Jim Blue
President
Jim Blue
Jim Blue is the President of Alera Group. Previously, Jim served as the CEO of Marsh & McLennan Agency, New England, where he led exponential growth efforts and developed global resources. In his role with Alera Group, Jim focuses on leading revenue growth, integrating new firms within the national culture, and developing and executing strategic initiatives.
Jim is a graduate of Boston College (Finance and Marketing focus) and has his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) designations. He serves on a number of boards and is very active fundraising for numerous community non-for-profits.
Danielle Capilla
Vice President of Compliance, Employee Benefits
Danielle Capilla
Danielle is a Vice President and the Director of Compliance for Alera’s Employee Benefits division. She previously served as the Senior Vice President of Compliance and Operations and Chief Compliance officer at United Benefit Advisors (UBA). Additionally, she served as an Adjunct Professor at DePaul University. She worked as a Senior Writer Analyst at Wolters Kluwer and as a Law Clerk at Clifford Law Offices.
Danielle graduated with a B.A. in Sociology, History, and Business at Tulane University. She earned her JD in Health Law from DePaul University College of Law.
Brian Caracciolo
Chief Financial Officer
Brian Caracciolo
Brian Caracciolo is the Chief Financial Officer of Alera Group. Previously, Brian held the position of Director of Finance at Baxter. Prior to that, he held the position of Chief Accounting Officer at Hub International and was formerly a Senior Manager at PwC, where his clients included a variety of public and private companies in the insurance industry. Brian is a CPA in the state of Illinois.
Brian holds a Masters of Accounting, BBA, which he earned from the University of Texas at Austin.
William Corrigan
Chief Operating Officer
William Corrigan
William (Billy) Corrigan is the Chief Operating Officer of Alera Group. Prior to joining the firm, William held the position of chief financial officer for the International Division at Marsh. He was responsible for the financial results of Marsh’s $3B business outside of North America. William also served as Cheif Financial Officer of Marsh & McLennan Agency, which, when he joined, was a newly formed company within Marsh to focus on growing U.S. middle market business primarily through acquisitions of independent agencies.
William earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Caledonian University located in Glasgow. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Carolyn Cox
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Carolyn Cox
Carolyn is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Alera Group. Prior to joining Alera, she served as the Assistant General Counsel – M&A at DaVita, Inc, and as the Corporate Counsel for Marsh & McLennan Companies. She prides herself on being a seasoned corporate and insurance regulatory attorney with significant M&A experience.
Carolyn graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.S. in Business (Finance and Accounting). She then graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a J.D.
Bill Doucette
Vice President of Organization Development
Bill Doucette
Bill Doucette is the Vice President of Organization Development at Alera Group, Inc. He served as the Vice President of Human Resources at NES Rentals Holdings for 15 years. He served as the Vice President of Human Resources at Edward Don & Company, the Director of Human Resources at Redi-Cut Foods, Inc, and as the Director of Human Resources and Equity Partner at Fresh Start Foods Limited Partnership. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Benedictine University.
Bill graduated with a BSBA in Business Administration – Human Resources from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has a MSIR in Industrial Relations from Loyola University Chicago and a Ph.D. in Organization Development from Benedictine University.
Mark Englert
Executive Vice President, Property & Casualty
Mark Englert
Mark Englert is an Executive Vice President and the Property & Casualty Practice Leader for Alera Group. In this capacity, Mark is responsible for leading the development of world-class Property & Casualty solutions for Alera Group clients. He works closely with firms across the nation to enhance client experiences, build out new capabilities and coordinate services and resources between firms.
Mark brings over 25 years of insurance industry and related experience to Alera Group, most recently as Managing Director at USI Insurance Services. Prior to that, he was Managing Director and leader of Wells Fargo Insurance Services’ Metro Partnership.
Mark holds both a BBA and MBA from St. John’s University.
Eric Eschliman
Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis
Eric Eschliman
Eric Eschliman is the Vice President of FP&A at Alera Group. Prior to joining Alera, Eric was an investment banking Associate at Robert W. Baird in the Technology & Business Services Group. At Baird, Eric provided analytical support and insight on mergers and acquisitions, equity offerings and other financial advisory services. Prior to Baird, Eric was in the Industrials Group at Brown Gibbons Lang.
Eric graduated from Miami University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Finance.
