BAN Advisory Board

Sheri has decades of experience in the employee benefits world.  Before retiring in 2022, Sheri served as Chief Strategy Officer and President of Employee Benefits for Gregory & Appel Insurance in Indianapolis.  Before joining Gregory & Appel in 2005, she spent 15 years with Marsh & McLennan/Mercer and nearly ten years with Gardner & White. She has cultivated experience in group captives, employer clinics, value-based and reference-based benefits design, price transparency tools, voluntary benefits, benefits administration, joint-purchase programs, and more. Additionally, she has served on the Advisory Councils of Anthem, Boston Mutual, and United Healthcare, to name a few—not to mention countless memberships and board service for industry-related organizations and not-for-profits.  More about Sheri…

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Kate’s heart has always been in the insurance industry: She spent the early years of her career at an agency and carrier, then spent 15 years in insurance technology. After so many years working with insurance agencies, she wanted to get back to working at one, so she joined the Hausmann Group team in 2021.

As Director of Employee Benefit Operations, Kate oversees the delivery of employee benefits insurance brokerage services to ensure that they meet or exceed our quality standards. She also leads, develops, and manages our employee service departments. Kate has spent many years in customer experience and has led using the model “scalable, repeatable, reportable.”

Kate describes herself as “daytime outdoorsy.” She loves to run, bike, kayak, hike & garden. She is also a certified running coach. The most important thing that she’s learned through coursework & coaching clients is that everyone needs something different: different training plans, different goal-setting, and different support. She’s found that this relates well to leadership; a leader needs to take the time to understand each team member individually.

A fun fact about Kate: She was the Parliamentarian in her college sorority. By definition, a Parliamentarian is an expert in rules of order and the proper procedure for the conduct of meetings. She loves how this little choice she made years ago impacts her career in unexpected ways!  More about Kate…

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Propelling enterprise value through ethical leadership, innovation, and action. David’s specialty is transforming organizations into market leaders that deliver sustained growth and profitability. Fusing a high-energy sales, business development, change management, and operations background with a lifelong work ethic and leadership built within the US Marine Corps, David has ignited multimillion-dollar growth across a range of industries and settings, including startups, Fortune 500, and PE/VC-backed ventures.  David is an innovator and natural leader that attracts and develops new business, expands market opportunities, and builds trust across the entire business ecosystem.

After serving eight years as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, David spent twelve years in the high-tech public sector, emphasizing international sales and providing manufacturing software solutions to the Fortune 100. He then moved into the private sector, leading innovative startups from launch to acquisition. David is the Chief Revenue Officer at Gregory and Appel Insurance, leading the organization’s sales development, revenue sustainability, and go-to-market strategies. David earned his degree in Economics and Marketing at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1987.

David has been married to his wife, Shawn, for 35 years, and together they have five children and five grandchildren. In his free time, you can catch David enjoying the great outdoors. He is an avid mountain biker, downhill skier, and technical mountain climber. David is a lifelong, multi-sport, endurance athlete and racer currently training for the Fourth time for the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race.  More about David…

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James S. Garbina is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree in business finance. He joined the Employee Benefits Department of The Koch Co. in 1987 as an Account Executive and was named Vice President in 1992 and Senior Vice President in 1999. He currently manages this division for The Koch Co. now FNIC.

Jim is a part of FNIC’s strategic planning committee and a director. He is a current member and previous board member of NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors), earning his Fellowship designation (LUTCF) in 1994. He is a current member of NAHU (National Association of Health Underwriters). In 2011, The Koch Co. joined the Benefit Advisors Network; and in 2013, Jim was chosen to lead the strategic planning team for the national organization made up of 60 agencies, managing benefits for 10,000 employers and 8.5 million employees.

