Walnut Creek, Calif., 27 December 2017 – We announced today that Keri Lopez, President, Western Region Benefits, has been promoted to President of Employee Benefits for the entire company, effective immediately. In her new role, Ms. Lopez will build our employee benefits market presence nationally and facilitate coordination, best practices, and thought leadership across all employee benefits teams.

With 19 years’ employee benefits consulting experience, Ker i brings expertise focused on strategic planning, funding analysis, carrier negotiations, compliance, and communication strategies to this role.

“We’ve just rounded out another stellar year and Keri’s leadership of the Western Region employee benefits team has been a major factor in our success,” said Joe Tatum, Ascension’s Chief Executive Officer. He added, “Under her leadership, the Western Region market grew significantly in 2017. She has consistently stepped up and gone above and beyond to help identify and deploy best in class employee benefits resources, tools and practices—not just for Ascension’s Western Region but for all our business units. She’s an exceptionally talented individual, and we are thrilled to formally recognize her significant contributions.”

Keri received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. She is an active speaker on the topic of Healthcare Reform and was interviewed and quoted in a 2015 Employee Benefit News article: Health care benefits in 2015: What employers need to know. She was also named an “Elite Woman” two years in a row by Insurance Business America. The “Elite Women in Insurance” report, issued annually, honors the best and brightest female insurance professionals in the industry.