Alera Group, Inc.

Houston, TX

    Our Team

    Meet Our Team

    Bill Brown

    Managing Director, South Central
    Photo of Bill Brown

    Bill Brown serves as Managing Director, South Central Region, covering Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky. His responsibilities include oversight of employee benefits, property and casualty insurance, wealth services and retirement services across the region. Working closely with Alera Group’s senior leaders, practice leaders and fellow regional leaders, Bill is focused on enhancing growth activities, creating new opportunities for colleagues to improve client relationships and produce meaningful outcomes.

    One of the founding partners of Alera Group, Bill has over 20 years of industry experience. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics.

    Heather Eshaghpour

    Regional Vice President, Employee Benefits Practice Leader
    Heather Eshaghpour

    Heather is the Regional Employee Benefits Practice Leader.   In her role, Heather collaborates with firms across the region leading initiatives on our client experience, our people, growth, and operational efficiencies.  Heather sits on our national employee benefits leadership team working with other practice leaders to drive innovation and growth within the employee benefits practice.

    Heather has over 25 years of experience in employee benefits having worked previously for both small and national consulting firms in client-facing and leadership roles.    Heather lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, son, and two Labrador retrievers.   She is an avid Nashville Predators Hockey fan.

    Mike Inman

    Vice President, Property and Casualty, South Central
    Mike Inman

    Vice President, Property and Casualty, South Central

    Nita Ponnaganti

    Vice President of Operations, South Central Region
    Nita Ponnaganti

    Vice President of Operations, South Central Region

    EXPERT EDUCATION

    Events and Webinars

    Employee Benefits

    Navigating Medicare: Educational Webinar

    The knowledgeable team at Alera Group is here to help you navigate your Medicare options to ensure you feel confident in your post-65 healthcare coverage.

    November 12, 2025 at 12:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    We have received nothing other than outstanding guidance, commitment, patience, and service… the entire experience has far exceeded my expectations.
    HR Director, Houston, Texas
    You guys are so great to us — always want to help as quickly as possible. Thanks for all you do to assist us. I love working with Alera Group: Texas.
    VP of Human Resources, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    I became a client and, by doing so, took our rm to a higher level of service.
    HR Director, Houston, Texas
    I just spoke with [an employee] and he was extremely complimentary of your assistance. You are the BEST. Our employees aren’t used to this, so it is a real pleasure for them to reach someone who actually cares and takes an interest in them.
    HR Director, Houston, Texas
    Thank you for your outstanding customer service.
    Sr. Human Resources Manager, Irving, Texas

    THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

    Insights

    Employee Benefits

    Legal Alert: Agencies Clarify How Certain Fertility Benefits May be Treated as Excepted Benefits

    This alert is of interest to all employers that offer fertility benefits or may be interested in offering fertility benefits in the future.

    November 4, 2025

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    Property and Casualty

    Top 5 Insurance Surprises Businesses Face in Q4 — and How to Prevent Them

    As year-end approaches, many organizations focus on closing out financials and planning for the year ahead. It’s also the time when insurance programs often reveal unexpected challenges, some avoidable, others the result of shifting market conditions or overlooked details.

    October 30, 2025

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    Employee Benefits

    Legal Alert: IRS Adjusts Health Flexible Spending Account and Other Benefit Limits for 2026

    This alert is of interest to all employers that sponsor health FSAs and qualified transit plans, among others.

    October 10, 2025

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    Employee Benefits

    2025 Leave Report: Insights to Guide 2026 Leave Planning

    Explore Alera Group’s 2025 Leave Report. Benchmark PTO, parental leave, and holiday policies to strengthen employee retention and recruitment as you plan for 2026 and beyond.

    October 1, 2025

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    See all of our articles and alerts

    Contact Us

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      Legal Fraud Disclaimer

      Alera Group, Inc. is aware that there are persons fraudulently impersonating our company by using fake internet domains that appear to look like our legitimate services. If you are contacted by someone claiming to work for Alera Group, or any of our partners, please carefully review the email address and domain. If you have a relationship with our company, please contact us directly and not through any information that is provided in such an email. Please be extremely careful in responding to such emails with personal and financial information, sharing passwords, or any other information of value. Alera Group, or any of our partners, will never send ACH instructions via email and thus we strongly recommend that you verify the authenticity of each wire transfer request by calling your Alera Group contact using the number you have previously called.