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
Senior Client Support Specialist
Evan focuses on benefits administration, employee communication, and systems expertise for clients in a wide variety of industries—including medical institutions, companies with manual laborers, and government contractors.
A cum laude graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in biology and ecology, Evan worked as an animal care specialist and veterinary assistant before joining Alera Group. She also has rescued and rehabilitated Hawaiian monk seals as a volunteer with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
Evan lives in Florida and loves to be outdoors hiking, bike riding, and gardening. She enjoys good books and good food, and has a young daughter “who keeps me entertained and on my toes.”
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
The Compliance Pathway Q1
Alera Group's quarterly employee benefits compliance roundup will help you stay current on the latest national regulatory developments impacting employers.
March 5, 2026 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Alera Group Presents: Navigating Medicare
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.
March 11, 2026 at 12:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
The Funding Edge: Why Fully Insured Limits Control — and What Modern Funding Unlocks
A funding decision framework leaders can use to evaluate options and align on next steps.
March 17, 2026 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Property and Casualty
AI-Powered Cyber Attacks, Why Yesterday’s Defenses Aren’t Enough.
The widespread availability of AI technology, combined with the ease of manipulating video calls, makes phone and Zoom calls susceptible to exploitation by threat actors.
February 2, 2026
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Employee Benefits
IRS Releases Guidance Related to Recent HSA Changes
The IRS recently released Notice 2026-5, which provides guidance and answers to common questions related to the expanded availability of health savings accounts (“HSA”) under the Reconciliation Act (previously named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) passed into law earlier this year.
December 30, 2025
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Property and Casualty
Are you prepared for 2026? Property and Casualty Trends Uncovered
The sixth annual Property and Casualty Market Outlook from Alera Group sets the stage for how organizations can recalibrate their risk strategies in 2026. Built on thousands of data points — including a nationwide survey of insurance company partners and wholesale intermediaries — this report delivers actionable insights for insurance buyers, risk managers and business leaders.
December 17, 2025
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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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