2024's Excellence in Benefits winners

September 3, 2024 5:30 AM

This year's annual Excellence in Benefits honorees stand out in the areas of HR leadership, tech innovation and benefits brokerage and advisory, going beyond their written roles to bring positive change.

Creating the best experience for customers or their own employees, building personalized benefits and offering financial wellness opportunities are just some of the ways these dedicated executives work to give people what they need to be successful. They also know the power of continued learning, and because of that, they have shared moments that have shaped them as leaders.

Learn more about each of this year's extraordinary awardees below, and connect with them in person during the fourth annual Benefits at Work conference, being held Sept. 17-18 in San Diego.

Cheers to our 2024 winners!

Victoria Bethlehem, Jitjatjo

Chief people officer

On helping others succeed:

"HR has the opportunity to make a huge impact to any organization, be that through small initiatives or large-scale change management programs," says Bethlehem. "I try to keep one foot in today and the other in tomorrow, meaning that my team and I are always looking at the immediate requirements and long-term priorities. When you see these come off, the impact it makes to our people, and the bottom line, it is incredibly rewarding and makes the hard slog (and sometimes thankless job) all worth it!"

Jodie Braner, IMA Financial Group

Employee benefits producer, adviser and consultant

On guidance that has made her a better leader:

"The best advice provided has been to learn to stop and develop the skill of listening," says Braner. "Learning to sit back and hear all perspectives has been important for me — often a solution comes from a combined collaboration within a team. We all interpret situations differently, and it is okay to have a different opinion. You might learn something new about yourself, and more importantly, you gain new understanding and respect for others."

Celine Cannizzaro, Geico

Head of health and wellness

On how to view, and learn from, mistakes:

"I always view errors and mishaps as positive learning experiences," says Cannizzaro. "I was raised to be accountable and take ownership of my actions, so if I do make a mistake, miss something or forget something, I own it, apologize, rectify, create a preventive process wherever possible and move forward."

Karen Clark, Confie

Benefits and wellness manager

On how to create impactful benefits:

"Earlier in my career, I launched a wellness program that I was really excited about," says Clark. "However, I did so without fully understanding employees' needs, which resulted in low participation and engagement. I learned from that experience that as a leader, it's critical to know your population and get their ongoing input. To fix this, I sought employee feedback through surveys and then revamped the program accordingly. In the end, the experience helped me to become a more effective and collaborative leader."

Libby Culpepper, Guild

Director of people operations

On getting to the root of a problem:

"A valuable piece of advice that has greatly influenced my career is, 'Always identify the problem before proposing solutions,'" Culpepper says. "By taking the time to understand the root cause of an issue thoroughly, I can develop more effective and sustainable solutions. This approach not only ensures that we address the real problems, but also fosters a culture of thoughtful decision-making and strategic planning."

Melissa Danielsen, Joshin

Co-founder and CEO

On building inclusive support systems:

"Our team interacts daily with people from diverse, intersectional backgrounds who have long been overlooked, excluded and marginalized," Danielson says. "We listen to their stories and affirm their lived experiences, meeting them where they are and being a part of their journey. It's empowering to see how being seen, heard and supported can truly transform someone's life. Disability and neurodiversity are a beautiful part of being human, and we work every day to rebuild a world that wasn't designed to support them."

Valerie Francis, HUB International Insurance New England

VP of employee benefits

On the power of self-awareness:

"In the past, I overworked myself and experienced burnout," Francis says. "I was able to overcome this by practicing self-compassion, being honest with my team and re-evaluating my workload and responsibilities. This also created a space for our team to be open and honest about the support they needed."

Anita Grantham, BambooHR

Head of human resources

On building trust with her team:

"Keeping confidences is the biggest currency we have as people leaders," Grantham says. "Anytime in my past when someone shared something with me and I didn't keep it confidential, I started to wash away my ability to be effective in my role. It didn't take me long to learn this lesson, so now I start every conversation with my commitment to confidentiality."

Stephanie Koch, Hendry Marine Industries

Director of human resources

On creating a five-star employee experience:

"We live by the rule of, 'We're going to provide Ritz-Carlton service to every person within our organization regardless of their position,'" says Koch. "We have the ability to save our employees money on their total healthcare spend, design our own healthcare plans based on our needs (and transparent data), keep premiums flat during healthcare renewals and more. It's the most rewarding work I've ever done in the 25-plus years of my HR career."

Jason Lee, Chime

Chief of Chime Enterprise

On what being a great leader requires:

"In my 20s and 30s, I believed that commercial output was the key to becoming a great leader," says Lee. "However, I realized that true leadership is rooted in empathy, actively listening to stakeholders, and building and collaborating with these principles in mind. Real innovation comes from a deep understanding of the market you're operating in, not from chasing after where you want to be."

Jennifer Loar, Lockton Companies

Assistant VP, account executive team lead

On getting out of her comfort zone:

"One piece of advice that has greatly influenced my career path is to embrace discomfort and seek challenges," says Loar. "This advice encourages me to take on new responsibilities and tackle complex problems that push me to grow professionally and personally. It has taught me the importance of continuous learning, resilience in the face of challenges, and the value of embracing opportunities that may initially seem daunting but ultimately lead to significant growth and achievement."

