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
2025 Healthcare and Employee Benefits Benchmarking Report: How Does Your Benefits Program Stack Up?
In this session, our experts will dive into the results of our annual, market-leading benchmarking survey.
June 26, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Dynamic Data: Strategies for Success
Join us for this session, as our experts will share how to utilize your organization’s data to create advanced and innovative strategies for success.
July 17, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Wealth Services
State of the Markets
Join us as we unveil the factors that drive the nation's financial pulse and how they may impact your personal finances.
July 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Wealth Services
Protecting Your Business from the Loss of a Key Person
The unexpected loss of a key team member can disrupt operations and impact your bottom line. Explore how key person insurance can help your business stay resilient and maintain continuity during a critical transition.
May 20, 2025
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Wealth Services
Weekly Market Update
Stocks roared higher last week, powered by upbeat trade news and tame inflation reports.
May 19, 2025
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Agencies Push Pause Button on Enforcement of MHPAEA 2024 Final Rule
On May 15, 2025, the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Treasury Department (collectively, the “Agencies”) released a statement regarding the Agencies’ recent request for abeyance of a lawsuit filed by the ERISA Industry Committee (“ERIC”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that challenged certain aspects of Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) Final Rule (“2024 Final Rule”) relating to nonquantitative treatment limitation comparative analyses (“NQTL analyses”).
May 16, 2025
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Wealth Services
The Practical Value of Insuring Against Life’s Risks
Unexpected events can derail even the best-laid financial plans, yet many people remain underinsured. This article explores how the right coverage can help protect your income and support your long-term goals.
May 16, 2025
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