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Excellence in benefits 2023

Meet EBN's 2023 Excellence in Benefits winners

By Alyssa Place
September 12, 2023 5:30 AM
Arizent / Sena Kwon

Our third annual Excellence in Benefits Awards celebrates exceptional leaders, tech innovators and benefit advisers who have made innovative changes and worked to implement big ideas this year. 

From new benefit platforms that support neurodiverse employees, continued support for caregivers, and efforts to lower healthcare costs, putting people first is top of mind for those serving the HR and benefits space. And their own employees aren't being left behind either — establishing greater mental health support, providing opportunities for growth and connection and finding the right benefits to accomplish their goals is a puzzle many of these leaders are still fine-tuning. They shared how they get it all done (while taking care of their own needs, too). 

Read on to meet all of our Excellence in Benefits Award winners, and join us in just a few weeks to meet this exceptional group of professionals at our annual Benefits at Work conference, happening September 27-29 in sunny San Diego. Let's toast to, and learn from, the best. 

Laura Closs, Lockton Companies

VP consultant
Laura Closs
On using data to affect change: 

"At Lockton, not only do I get to get out in front of clients and teach them, but I also get to do all the background work with the numbers and really get my hands dirty," says Closs. "In benefits, everything is changing every day. There's just so much information and it's so cool to see, but it's always a good idea to talk with the team as well." 

Read more: At Lockton Companies, Laura Closs serves people through data

Louis Chesney, RethinkCare

Neurodiversity program manager
Louis Chesney
On reimagining the workplace for neurodiverse employees: 

"It was about not just predominantly focusing on interventions for the individual, but how do we create inclusive environments in workplaces that were really originally designed for neurotypical people?" Chesney says. "How are we able to reimagine these workplaces and make them conducive to individuals who are neurodiverse?"

Read more: Why RethinkCare's Louis Chesney wants to help make room for neurodiverse talent in the workplace

Lindsey Cushman, Maxar Technologies

Director of benefits and global mobility  
Lindsey Cushman
On using psychology to support employees' needs: 

"In human resources, I can apply those learnings about how and why people think the way that they do," Cushman says. "It's a big passion of mine to create a psychologically safe workspace, and part of that is making sure that we give people easy and affordable access to mental health care."

Read more: For Lindsey Cushman, benefits director of Maxar Technologies, HR is an extension of psychology

Emma Fox, E Powered Benefits

COO and partner
Emma Fox
Emma Fox
On her motivation for disrupting traditional healthcare solutions: 

"While I was working at an insurance carrier, I thought I could change things from the inside," says Fox. "But I finally turned my back on carriers because that system devastated my life. I couldn't forgive what happened. I now know I have to create a parallel system to the current one because the current one is not fixable."

Read more: At E Powered Benefits, Emma Fox is creating a new kind of healthcare plan

Peter Freska, Acrisure

Partner
Peter Freska 
On thinking big around healthcare benefits: 

"Why should the local manufacturing company with 300 employees not be on the same playing field as a Fortune 500?" Freska asks. "We've been looking for options that can provide small and medium-size employers the same benefits that your Boeings and Microsofts and Walmarts have." 

Read more: Does the US have the best healthcare in the world? Why Acrisure's Peter Freska believes so

Ron Gura, Empathy 

Co-founder and CEO
Ron Gura
Ron Gura
On changing the conversation about death and grief in the workplace: 

"Death is an important, meaningful life event that doesn't skip any of us," says Gura. "Bereavement must be addressed, and leave is not enough. It's a big hole in our benefits portfolios. When the inevitable happens and you lose a loved one, Empathy is the friend you wish you had."

Read more: Empathy's CEO Ron Gura is changing how workplaces respond to death

Lauren Haddox, School District of Osceola County

Director of risk and benefits management
Lauren Haddox
On the impact of creating an on-site healthcare center: 

"When we first opened, I had people I knew that hadn't gone to the doctor for some time come in, and we had so many people get the care that they needed — just in the first week," Haddox says. "People were rushed to the hospital because their blood pressure was through the roof, or they learned of a cancer diagnosis that had gone unaddressed."