Yvette Marsh, LSU Foundation

Assistant VP, talent management

On how benefits help create a great workplace culture:

"Responding to the unique and diverse needs of your employees is one of the primary drivers of a high-performance culture," says Marsh. "Additionally, witnessing benefits shift from being narrowly and synonymously defined as mere insurance to the more comprehensive view of a slate of offerings that enhance the personal and professional well-being of our employees truly makes the role of a benefits professional worthwhile."

Cynthia McEwen, Progyny

Head of DEI

On the value of a multi-talented team:

"I approached a massive project that was in a different and very complicated discipline with an 'I can learn anything, I can do anything' mindset, but I needed more than that," says McEwen. "It took me too long to realize that I needed to build a team who had the expertise that I didn't have and that I needed to set some boundaries. Today, I value having an amazing team of people around me with different strengths and expertise, and I have no problem setting boundaries for my own mental, physical and emotional health and encouraging members of my team to do the same.

Kieran Nolan, Pacific Life

Chief information officer, benefits

On making team members feel valued:

"One piece of advice that has guided me in my career is the importance of knowing when to talk and when to listen," Nolan says. "It's important to understand how each team member contributes to the mission and to create an environment where everyone feels valued and heard. By fostering a culture of collaboration and inclusivity, we can build stronger, more effective teams that are able to achieve great things together."

Lynn Perkins, UrbanSitter

Co-founder and CEO

On providing resources for caregivers:

"I am fortunate that my role allows me to connect families with care providers through our service platform," Perkins says. "Every day, I am inspired by my caring colleagues and the exceptional partner organizations we collaborate with. Meeting new people and solving problems are at the heart of what I do, and hearing success stories from care providers on our platform brings me immense satisfaction."

Faith Primacio, Cision

Director of global benefits

On educating people about benefits:

"I am passionate about transforming the way benefits are communicated, making complex information accessible and relatable." says Primacio. "Benefits [communication] is about storytelling — telling data-driven stories to our finance team to secure approvals and crafting clear, engaging communications for our employees so they can make informed decisions."

Michael Rogers, Alight

Chief human resources officer

On honoring his commitments:

"The No. 1 piece of advice that has served me well is, 'Do what you say you're going to do,'" says Rogers. "It instantly brings credibility. Once you are known for doing what you say you're going to do, more opportunities arise for you."

Mary Rohman Kuhl, University of Minnesota

Senior director of total rewards

On building benefits for change-makers:

"The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that every compensation issue that we improve or resolve, and every benefit offering that we enhance or adjust, is in service to faculty and staff that are positively impacting the world through amazing research, outreach and education," Rohman Kuhl says. "I never forget the importance of caring for the individuals who are responsible for these outcomes and breakthroughs."

Will Sealy, Summer

Co-founder and CEO

On the importance of putting faith in his team:

"To grow an organization you have to delegate, and to delegate you have to trust the people around you," Sealy says. "Early on in the company's history, I realized that I was trying to own too much. After a tough year of trying to own and lead every project, I finally let go and started delegating. [With] this one simple mindset shift, the company started to take off. I haven't looked back since, and now share this advice with every founder as a key to success."

E Lawrence Smith, ELS Vision Wealth Management

President, wealth planning adviser

On the benefits of financial independence:

"The most rewarding part of our job is knowing that you play a role in helping participants and clients find a way to be of value to their loved ones and their communities," says Smith. "When people know that they have a plan to reach financial independence and then leave a legacy that builds generational wealth and builds communities, this type of security leads to a more productive workforce, better businesses and a greater society."

Ralph Spagnuola, Nava Benefits

Partner

On using his strengths for positive change:

"The advice I've taken to heart is to follow your talents and your passions, as what you can do well will always help you be the most successful," says Spagnuola. "I started in this business because of an opportunity that I was given for an internship. Over time I realized that I had a talent for understanding complex things and communicating them well to others. I am good at making our complex healthcare system make sense for employers and their employees — and I love doing it."

Brian Strom, Elevate

Co-founder and chief technology officer

On the daily drive for great performance:

"CDH platforms are surprisingly hard to build — they're a combination of complex fund flows and many, many rules," Strom says. "We are pursuing perfection here at Elevate, and I find that pursuit very rewarding. Every morning, I look forward to logging in, seeing how cleanly we ran the prior day and figuring out what needs to change to get us one step closer to nailing it."

Tyren Thompson, Zoom

Retirement planning and benefits manager

On the joy in seeing benefits come to life:

"I love the opportunity I have to impact the lives of our employees outside of the office," says Thompson. "Many of the decisions we make and the programs that we offer have very real consequences in the day-to-day lives of employees and their families. I love hearing success stories of families formed using our fertility offerings, homes purchased with our lending partners or people relying on our mental health experts during difficult times."

Whitney Van Sciver, Direct Federal Credit Union

VP of human resources

On the benefits of consistent communication:

"In my first leadership role, I hesitated to provide feedback to an employee that was not meeting expectations in the hopes the issues would work themselves out," says Van Sciver. "This approach not only affected the employee's performance, but also impacted the team. As a leader today, I prioritize regular check-ins with my team, encourage open dialogue and ensure that performance feedback is specific, timely and focused on development."

Kristen Wittenborn, Shure

Associate benefits director

On the one priceless skill she relies upon:

"Listening is a fundamental skill that plays a critical role in career success," Wittenborn says. "Listening allows you to fully understand the needs, concerns and expectations of your colleagues, superiors and your vendors. Active listening demonstrates respect, empathy and consideration for others' opinions, fostering trust and stronger working relationships, which can also lead to more innovative and effective solutions."