Michael Gluck
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Michael Gluck
Michael Gluck is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Alera Group. Michael has served as the Director of Marketing for GCG Financial, LLC, and in the Global Human Resource Solution (GHRS) division of PriceWaterHouseCoopers where he spent much of his time working to build “Centers of Excellence” and roll out E-leaning initiatives with Fortune 500 clients. Michael was a member of Vistage International from 2015-2017 and served as president of Securian Financial’s Agency Management Resource Group.
Michael graduated with a B.A. Degree from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and earned his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois.
Tina Hohman
Executive Vice President, Wealth Management
Tina Hohman
Tina Hohman is an Executive Vice President at Alera Group and serves as the National Practice Leader of Wealth Management. She is responsible for wealth management services offered throughout Alera Group, including individual insurance, investments and financial planning. Tina’s expertise is in creating high performing platforms with best in class operations, services and partners.
Tina has over 25 years of experience in the insurance and investment industry. Before her role with Alera Group, Tina was the Chief Operating Officer, Wealth Management, at GCG Financial, an Alera Group company. Prior to GCG, Tina was the Director of Client Services at Cleary Gull. She led the Investment Advisory Private Client Group in specialized client service, operations and marketing.
Tina graduated with a B.A. in International Business and Spanish from Illinois State University.
Matt Kistler
Vice President, Business Development
Matt Kistler
As a Vice President and the Director of Business Development, Matt is a critical part of Alera Group’s continued growth. Matt brings more than 12 years of insurance experience to Alera Group and has been nationally recognized as being one of the “Rising Stars in Advising” by Employee Benefit Advisor Magazine. Matt was the former Vice President of Business Development at United Benefit Advisors (UBA) where he worked with the leadership of insurance agencies across the country as a strategic industry consultant. In 2016, Matt joined LHD Benefit Advisors in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he helped CFOs, CEOs and human capital executives navigate the complexities of their employee benefits program.
Matt attended Taylor University in Indiana and graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies.
Alan J. Levitz
Chief Executive Officer
Alan J. Levitz
Alan J. Levitz is the Chief Executive Officer of Alera Group and has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry. He most recently served as chief executive officer of GCG Financial, Inc., providing visionary and strategic leadership to the firm. Under his leadership, GCG Financial, Inc. grew into a multi-dimensional insurance and financial services company providing benefits, property and casualty, risk management, and wealth management products and services to thousands of individuals, families, and businesses.
Alan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado and has since earned several industry designations, including Certified Financial Planner™ professional, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC). Alan has been published in many industry journals on topics ranging from management issues to retirement planning and has been called on to serve on advisory boards for several financial services product providers.
Richard Levitz
Practice Leader, Retirement Services
Richard Levitz
As the national Practice Leader for Alera Group’s Retirement Services division, Rick is responsible for wealth management services offered throughout Alera Group, including individual insurance, investment and financial planning. Rick’s areas of focus include life insurance, estate planning, business succession and executive compensation strategies. In addition, Rick continues to work directly with clients focusing on complex planning needs for high net worth individuals.
Education: BSBA in Finance from the University of Denver; Magna cum laude, University of Illinois College of Law
Robert J. Lieblein
Chief Development Officer
Robert J. Lieblein
Robert J. Lieblein is the Chief Development Officer for Alera Group. With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Robert has been involved in more than 150 M&A transactions throughout his career. Most recently, Robert served as executive vice president on the Mergers & Acquisitions team for Marsh, Berry & Co., Inc. He was responsible for a wide variety of activities relating to deal execution on the buy side and sell side of M&A transactions. He is an expert in acquisition analysis, transaction valuation and structuring, acquisition strategy, due diligence, negotiations, and post-acquisition consulting.
Robert earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, Mathematics, and Computer Science from Shippensburg University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and maintains his Series 62, 79, and 63 FINRA Registrations.
Peter Marathas Jr.
Chief Legal Officer
Peter Marathas Jr.
Peter Marathas serves as the Chief Legal Counsel to Alera Group. Peter is one of the nation’s leading employee benefits and executive compensation lawyers with close to 25 years of experience in the industry. He has earned a solid national reputation as being among a short list of employee benefits attorneys who can guide his clients through complex federal and state benefits, compensation laws and tax, securities, ERISA, and corporate governance issues.
