Article
Newfront Broker Kimily Phu Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Kimily Phu, Executive Benefit Consultant, Newfront Kimily Phu took over a new account and was faced with a concern from leadership that too many of its employees were declining health benefits, leading to the worry that employees were going uninsured due to high costs, missed deadlines or a lack of perceived value of employee benefits…. View Article
Gallagher Broker Heather Haseman Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Heather Haseman, Area Assistant Vice Presient Gallagher Heather Haseman’s personalized approach to insurance brokering serves her well. In one example, a new client contacted Haseman for help with three challenges its HR team was experiencing: budget management, proactive service and pharmacy cost containment. First, Haseman identified key areas to improve the budget throughout the year… View Article
Gallagher Broker Richard Hooper Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Richard Hooper, Benefit Consultant, Gallagher Richard Hooper grew up and still lives in the Permian Basin, the vast oil field covering 90,000 square miles across New Mexico and Texas. His family legacy and ingrained knowledge of the local energy and oil businesses make him the right broker for many. One client was facing challenges with… View Article
HUB International Broker Ann Wilson Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Ann Wilson, EVP, Employee Benefits, HUB International One of Ann Wilson’s clients, a large, self-funded organization, was searching for ways to reduce spending, specifically related to the GLP-1 class of drugs used for weight loss purposes. Wilson researched benchmarking within the industry cohort to understand the drugs’ prevalence and its use throughout other sectors and… View Article
Conner Strong & Buckelew Broker Peter Abitanto Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Peter Abitanto, Senior Partner, Senior Consultant, Conner Strong & Buckelew Peter Abitanto’s client was struggling with high costs, especially related to pharmacy benefits. And while the client needed to cut expenses, they did not want to risk harming members by reducing benefits. Abitanto took a holistic approach. He performed a deep analysis to understand the… View Article
Gallagher Broker Rachel Hagan Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Rachel Hagan, Senior Consultant, Gallagher Rachel Hagan’s client came to her after an 83% increase in its prescription drug benefits the prior year. She conducted a comprehensive review of the client’s plan and transitioned the client to Gallagher’s Pharmacy Alliance. She made strategic adjustments to its covered drug list, reduced the fees associated with the… View Article
AssuredPartners Broker Mitch Davis Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Mitch Davis, Strategic Advisor – Employee Benefits, AssuredPartners Mitch Davis grew up in the city he now works in, which has given him both an extensive network and a unique perspective on the challenges, resources and nuances within the local market. His point of view includes recognizing that failure plays an important role in helping… View Article
IOA Broker Max McKay Recognized as a 2025 Employee Benefits Power Broker
Max McKay, Employee Benefits Consultant, IOA Max McKay stepped up to help a client manage a significant challenge with its health care captive after it attempted to terminate the contract mid-term. This would have burdened the client with an additional $1 million in claim liabilities. McKay worked with an attorney to help the client ensure… View Article
Aon Broker Elena Sleys Recognized as a 2025 Entertainment Power Broker
Elena Sleys, Account Executive, Aon With dual passions for insurance and for live performance, Elena Sleys stands out in the entertainment industry, where she specializes in securing insurance for a wide range of live entertainment accounts including theatrical productions, immersive experiences, concerts, professional sports, international touring groups and others. Sleys has provided coverage for over… View Article
HUB International Broker Seth Cohen Recognized as a 2025 Entertainment Power Broker
Seth Cohen, Senior Vice President, HUB International Donaldson Callif Perez, a firm that produces unauthorized documentaries exposing corporate misdoings and true crime stories, counts on Seth Cohen to come through in a pinch, particularly when it comes to protecting the firm from lawsuits. “He’s extremely responsive, and no matter what the need is, he always… View Article
Marsh Broker Byron Stufken Recognized as a 2025 Entertainment Power Broker
Byron Stufken, Vice President, Marsh If putting together a film or movie is like solving a puzzle, then Byron Stufken provides a critical piece and is always on hand to assist clients on tight deadlines. “There is a constant barrage from my side of quoting and binding new coverage on an abbreviated timeline, and he’s… View Article
Gallagher Broker Anthony Baratta Recognized as a 2025 Entertainment Power Broker
Anthony “Tony” Baratta, Area Senior Vice President, Gallagher When Kelli Kaye, producer for Sapphire Films, was filming halfway across the world in Thailand, the cast van was struck by a drunk driver, leaving the van driver with a broken leg and an actress requiring stitches on her upper lip. Kaye’s first call in the middle… View Article
Marsh Broker Wesley Ward Recognized as a 2025 Environmental Power Broker
Wesley Ward, Client Advisor, Vice President, Marsh When a construction company spun off from its parent, it needed an environmental program to protect not only against new risks but also past liabilities — and it needed the program to come together quickly. Wesley Ward kept the process on track and delivered a program ahead of… View Article