Our Team

Mike Roche joined The Alliance in 2015. He is responsible for working with prospective employers, their broker/consultant and their TPA partners to introduce them to self-funded health benefit strategies; sharing data-based information to manage their health care spend; and serving as a voice of The Alliance to expand our membership.

Mike has a strong background in health benefits and self-funding. He previously served as a regional sales advisor for Digital Benefits Advisors in Madison, Wisconsin, where he managed the health benefits for more than 160 credit union clients across 14 states. Prior to that position, Mike worked at CUNA Mutual Group in their employee benefits division for almost 10 years as an employee benefits sales specialist.

Mike has a bachelor’s degree with a double major in marketing and business administration and is licensed in both health and life insurance in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Montana.

Jennifer Austin joined The Alliance in 2019 and currently leads the teams managing current employer-members and marketing and communication efforts. Before joining The Alliance, Jennifer worked at a number of companies in Chicago and Madison, focusing on marketing and strategy development for hospitals and health systems, including Advocate Healthcare (now Advocate Aurora Health), Augusta University Health, and HCA Healthcare.

Jennifer has a master’s degree in Global Marketing, Communications, and Advertising from Emerson College and a bachelor’s degree in Art and English from The University of Iowa.

Vicki Faust joined The Alliance in 2024, serving as an Account Executive for our employer-members and our partners. She has over 25 years of experience, including working as a Large Group Account Executive at Dean Health Plan/Prevea360 and a Large Group Account Executive at WPS Health Insurance.

Kristin Robert joined The Alliance in 2024 as an Account Executive. She has over 15 years of experience, including roles at UnitedHealth Care, Employer Account Executive at Prime Therapeutics, and Large Group Sales Account Executive at Quartz Health Solutions.

Deb Kunferman joined The Alliance in 2013 and now serves as Vice President of Provider Contracting & Relations. Kunferman leads the team responsible for constructing a provider network that brings value to employer healthcare purchasing by providing direction and oversight of provider network development strategies, including maintaining and growing provider partnerships.

Kunferman previously served as CEO at Cumberland Memorial Hospital, where she oversaw the fiscal budget, 26 departments, and 285 employees. Other prior roles include CEO at Oakleaf Surgical Hospital and Executive Director for Valley Health Plan, an insurance plan in Eau Claire, WI.

Kunferman earned her Master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and has served on several Boards in the Eau Claire community over the course of her career, including United Way and Children’s Service Society. She was also elected as the first female president of Kiwanis Club in the organization’s 42-year history.

Holly Dooley joined The Alliance in 2020 as Provider Contracting & Relations Manager where she oversees provider relationship management and strategy to help employers get more value from their health plans.

Holly brings more than 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry, including roles with a nationwide insurer, a major provider health system, and a family-owned benefits brokerage firm in Western Wisconsin.

Jess Ellefson joined The Alliance in 2015 and now serves as Provider Contracting & Relations Specialist, where she focuses on improving employer health plans through the creation of high-value provider networks and growing provider relationships. Jess previously served as Project Coordinator – Health Care Transformation as the initial point of contact for value measurement programs at The Alliance.

Jess has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including healthcare marketing, claims, emergency services coordinator, and projects for compliance and coding.

Jill Hamus joined The Alliance in 2022 as a Provider Contracting & Relations Manager, where she establishes and maintains relationships with healthcare providers to grow The Alliance networks. Jill’s previous roles include Provider Relations Account Manager at Security Health Plan of Wisconsin and Nurse Case Manager at Ascension Saint Joseph’s Hospital.

Jill has 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including provider relations, account management, and case management. She also worked as a registered nurse in Wisconsin for 20 years.

Mark Bennehoff joined The Alliance in 2023 as a Legal Contracting and Provider Relations Manager. In this role, he develops and maintains The Alliance’s provider network in designated markets. He leads efforts to collaborate with providers on quality metrics so employers can make informed decisions and better manage their healthcare costs.

Mark has over 25 years of experience working for providers, payers, and as a healthcare consultant with a focus on contract analysis, management, and provider contract negotiations and partnerships.

Cheryl DeMars joined The Alliance in 1992, assuming several roles before becoming CEO in December 2006. Cheryl works with the Board of Directors and senior leadership team to establish the strategic direction of the cooperative.

Cheryl participates in a number of national and regional initiatives that align with The Alliance’s mission of controlling costs, improving quality, and engaging individuals in their health. She serves as board chair of the Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHIO) and is a board member for Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality.