Peter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree from Bradley University. He also graduated magna cum laude from University of Illinois with his Juris Doctor degree. Peter is a prolific author, writer, and active speaker on all employee benefits matters. He is licensed in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Florida.
Debra Martinez
Chief Human Resources Officer
Debra Martinez
Debra Martinez serves as the Chief HR Officer of Alera Group. In this role, Martinez leads the strategic direction of all aspects of talent management, including training and development, diversity & inclusion, employee compensation, benefits and retention and M&A integration efforts. Her expertise lies in aligning HR processes and programs with ongoing business goals, along with developing effective recruiting, development and retention programs.
Martinez holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Roosevelt University and Bachelor of Arts from Chicago State University. She is based out of Houston, Texas.
John Mollica
Vice President, Business Intelligence and Transformation
John Mollica
John Mollica serves as the Vice President of Business Intelligence and Transformation at Alera Group, overseeing the firm’s data and analytics strategy across the United States. Mollica is an accomplished industry executive with over 20 years of experience in Financial Services, most recently working as Head of Product and General Manager of RiskMatch, Inc., a subsidiary of Vertafore, Inc.
Mollica graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management, Operations and Strategic Management from Boston College.
Dino Papadopoulos
Corporate Controller
Dino Papadopoulos
Dino Papadopoulos is the Corporate Controller of Alera Group and previously served as the Alera’s Director of Financial Reporting. Prior to joining Alera, Dino was the Manager of External Reporting at Baxter International and also served in the audit practice of Grant Thornton, LLP. Dino’s expertise in accounting and finance, particularly in the areas of reporting, technical accounting, debt transactions, and acquisition accounting and integration has been cultivated through his work in both public and private company environments.
Dino holds a Master of Science in Accounting, which he earned from Marquette University.
Sally Prather
Executive Vice President, Employee Benefits
Sally Prather
Sally Prather is an Executive Vice President and the Employee Benefits Practice Leader for Alera Group. In this role, Sally focuses on the continued development of Alera Group’s employee benefits practice, including platform expansion and resource coordination. She works with firms across the country to strengthen the Alera Group value proposition through unparalleled benefits resources and strategy.
Sally has more than 25 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Alera Group, Sally served as Vice President, Paychex Insurance Agency. Before that, she was the Head of Employee Benefits Business at Marsh & McLennan Agency.
Sally graduated from Marietta College with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management.
Tina Santelli, CBC, CBDS
Vice President, Carrier Partner Management
Tina Santelli, CBC, CBDS
Tina Santelli serves as Vice President, Carrier Partner Management for Alera Group. Tina is responsible for leading key top-tier partnerships at Alera Group, strategically developing relationships with preferred carriers. She maintains and strengthens existing carrier relationships, as well as identifying new strategic partnerships that will benefit Alera Group’s clients across the country.
Tina’s previous experience includes serving as Vice President of Specialty Benefits with GCG Financial, where she provided clients with ancillary solutions. Before her time with GCG, she worked with Unum for 13 years on the sales and service side.
Tina attended Harrington Institute of Design in Illinois and graduated with a degree in Interior Design.
Robert Svenson
Vice President of Technology
Robert Svenson
Robert served as the Director of Information Technology at GCG Financial. Prior to that, he was the founder of 365 IT Support, Inc. / Svenson Consulting, which focused on providing small businesses the power and professionalism of a much larger company’s IT Department.
Robert graduated with an Associate’s degree from Harper College, and a degree in Information Technology from Northern Illinois University.
Brian Sweeney
Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions
Brian Sweeney
Brian Sweeny brings over 20 years of experience to the Alera Group team. He started as a Financial Analyst at Stanley Black & Decker, Inc before becoming the CFO for SIG for 18 years. During that time, he was a winner of the 2016 Executive Management Awards by Baltimore SmartCEO. When SIG joined Alera Group, Brian became the Director of Business Development. He switched roles a year later to become Vice President and the Director of Mergers and Acquisitions.
Brian graduated from the University of Maryland College Park with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, General.
Jim Wochele
Vice President, Sales Development
Jim Wochele
Jim Wochele is an accomplished consultant, sales manager and keynote speaker who has provided proven activity-based and process-driven selling strategies to agencies and brokers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Prior to joining Alera Group, Jim spent nine years at MarshBerry, moving from Sales Management Consultant to Vice President of Consulting.