Meet Our Team
Astrea Arguello
Sr. Consultant, National Accounts, Employee Benefits
Astrea has worked as a mid-market employee benefits Producer and Consultant for fifteen years. She loves helping employers attract and retain a quality workforce through offering creative, well-balanced, cost effective employee benefit solutions. Driven by a desire to exceed her client’s expectations, her honesty, integrity, knowledge, and energy truly differentiate her within the industry. Astrea joined Alera Group in January 2018.
Outside the office, Astrea enjoys spending time with her family, reading, camping, watching football and traveling.
Andrea Bakken
Sr. Account Manager, Employee Benefits
Drawing upon her deep experience in healthcare, Andrea provides day-to-day support for employees, plan participants, and administrators—coordinating communications among service providers, resolving issues, advocating for participants with carriers, and more.
She split time between the hospital and insurance sides of the industry for 15 years before joining our team—working for Flagler Hospital in Florida, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Aetna and Health Insurance NW. Her roles included continuing medical education coordinator, patient access lead, account manager, and sr. agency operations administrator.
Andrea is licensed in both health and life insurance and earned a degree in Health Administration at the University of North Florida. She has a daughter, a yellow lab, and two cats adopted from a local cat rescue where she volunteers. A resident of Puyallup, Wash., Andrea enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring the outdoors, and cheering for her daughter at horse shows.
Kaleb Cervantes, C(k)P®
Associate Advisor, Retirement Plan Services
As a Retirement Plan Associate Advisor, Kaleb helps companies design retirement plan benefits that align with their mission and values, while ensuring a smooth and compliant plan administration. He leads annual plan reviews, providing in-depth analysis of key metrics, delivering employee education, offering fiduciary support, and staying up-to-date on legislative changes that affect plan design and management.
During his time at Pacific Lutheran University, Kaleb was selected to join the Master of Science Investment Fund, where he served as Head of Investment Research, contributing to the growth and strategic direction of the university's portfolio.
Kaleb holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Washington and a Master of Science in Finance from Pacific Lutheran University. He has earned several prestigious certifications in the retirement services industry, including the Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P®) designation and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®) designation. Kaleb also holds a Series 66 securities and investment advisory license, further expanding his expertise in retirement planning and investment solutions.
Kaleb is passionate about bringing people together—whether it's clients, colleagues, or communities—by fostering collaboration, improving productivity, and building trust. His approach is rooted in empowerment and providing confidence to those he works with. This mindset extends beyond his professional work, as Kaleb is actively involved in volunteering with children and families in his community. He has served as an interpreter and played a key role in supporting local youth events that encourage creativity and personal growth.
Fluent in Spanish, Kaleb enjoys staying active through basketball, capturing landscape photography, exploring astronomy, and traveling in his spare time. Investment advisory services offered through Alera Investment Advisors, LLC. Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.
Evan Connolly
Client Support Specialist, HR Services
Evan says her career has taught her the value of adaptability as she has moved from being a marine animal trainer to a rehabilitator of Hawaiian monk seals to working in the veterinary industry as an administrative coordinator. As an administrative coordinator, she focused heavily on project management, companywide communication, and supporting the senior leadership team. Now Evan looks forward to becoming a technical and administrative expert for systems, processes, and document management as she helps us provide excellent service.
A cum laude graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in Biology, Evan also is certified as a veterinary assistant, and she was the administrative coordinator at a specialty veterinary referral center before joining our team.
Evan lives in Tacoma with her husband, daughter, and the family dog. She’s naturally a big fan of the ocean and loves spending time outside hiking and gardening. On the rare moments when she has some spare time, you can find her curled up with a good book and a cup of tea.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Maximizing Impact: The Value of Voluntary Benefits for Today’s Workforce
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
HIPAA Privacy and Security Overview
Join our compliance experts for an overview of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules. During this webinar, we'll review the different types of entities subject to HIPAA, take an in-depth look at protected health information (PHI), individual rights under HIPAA, and what to do when there is a breach of PHI.
April 11, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Balancing Cost and Care: Could a Captive solution be the right fit for you?
In this session, our experts will discuss how Captive solutions work 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
Wealth Services
Filing a Final Tax Return: What You Need to Know
Handling tax matters after losing a loved one can be overwhelming, but certain filings are required if they earned income or had a sizable estate. Learn key deadlines, potential tax obligations, and important steps to ensure compliance while navigating this challenging time.
February 18, 2025
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Wealth Services
Weekly Market Update
Stocks advanced last week despite some intra-week volatility as investors showed concern about the economy's strength.
February 18, 2025
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Why Workers Leave Matching Dollars on the Table
Many employees unknowingly leave free retirement dollars on the table due to psychological biases like present bias, loss aversion, and decision paralysis. Understanding these barriers can help plan sponsors implement strategies that encourage higher contributions and ensure employees maximize their employer match.
February 11, 2025
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Wealth Services
Understanding Capital Gains and Losses: What You Need to Know
Understanding how capital gains and losses impact your taxes can help you make smarter investment decisions. Learn how different tax rates apply, strategies to offset gains with losses, and key considerations for maximizing tax efficiency.
February 11, 2025
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