Prior to joining The Alliance, Cheryl was a program manager at Meriter Hospital in Madison. She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Melina Kambitsi joined The Alliance in 2017 and leads the team responsible for membership growth and retention of the cooperative. Dr. Kambitsi comes to The Alliance from Network Health in Milwaukee and Menasha, Wisconsin. where she was chief sales and strategy officer. In this role, she was responsible for sales and underwriting, strategic planning, product development, and risk-based contract analytics. Prior, she was senior vice president of sales at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the vice president of sales, marketing, and product development at Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Kambitsi currently serves on National CooperativeRx’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Kambitsi received her bachelor’s in international studies and her master’s and doctorate degrees in economic geography at The Ohio State University. She speaks Greek fluently, as well as four other languages (Spanish, French, Romanian, and Russian).

Deb Kunferman joined The Alliance in 2013 and now serves as Vice President of Provider Contracting & Relations. Kunferman leads the team responsible for constructing a provider network that brings value to employer healthcare purchasing by providing direction and oversight of provider network development strategies, including maintaining and growing provider partnerships.

Kunferman previously served as CEO at Cumberland Memorial Hospital, where she oversaw the fiscal budget, 26 departments, and 285 employees. Other prior roles include CEO at Oakleaf Surgical Hospital and Executive Director for Valley Health Plan, an insurance plan in Eau Claire, WI.

Kunferman earned her Master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and has served on several Boards in the Eau Claire community over the course of her career, including United Way and Children’s Service Society. She was also elected as the first female president of Kiwanis Club in the organization’s 42-year history.

Doug Benzine joined The Alliance in 2022 as VP of Finance and Operations where he oversees the claims and customer service, finance, MIS, and HR departments, as well as business planning and reporting.

Doug has over 30 years’ experience in business finance and organizational operations, including VP of Operations at WPS Health Solutions, where he orchestrated the expansion of the fastest-growing, most profitable division of the organization from 275 employees to more than 800 while managing the largest federal Veteran Affairs (VA) health claims administration contract in the nation using a $95 million budget that processed 18 million medical claims per year.

Doug earned his BBA in finance at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, and his MBA from UW-Madison’s school of business. Benzine has lived, worked, and served the Madison area for most of his career, serving on the Board of Directors for several organizations, including Summit Credit Union, Wind River Financial, and the Benzine/Anderson Foundation.

One of the largest non-ferrous foundry groups in the Americas specializing in sand & die castings for the plumbing, fire protection, petroleum, and electrical industries.

Beier has been the chief financial officer of Fall River Group since 2021 after joining as vice president of finance in 2020. As CFO, he has responsibility for finance and operations. Beier has considerable experience with multinational corporations in global finance, operations and strategy, and accounting. Prior to joining Fall River Group, where he also serves as board treasurer, Beier spent 13 years at Fiskars Group and held leadership roles in the United States and Finland. As head of finance for supply chain, he oversaw finance for a $700 million global supply chain division and was responsible for the accounting, reporting, budgeting, strategic planning, transfer pricing and banking activity across multinational subsidiaries. Beier received his MBA from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and completed undergraduate studies in accounting and finance at the Universities of Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin-Eau Claire, respectively. Beier joined The Alliance Board of Directors in 2022.

World-leading provider of bovine genetics, reproduction services, technologies and udder care products.

Campbell joined ABS Global, a division of Genus PLC, in 2018 as head of human resources for the company’s 2,000 employees worldwide. His responsibilities include focusing the organization’s human resources on serving as a business partner in developing talent to meet strategic and tactical needs. Campbell was previously employed at Glanbia as human resources, vice president and at CUNA Mutual Group as HR business partner leader, vice president. Earlier, he held positions at Think3 Inc., Cadence Design Systems Inc. and Applied Materials Inc. He has an MA in languages from The University of Edinburgh in Scotland and a PgD in human resources management from Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland. Campbell joined The Alliance Board of Directors in 2018.

Global leaders in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry.

Clark has been the benefits manager at Promega Corporation since July 2016. In this role, she designs and manages all health and welfare, leave of absence and retirement programs, including all compliance activities. Clark previously held Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certifications. Before her role at Promega, Clark was employed at QBE as a lead benefits analyst and has held positions at Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare, Festival Foods and CUNA Mutual Group. Clark joined The Alliance Board of Directors in 2017. She has served as board chair since 2021.

An innovator in health insurance and a worldwide leader in claims administration, serving millions of beneficiaries around the globe.

