Our presenters are industry experts chosen for their knowledge and experience.  

Each KELLY University symposium features a panel of speakers recognized for their insight into the most pertinent issues in health care and employee benefits today. Below are just a few of the industry leaders who regularly present at KELLY University:

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Our KELLY Experts

Jennifer Berman , JD 

 

Jennifer Spiegel Berman, JD, officially joined the KELLY team in 2016 after many years serving as a trusted resource to the organization and its clients. In her dual roles as senior vice president of compliance and ERISA counsel, Jen consults with KELLY’s clients regarding ongoing employee benefit compliance issues. Jen also works with the consulting and account management teams to help design and implement innovatative benefit strategies within the confines of the many applicable legal requirements now impacting employee benefit plans; including the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, ACA, wellness plan rules and other applicable statutes.

Jennifer graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2006, where she was editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor and Employment Law. Jennifer also completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Jennifer is admitted to practice in Maryland and Washington, D.C. 

Connect with Jen on LinkedIn.

 

Jason Danner

 

Jason Danner oversees all business development and client retention operations for the Delaware Valley market for KELLY. Jason also sits on the KELLY Benefit Strategies’ Senior Leadership Team, with his staff serving the benefit needs of clients throughout the country.

Jason was instrumental in launching KELLY University as an ongoing learning series, educating customers on employee benefit issues. Jason also serves as campaign director for the public-private health promotion campaign, Motivate The First State, encouraging healthy living among the citizens of his home state of Delaware.

Jason graduated cum laude from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education with a concentration on nutrition.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn. 

 

Bruce C. Mitchell

 

Focusing on large market business development, as well as strategic client support and project leadership, Bruce Mitchell specializes in benefit strategies and plan designs that ensure clients implement the best programs to support their culture, business goals and risk tolerance.

Having started his career with a regional consulting firm and later serving as principal at Mercer and as a senior member of the consulting team at Aon Hewitt for 20 years prior to joining KELLY, Bruce has more than 35 years of experience in the employee benefits industry.

Bruce received his Bachelor of Arts degree from The Johns Hopkins University, is a graduate of Leadership Baltimore County and holds a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation.

Connect with Bruce on LinkedIn. 

 

Sandy Walters

 

Sandy Walters has more than 30 years of operational leadership and employee benefits/insurance industry experience. Prior to joining KELLY, Sandy served as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of United American Healthcare Corporation. In 1988, Sandy co-founded Corporate Healthcare Financing, Inc., a national health care consulting firm, serving as President until 1993. Earlier in his career, he was Chief of Operations and Management Analysis at the Department of Licensing and Regulations for the State of Maryland.

Sandy is an active member of the Society of Professional Benefits Administrators and currently serves as its Past Chairman. In addition, Sandy was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to the Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission in 2017 and the Task Force to Study Cooperative Purchasing of Health Insurance in 2019. Sandy was involved in developing the rules for waiver for groups not meeting annual and lifetime limits. He has also influenced the IRS on how the adoption of W-2 rules and guidelines will be implemented. He is active in framing implementation of many other aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

A graduate of the University of Maryland, Sandy also earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore.

Connect with Sandy on LinkedIn. 

 

Cheri Wheeler

 

Cheri Wheeler draws from her more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry to serve as the chief strategist and consultant on several of KELLY’s premier Large Group accounts, specializing in self-funded medical plans, pharmacy benefit management, employee engagement, wellness, compliance and contract review.

In her current role, Cheri is also responsible for the evaluation, implementation and ongoing effectiveness of KELLY’s services including technology, client integration, communications, plan management reporting and enhanced benefits. She brings a well-rounded career perspective to health and welfare consulting, having previously worked for a claims-paying third-party administrator and for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Cheri holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Hobart/William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.

Connect with Cheri on LinkedIn. 

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Past Speakers

Cory Easton 

Co-Founder/Partner, Confidio 

 

Cory Easton has more than 30 years’ experience in health care cost management, having spent 10 years working in population health management at Intracorp and more than 17 years in various positions at Express Scripts, Inc., most recently serving as vice president of sales. Throughout his career, Cory has had the privilege of working with some of the nation’s largest, most complex health benefit plans.

Cory is a frequent and passionate public speaker, often called on to present his perspectives and strategies on topics related to integrated health care cost management. Cory received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Connect with Cory on LinkedIn.

 

 

MaryEllen Elie 

Regional Market Leader 

 

While working towards a Bachelor of Science at Towson University, MaryEllen started an internship through Interactive Health, where she implemented onsite wellness programming for employees of John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. During this time, she studied her craft through the American Council on Exercise, and became certified as a Behavior Change Specialist and personal trainer. She fell in love with workplace wellness and spent a seven-year period as director of the wellness program for Johns Hopkins Hospital/Health System. MaryEllen has since moved into her role as Regional Market Leader at Interactive Health, Inc., working with clients in the DMV area, as well as Delaware and West Virginia.

 

 

Todd Martin 

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer 

 

As the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for PinnacleCare, Todd is responsible for accelerating growth and profitability through the development of new and existing distribution channels. Since joining PinnacleCare in 2012, Todd has developed the go-to market sales strategy for PinnacleCare’s group model that currently supports over 3 million lives. He has developed strategies to incorporate health advisory services into new distribution channels, and spearheads the marketing efforts to bring health advisory services to the forefront of modern-day health care.

 

 

Dr. Bruce Panasuk

 

Dr. Bruce Panasuk is a thoracic surgeon at Wilmington VA Medical Center, where he has served in various roles since 2008, including Chief of Surgical Services, Associate Chief of Surgery and Interim Chief of Staff.

Dr. Panasuk earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed his general and cardiothoracic surgery residencies at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, also in Philadelphia. In addition to building his clinical practice, Dr. Panasuk has chosen to spend much of his career educating and training surgeons.

Dr. Panasuk has spoken at a number of human resource regional conferences including Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Penjerdel Employee Benefits and Compensation Association (PEBA), as well as the national SHRM Annual Conference in 2009. In 2014, he became a certified facilitator for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (FranklinCovey) and Crucial Conversations (VitalSmarts).

 

 

Sonja Quale, PharmD 

 

Sonja Quale, PharmD, possesses a unique blend of clinical, technology and analytics expertise. A seasoned health care executive with a passion for integrating empirical data and evidenced-based clinical outcomes, Sonja’s deep understanding of pharmacy trends enables her to identify new product development opportunities, create technical changes that improve efficiencies, and maximize the value of data to improve patient care and strengthen organizations financially.

Prior to joining Confidio, Sonja most recently served as Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at PharMerica Corporation. In previous capacities, she served as Vice President of Client and Sales Analytics at Express Scripts and as a pharmacist with both Target and Massachusetts General Hospital-Pediatrics & Oncology Department.

Sonja received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy, and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy.

Connect with Sonja on LinkedIn.

 

 

Marjory D. Robertson, JD 

 

Marjory D. Robertson, JD, advises Sun Life Financial on employment law issues, including legal issues related to absence and disability management for its employees. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School, she also supports and provides legal oversight for Sun Life’s absence and ADA administration products. She is a frequent presenter on legal and compliance absence management issues at conferences and at Sun Life broker meetings, and prides herself on being entertaining as much as educating at both employee and broker events.