Jim also donates time to a number of nonprofit organizations, serving as the Board President for Midwest Child Care, past Board member for the UNO Alumni Association, Finance Chairman for his local parish, and board member for the Papillion LaVista School Foundation.  More about Jim…

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Peter Marathas is the Chief Legal Officer of Alera Group, Inc., one of the country’s largest private insurance and financial services providers.  Mr. Marathas not only serves as Alera Group’s Chief Legal Officer, he was one of the individuals who founded that company and has overseen its significant growth over the last six years.  As Alera Group’s Chief Legal Officer, Mr. Marathas oversees all legal matters, including mergers and acquisitions.  He and his team have closed over 175 acquisitions in the insurance, financial services, and consulting services arena since 2017.  In addition to his role at Alera Group, Mr. Marathas has acted as Benefit Advisors Network’s legal advisor since its inception in the early 2000s.  Along with Mr. Braun and others, Mr. Marathas has helped BAN to grow and become one of the country’s premiere benefits/HR services consortiums.

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Mike grew up in Texas and graduated from the University of Texas in 1986 with a major in Economics and a minor in Accounting. While at Texas, Mike served in multiple positions in the Alpha Nu chapter of Sigma Chi. With over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Mike has had management responsibilities in underwriting, marketing, and sales with both carriers and agencies. He joined Bolton & Company in 2001 where his focus is on the growth of the firm’s recognition as one of the leading privately held insurance brokerages in Southern California, as well as overseeing the day to day operations. Mike’s involvement extends beyond his own firm where he sits on the Advisory Board for multiple National Property Casualty and Health Insurance Carriers. On the personal side, Mike lives in Glendora with his wife, Sharon and three kids, Chris, Kevin and Kate. He has been committed to community by serving on the board of the Foundation for Glendora Unified Schools, the Finance Committee of Citrus Valley Healthcare Partners. He also serves on the Azusa Pacific University School of Business Advisory Board and mentors students in the Business School.  Read more about Mike…

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Tom Murphy is a veteran Benefits Consultant and Managing Partner at Sonus Benefits. He leads a team of industry specialists to provide custom benefits solutions for business owners, CFOs, and HR directors. After over 30 years in the benefits space, Tom knows what it takes to supply clients with a comprehensive partnership and superior results.

In addition to his role at Sonus Benefits, Tom serves as one of four partners at MSMF, Sonus Benefits’ Parent Company, runs his own personal financial services practice, and is an active member of Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), a premier network of credentialed independent benefit advisory and consulting firms. He sits on numerous professional and charitable boards and routinely speaks to professional associations and employer groups on topics that relate to employee benefits and healthcare reform.

Tom started his insurance career as a group insurance wholesaler and later advanced to the Regional Vice President position with a major insurance company managing as many as 11 regional sales offices throughout the Midwest. In 2002, he made the transition to the Employee Benefits Consulting side. Tom is Past-President of the St. Louis Association of Health Underwriters and a past Missouri Association of Health Underwriters officer.

Tom lives in Eureka with his wife, Dee Dee, and three daughters, Caitlin, Maddie, and Emma, and always enjoys spending time with family and friends. 

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational and Business Communication from Missouri State University and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®).  Read more about Tom…

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Barry joined Hausmann Group Insurance in 2010 and was later named President in 2014. During his time as President, the agency has been named on the lists of 10 Best Workplaces in Insurance (2015), 50 Best Workplaces for Giving Back (2016), and Best Small Workplaces (2016, 2017, and 2018) by Fortune. Prior to joining the Hausmann Group, Barry gained insurance industry experience as a commercial agent after concluding a long career playing professional hockey.

Barry is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Business and holds a BBA in Marketing. He played hockey for the Badgers during that time, went on to represent Team USA in the 1994 Olympic Games, and played professionally for 15 years. He sits on the American Family Children’s Hospital’s advisory board and is co-chair of the Benefit Advisors Network’s board of directors. Additionally, he and his father run a golf outing each year for Easter Seals and have raised over $1,000,000 for the children at Camp Wawbeek.

Barry enjoys fishing, golfing, and going up north with his family. He and his wife Kim have 4 children and reside in Verona, WI.  More about Barry…

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