Klos has been with WPS Health Solutions since 2013 when she joined the company as the director of learning and talent management. In her current role as chief people officer, Klos leads the people team which includes human resources, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and corporate communications. She has a passion for transforming cultures and enhancing the employee experience. As part of the enterprise leadership team, Klos drives strategic priorities to ensure enterprise profitability, growth, and a thriving culture. Prior to her roles at WPS, Klos was the director of talent management for Simmons Bedding Company and a business and economic development consultant at Blackhawk Technical College. Klos received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s in continuing adult and vocational education from the same university.

A value-added, socially- responsible processor of great-tasting chicken products.

Ludwig joined Brakebush Brothers in 2004, transitioning into controlling health plan expenses in 2014 as the company ventured from fully insured to self-insured. Ludwig developed Brakebush’s Centers of Excellence program which includes steerage to high value providers as well as an international pharmacy. Brakebush opened their first fulltime onsite clinic in Westfield, WI in 2016 offering primary medical, musculoskeletal disorder prevention and rehab, mental health services, Rx dispensing, and other services. Their second clinic opened in their Irving, TX facility in 2021, and plans are in the works for adding onsite services at two other locations. In 2018, Brakebush was awarded The Alliance Healthcare Transformation Award. The following year, Ludwig was presented with the Employer/Purchaser Excellence Award (National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions) in recognition of innovation in healthcare strategy. Each year since becoming self-insured, Brakebush has maintained annual per member costs lower than their first year. Ludwig received a bachelor’s degree in occupational safety from UW Whitewater.

Family-owned, international leader of manufacturing and distribution of weight-related products and process-control equipment.

Nolin joined Rice Lake Weighing Systems in 2011 and is currently serving as vice president of human resources. In this role, Nolin focuses on providing high-value healthcare, leading organizational development, guiding E&S, and directing international HR. Prior to his current role, Nolin held human resources leadership positions at Fortune Brands, Newell-Rubbermaid, and GKN. Nolin holds an MBA in human resources management and a master’s degree in business law. He is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources, a Master Trainer for Mission Directed Workteams, and a Master Facilitator for Investment in Excellence and Thought Patterns for High Performance. Nolin joined The Alliance Board of Directors in 2020.

Leaders in business technology with locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Olm joined Gordon Flesch Company as vice president of human resources in 2010. He previously served in human resource leadership positions at Edgerton Hospital and Health Services, CUNA Mutual Group, Allstate Insurance Company and Avon Products. Olm is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He also served as an active duty commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. Olm has served on The Alliance Board of Directors since 2013 and served as board chair in 2015 and 2016.

Comprehensive financial services from Madison to Milwaukee, including checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, auto and student loans, and investments.

Peterson joined UW Credit Union in 2009 as director of human resources and organizational development. In 2020, Peterson became senior vice president and chief people officer. In this role, she developed the strategic vision and roadmap for human resources and employee experience that aligns the company’s employee strategy with business strategies. Peterson has over two decades of human resources experience, including serving as the vice president of employee and volunteer services at Agrace Hospice. Peterson received a master’s in strategic leadership from Robert Wesleyan College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration in personnel and human resources management from UW-Whitewater.

Heavy manufacturing company of centrifugal castings for numerous industries regularly employing approximately 125 employees.

Reading has been with Spuncast since June 2003. He oversaw the accounting and finance department as CFO and was later promoted to the VP of finance. In March 2015, Reading was promoted to president of Spuncast Inc. Reading has also served on the Board of Directors for Spuncast since 2004. In October 2022, he helped convert the company to a 100% employee-owned company. Along with overseeing operations, Reading remains involved in negotiating agreements in health and business insurance renewals. Reading has served on The Alliance Board of Directors since 2011.

One of the nation’s leading manufacturers of windows and doors for the residential and commercial markets.

Tomsyck has been a vice president of Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co., Inc. since April 1992. In this role, he is responsible for all accounting, credit and collection, tax, treasury, risk management and fleet operations for the company. He works extensively with human resources in the management of benefits offered to employees. In addition, as a member of the Executive Committee, Tomsyck provides leadership and guidance to all areas of the company. Tomsyck has been actively involved with the Northcentral Employers Healthcare Alliance since its inception in 1997, serving on its Board of Directors since 2003, lastly as president. Prior to joining Kolbe & Kolbe, Tomsyck held the position of senior manager at KPMG, LLC Certified Public Accountants where he directed the annual audit process for over fifty clients in a variety of manufacturing and service industries. Tomsyck graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, comprehensive accounting major.