Read more: On-site care is helping Lauren Haddox boost preventive health at a Florida school district

Michelle Hamilton, InStride 

VP, People
Michelle Hamilton
On promoting educational assistance and tuition reimbursement programs: 

"That's been at the core of InStride, being able to provide our services and our solutions to our families. They can get anything from their high school diploma to higher education," Hamilton says. "When [employees] live by the values that we have proposed, it just makes me happy."

Read more: Michelle Hamilton, InStride's people director, is saying goodbye to HR hierarchies

Matthew Harmon, AutoZone

Vice president of benefits, compensation and HRIS
Matthew Harmon
On investing in employees for the long-term: 

"It used to be that first we hired somebody, then later we thought about how we wanted to develop them, and after that we thought about how we wanted to retain them," Harmon says. "Now it's looking at the full picture and saying, 'How do we attract? How do we create an environment that people want to stay in? How do we develop them so they can grow their career and not need to leave the company to advance themselves?'"

Read more: AutoZone VP of benefits Matt Harmon's retention strategy: Offer perks to part timers

Lucas Hellmer, Salas O'Brien 

Associate vice president, director of compensation and benefits
Lucas Hellmer
On recognizing who really benefits from the right benefits package: 

"Whatever decision we're making with our benefits is going to be impacting not only our team members, but also their families," Hellmer says. "And understandably they're very sensitive to that, so we wanted to make sure that we got their feedback in regards to anything that we were thinking of as part of this process."

Sach Jain, Carrum Health 

CEO
Sach Jain 
On the importance of streamlining the healthcare experience: 

"Even when they think they have nice insurance, patients find themselves on the receiving end of a lot of bills," Jain says. "The goal of the company is to make world class healthcare accessible to everyone at the most affordable prices. We want to achieve lower cost, better quality outcomes, and a better experience."

Read more: Carrum Health's Sach Jain wants you to pay less for healthcare

Nancy Jester, Walmart  

Senior manager of physical and emotional well-being
Nancy Jester 
On focusing her efforts on the success of the entire team: 

"I was willing to help the success of the team and do whatever is needed for the greater good," says Jester. "I have to believe that helped me to get to the position I am now with such great responsibility and amazing leaders that believe in me."

Read more: At Walmart, wellness manager Nancy Jester creates benefit plans to support women and families

Bernie Knobbe, AECOM 

SVP of global benefits and well-being
Bernie Knobbe
On bringing a global workforce together: 

"It's challenging to know exactly what's happening in other parts of the world when you're sitting here in the States," Knobbe says. "We created three different committees for our well-being program, where we bring all the regions' representatives together and talk about what they're doing."

Read more: At AECOM, Bernie Knobbe builds personal connections within a global workforce

Dervilla Lannon, Verkada

VP of people 
Dervilla Lannon 
On supporting new parents with family planning, child care and more: 

"When you have a child there's a lot that you're navigating," says Lannon. "Even if you're not at work, you're probably thinking about work. You've got all these things happening at home. Benefits like these are something to give people a reprieve."

Read more: Benefits can move slow. Verkada's VP of people, Dervilla Lannon, creates change in an instant

John Lowell, October Three Consulting

Partner
John Lowell 
On personalizing the retirement planning experience: 

"There are huge gaps in wealth — not just in income, but in accumulated wealth," Lowell says. "Employees want to know what they're going to be provided with that specifically helps them as opposed to the person at the next desk."

Read more: October Three's John Lowell is bringing the best of 401(k)s and pensions to retirement

Lynee Luque, NerdWallet 

Chief people officer
Lynee Luque 
On creating a pipeline to training future leaders: 

"As leadership opportunities become available, we always have an internal pipeline ready to increase representation at the leadership level," Luque says. "Because there is always space for continued improvement and growth, we view DEI as a continuous journey that inspires us to make sure every employee feels valued and has equal opportunities to thrive."

Read more: Nerdwallet's Lynee Luque is making professional development available to all 'Nerds'

Dannii Portsmouth, PepsiCo Beverage North America, West Division 

HR vice president
Dannii Portsmouth 
On supporting career growth for frontline workers: 

"We couldn't run without our associates in the frontline, and we've found our roots in what is important for our customer experience," Portsmouth says. "Over the last 10 months, we've mandated career conversations for all of our associates in frontline roles, so we're able to see what they want and then find ways to deliver that."

