America's Benefit Specialist August-September 2022

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Five trailblazers from Alliant Insurance Services have earned the prestige of being named Elite Women by Insurance Business America. The 2022 honorees were recog nized for their inspiration, excellence and influence on the insurance profession and their peers. Among the honorees is Chicago Downtown AHU member Adriana

In his role at Risk Strategies, Ellison will focus nationally on coordinating the re sources of two of the firm’s largest national practices to better service clients – employ ee benefits and health care—while develop ing processes to expand this model to other business segments. Ellison is a graduate of Texas Christian University and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.

in the Pacific Northwest. The Vancouver, Washington-based Larson joins Alliant with a diverse expertise spanning the fields of benefits consulting, HR consulting, ana lytics, employee communications and plan design. Prior to joining Alliant, Larson was vice president, business development and employee benefits strategic advisor with an international insurance brokerage and con sulting firm. She was also the co-organizer for Oregon’s DisruptHRPDX, an innovative HR platform designed to energize, inform and empower HR professionals in a TED talk like setting. Orlando, Florida-based consultant Alex Gibson has joined Alliant as vice president within its Employee Benefits Group. Gibson will work with a diverse base of regional and national clients, deploying customized employee benefits programs and solutions. Gibson’s expertise encompasses the areas of analytics, strategic planning, HR consult ing, employee wellness, pharmacy benefit consulting and compliance. Prior to joining Alliant, Gibson was an employee bene fits consultant with a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm. Gibson has a creative, solution-oriented approach inspired by his extensive experience in the music industry as a Grammy-nominated music engineer, producer and founder of a music production and management company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in music production and engineering from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Veteran employee benefits consultant Eric Kaufman has joined Alliant as senior vice president within its Employee Benefits Group. Based in Los Angeles, Kaufman joins Alliant with extensive experience designing and deploying strategic employee benefits and retirement solutions to a diverse client base. Kaufman joins Alliant with experience

Duenas . Duenas is senior vice president at Alliant, and a top producer with a focus in life, health, dental

Industry veteran Stephanie Williams has joined UMB Healthcare Services as vice president and third-party program administrator of UMB Healthcare Services. In

and disability insurance. She delivers a range of powerful solutions to midsize employers that enhance employee well-be ing and strengthen the bottom line. Duenas is a dedicated mentor who strives to build and nurture a diverse team of professionals at Alliant. She co-founded the Women at Alliant employee resource group and is a member of Chief, a private network designed to strengthen and advance women in leadership. Jason Ellison has joined Risk Strategies, a national specialty insurance brokerage and risk-management firm, as employee benefits leader, National Health Care Practice. Elli son has more than two decades of hands-on experience leading teams that help clients design, fund and administer their employ ee benefit programs. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, he most recently served as area senior vice president of Gallagher’s Health and Welfare Consulting business. While at Gallagher, he served on its National Healthcare Practice leadership team as well as its National Innovation Advisory Group. Before Gallagher, he was a principal and senior consultant at Mercer and previously held various leadership positions at United Healthcare.

this role, she is responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing effective processes supporting the Health Savings Account and employer benefit spending account programs offered by UMB Healthcare Services and its third-party partners. Stephanie also provides support for UMB Healthcare Services and its third-party partners to facilitate growth and applies quality assurance measures to ensure the success of the programs offered. Stephanie has more than three decades of experience in the healthcare field. She previ ously worked in various roles during her 32 years at Medical Mutual of Ohio, where she received the Medical Mutual Emerg ing Leader Award. She is also certified in Flexible Compensation Instructor (CFCI) through the Employer’s Council on Flexible Compensation, of which she is a member. Alliant Insurance Services recently an nounced several key hirings: Shawna Larson joins Alliant as vice president of the Employee Benefits Group

14 ABS | benefitspecialistmagazine.com