What kind of career did you lead before joining Steele? I always knew I wanted to be a part of the military. I served in the Army from 2008 to 2019 during which I was a leader in several tank units. During my service years, I spent time all over the US and several years in Europe, where I worked to strengthen our relationship with our NATO partners. I was responsible for soldiers’ wellness, combat readiness, and logistical coordination during that time. I loved my time in the military. However, I wanted to be closer to family, so I left the service in 2019 to transition to a civilian career path which ultimately led me to the Steele team.
When and how did you get involved with Steele Benefits? Wes would tell me about all the wonderful programs Steele was doing in Indiana and how we could expand our services to Ohio and Kentucky. He said, “We’re going to hire someone in Cincinnati, and it would be great if that person was you.” I decided it was a fantastic opportunity, and I joined.
How would you describe your role in one sentence? My role is to help employees make benefit choices for their families and help employers effectively administer their group benefits.
Describe a typical workday. I enjoy getting an early start to the day. After a short morning exercise, I start the workday which may include customer meetings, virtual calls, and collaborating with our partners. My daily focus is to find groups that need help with benefit administration or benefits technology. I spend time providing advice as to why and how they would benefit from an improved process or system. I also spend a considerable amount of the day leading implementations and assisting new clients through change to establish a more efficient benefit administration program.
What are the challenges you are facing? My number one challenge is always spreading awareness of how Steele can help our partners.
What was it like growing up as a Steele kid? My childhood was always busy. My dad has always had a coaching mentality and my brother, sister, and I were always in sports. That same coaching mentality has rubbed off on each of us and carried over to the business.
What is an interesting fact few people know about you? I enjoy playing sand volleyball. Last year I participated in two volleyball leagues at the same time. I have a super competitive spirit.
What advice would you give your high school self? Every day is an opportunity to learn something new.
Why do you stay at Steele? I feel like a valued member of the Steele team, but equally as important, I feel like a valued member of the customer teams that we support in Ohio and Kentucky.
If you had a time machine, would you go to the past or the future? I love learning about history so I would travel 5000 years in the past to see how the pyramids were built.