Read more: Pepsi's VP of HR Dannii Portsmouth prioritizes career growth for 12k employees

Jennie Rogerson, Canva

Global head of people
Jennie Rogerson 
Jennie Rogerson
On using PTO as a health and wellness strategy: 

"We recognize that team members may be going through times they can't easily talk about, and we want to support them," says Rogerson. "We saw the biggest impact we could make was to let people take time away without needing to explain why."

Read more: Canva's Jennie Rogerson is raising the bar for employee wellness

Tracee Sanders, Share Our Strength 

Managing director of HR
Tracee Sanders 
On why mental health support is a priority: 

"We're tackling food insecurity within the United States, and the systems that contribute to poverty. The work we do is very emotionally charged," Sanders says. "People get burned out — our staff feels like, if I'm not doing it, then that's going to affect a child being able to eat. If you have that in the back of your mind, you're going to just keep pushing."

Read more: While this nonprofit fights childhood hunger, HR director Tracee Sanders helps employees battle burnout

Dominique Schroeder, Guild

Benefits manager
Dominique Schroeder 
On what learnings can be gleaned from employee surveys: 

"Benefits are often seen as health and welfare, but they can be so much more," Schroeder says. "It can be a conversation with your manager and providing them with resources on how they can help you as a parent navigate the day-to-day of working. I appreciate the opportunity for employees to share a lot and then also get general feedback: Are we doing things right? Do we have the right resources in place?"

Read: Guild's Dominique Schroeder is asking all the right questions about benefits

Jennifer Sloan, Thryv 

Director of total rewards
Jennifer Sloan 
On creating career paths so employees can see a future: 

"We have a lot of positions here that didn't have a career track or path, so we went in and created career levels for all positions that warranted it," says Sloan. "There's so much competition out there; you really want to retain the top performers that you have and show that they've got the opportunity to grow with the company."

Read more: Thryv's Jennifer Sloan is creating career paths for all employees

Anitra St. Hilaire, ThreeFlow

Vice president of people
Anitra St. Hilaire 
On making remote collaboration fun: 

"There's this notion that socializing time is not part of work," St. Hilaire says. "We think it's important that we collaborate enthusiastically and that we grow together — and some of that is being social and not being too focused on work. It's important to spend this time together as a team during the workday."

Read more: For ThreeFlow's Anitra St. Hilaire, the secret to leadership is putting people first

Madhavi Vemireddy, Cleo 

CEO
Madhavi Vemireddy 
On why caregivers need full-spectrum support: 

"Being a caregiver really opened our eyes to the fact that our healthcare system does not support families to the extent that it needs to," Vemireddy says. "It's not just about the clinical interventions, but everything else around that. Cleo is essentially the front door to not only the services we provide, but also helping navigate families to other relevant benefits."

Read more: Cleo CEO Madhavi Vemireddy leads from experience as a family caregiver

Brooke Wilson, CVS Health

Head of Resources for Living
Brooke Wilson 
On expanding the definition of mental health support: 

"If the majority of people are talking about mental well-being, I don't think that means the majority of people are saying 'I need therapy,'" Wilson says. "Everybody gets stuck, and it can impact people's performance at work as well as their ability to be engaged in their personal lives. We're here when people just might need a little more support to help you live your best life for yourself and your family members."

Read more: CVS Health's Brooke Wilson is helping redefine mental health

Mindy Zatto, Strategic Benefits Advisors

CEO and founding principal
Mindy Zatto
Mindy Zatto
On helping employees save and prepare for the long-term: 

"The horizon is very long, and what I can do is calculate what needs to be funded so the [retirement] plan can go on in perpetuity," Zatto says. "We've worked a lot as an industry on the accumulation phase, which is getting those balances built up. But we have to focus on the decumulation phase, so people know how to budget their money so they don't outlive it."

Read more: Mindy Zatto is helping employers build the right retirement plan
Alyssa Place
Editor-in-chief, Employee Benefit News
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