About Us
TRUEbenefits is embracing our Alera Group brand to reflect our national capabilities, industry expertise and expanded resources in all areas of our business.
In 2017, TRUEbenefits and 23 firms across the nation joined to form Alera Group. Six years later, we are 180 firms strong, working together to leverage powerful relationships, industry experience and resources with the goal of supporting our clients’ business strategies and elevating the experience of working with us. By embracing our new branding of Alera Group, we will continue to bring our clients a personalized set of solutions while reflecting our expanded capabilities. What remains consistent is holding our clients at the core of our business.
We are excited about this next step in our evolution as we continue to build a great company with clients at our center. Through collaboration and teamwork, we will continue to offer you the resources of a national firm along with the personalized experience of a local partner.
As Alera Group, we are stronger together!
Beyond Benefits as Usual
We ask questions you haven’t heard before. Digging deeper gives us the understanding to customize cost-effective solutions that advance our clients’ business goals, see them through times of rapid change, and help recruit and retain the best people in their industries. Our clients know they can count on us for total transparency and an independent point of view. Our firm attracts passionate, industry-experienced people who value the time we give them to go above and beyond for our clients. It’s not enough to be reactive around renewal time. Together, we bring the strategic thinking, attention to detail and proactive perspective that employee benefits need all year round.
By delivering measurable results and client satisfaction, we have earned a Net Promoter Score of 88 —much higher than those of leading Fortune 500 companies. Most important, it earns our clients’ confidence that they’re getting higher value from every benefit dollar.
Meet Our Team
Meet our Team
Cherise Reese
Managing Partner
Cherise Reese has over twenty years of experience in the benefits consulting industry, with expertise in retail management and human resources. Cherise’s passion is focused on developing and growing her team, and in creating new avenues for success as they serve clients with excellence. With patience, integrity, and optimism, she works tirelessly to implement strategies that further the goals of the team and their clients. Cherise has been with Alera Group since 2008 and plans to continue to serve her team with dedication for many years to come. Cherise is a graduate of the University of Washington, and enjoys boating around the San Juans, collecting sea glass, watching football, and reading.
LinkedInBrent Schlosstein
Founder & Senior Partner
Brent Schlosstein is an entrepreneur and recognized employee benefits expert focused on building high performance health plans for progressive and employee-focused organizations. Passionate about transforming healthcare in an environment of transparency, collaboration, and professionalism, Brent’s responsible for driving growth and building a world-class consulting organization. Brent holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Washington and is one of just 250 healthcare consultants in the U.S. to be accredited by Health Rosetta. He’s Past President of the Lake Washington Human Resources Association and a member of numerous insurance Advisory Councils in Washington state. In his spare time, Brent continues to work on his golf game where, one day, he plans to shoot his age.
LinkedInAanya Lee
Senior Lead Consultant
Aanya Lee is thoughtful and strategic in working with employers in their ability to prioritize their most important resource, their human capital. She has over 15 years of experience working with employers of all sizes and industries to manage their health and benefits and relies heavily on her foundation of finance. Her hands-on approach to consulting paired with years of pharmacy and finance experience allow her to design best in class benefit strategies for employers, while ensuring members are never overlooked. Aanya joined Alera Group in 2019. When not strategizing, Aanya enjoys planning her next family vacation, baking and cheering on her daughters academic and athletic endeavors.
LinkedInAnn-Marie Clarke
Senior Consultant
Ann-Marie Clarke is commited to helping employers to develop strategies in cost management while maintaining industry competitive benefits programs in our ever-changing environment. Her passion for bringing vision of geographic market trends, industry specific design options and ideas for increased member engagement fuels her goal in maintaining client spend, providing an added layer for Human Resources teams, and educating members in consumerism. Ann-Marie takes pride in her best-in-class client service and believes the broker/client relationship is a true partnership. She joined Alera Group in 2022. Her other passions include running and core strengthening, hiking, lots of time with her spouse, three children and two Bernese Mountain dogs, and wine tastings in Woodinville.
LinkedInEXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Setting Your Strategy for the New Year: Alera Group's 2025 Employee Benefits Market Outlook
Our experts will highlight key results from Alera Group’s "2025 Employee Benefits Market Outlook" and explain how these trends can impact your benefits program this year.
January 16, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
The Value of Voluntary Benefits
In this session, our experts will showcase the value of voluntary benefits, from financial savings to improved retention to addressing the specific needs of their employees.
March 20, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Balancing Cost and Care: Could Captive Insurance Be the Solution?
In this session, our experts will discuss how Captive Insurance works and what you need to consider for your own group’s needs.
April 17, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
Don’t Forget About Your Gag Clause Attestations
When the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) was enacted on December 27, 2020, it included a provision that prohibits group health plans and health insurance carriers from entering into certain agreements that, either directly or indirectly, restrict the release of certain information related to provider networks and de-identified encounter data, among other things. Such restrictions are commonly referred to as “gag clauses.” The CAA also requires plans and carriers to attest annually that their agreements do not include such impermissible gag clauses.
November 20, 2024
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Employee Benefits
Avoiding an Employee Lawsuit Over a Tobacco Surcharge Claim
Tobacco surcharges on health insurance premiums for employees who use tobacco products are attractive options for employers looking to keep their workforce healthy while lowering their organization’s healthcare costs. But surcharges can go too far, and many employers may be unaware of the limitations. Alera Group's new whitepaper on tobacco surcharges is designed to assist employers in complying with federal regulations.
November 19, 2024
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Q4 Considerations: New HIPAA Privacy Considerations
Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Final Rule titled HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy.
November 15, 2024
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Spotlight on 2025 Benefit Limits
The IRS has released the 2025 benefit plan limits. The following chart shows some of the key limits for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 tax years.
November 15, 2024
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