Our KELLY Experts
Jennifer Berman , JD
Senior Vice President
Compliance and ERISA Counsel
KELLY
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 innovative 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
Senior Vice President
Senior Consultant
KELLY Benefit Strategies
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.
Melissa Erb, JD
Vice President, Corporate Compliance
KELLY
Melissa Erb, JD, serves as Vice President of Corporate Compliance, bringing more than 17 years of experience in insurance law, benefits law, health care law, HIPAA and COBRA to KELLY’s compliance team. While ensuring KELLY remains in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, she is also responsible for leading its corporate compliance program and serves as Chair of the Corporate Compliance and Security Committee as well as the Anti-Fraud Committee.
Prior to KELLY, Melissa served in various legal and compliance leadership roles at AEGON (now Transamerica), Carroll County Government, Security Title Guarantee Corporation of Baltimore, St. Joseph Medical Center and Hanover Hospital. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Bruce C. Mitchell
Vice President
Senior Consultant
KELLY Benefit Strategies
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.
John Newcome
Vice President and Senior Consultant
KELLY Benefit Strategies
John Newcome brings extensive experience in the insurance industry and a wealth of knowledge to the clients he serves as Vice President and Senior Consultant with KELLY Benefit Strategies (KBS).
John joined KBS in 2001 as a Senior Account Manager and since then has served as a strong client advocate, keeping businesses informed of changes within the health care industry and advising on how their impact may affect business operations. In his current role, John serves clients ranging in size from 500 to 25,000 employees. He is a member of KELLY’s Compliance Committee and the KELLY Technology Business Leadership Team.
Prior to joining KBS, John served as a claims adjudicator for a national third-party claims administrator and as a senior account manager with a Baltimore-based brokerage and consulting firm. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania and is an active member of the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators.
Connect with John on LinkedIn.
Sandy Walters
Executive Vice President and Senior Consultant
Chief Industry Information Officer
KELLY
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
Senior Consultant
KELLY Benefit Strategies
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.