Meet Our Team

    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

    Greg Donovan

    Regional Finance Lead, South Central Region
    Greg Donovan

    Regional Finance Lead, South Central Region

    EXPERT EDUCATION

    Events and Webinars

    Quote from President and CEO

    The Alera Group met with us throughout the year to monitor claims and helped us develop mitigation strategies in real time. For me, the most important thing was that they shared our ethical commitment to our employees.
    President and CEO

    Quote from President and CEO

    Throughout my career, I have worked with several well-known companies on benefits. None have compared with the Alera Group.
    President and CEO

    Quote from Director of Human Resources

    The Alera Group has worked tirelessly and proactively to help us get the best product at a price we and our staff can afford.
    Director of Human Resources

    Quote from Executive Director

    The Alera Group has helped us to find innovative solutions to our unique challenges and has served as a strong ally for every employee.
    Executive Director

    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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      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.