Leadership

John Nelson

CEO

John Nelson is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Warner Pacific Insurance Services, one of the nation’s largest health insurance General Agencies.

John has long been a champion for the brokerage industry and fuels Warner’s mission of making health coverage accessible to all. John’s known for his legislative and educational efforts in the brokerage and health insurance industries. He has also been an adviser and friend to industry leaders, business groups and consumers and has had a hand in educating thousands of health insurance professionals. John is a Past President of the National Association of Health Underwriters and currently serves as a member of the Council of Employee Benefits Executives’ advisory committee.

John earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from UCLA in 1982. Within his community, John has consistently contributed resources to a variety of organizations, including youth programs and charities.

David Nelson

CEO

A problem solver and visionary, Dave initiated development of Warner Pacific’s proprietary enrollment technology, solving issues that have long vexed brokers and carriers. Now considered top-in-class, Warner Pacific’s PRO Suite of technology, including PRO Census, PRO Quote, PRO Apply, PRO Provider and PRO Rx, are the tools the pros rely on to help grow and support their businesses.

Dave is dedicated to the insurance industry, serving on the Board of California Association of Health Underwriters and as past-president of the Los Angeles Association of Health Underwriters. Dave earned a Bachelor of Science from UCLA in 1982 and is a member of the Westlake Village Rotary.

Debbie Adrian

President, CA

Life
Debbie lives in Southern California and hails from Lubbock, Texas.

Work
Debbie is considered Warner Pacific’s steadfast COO, or “Chief Optimism Officer.” She leads our organization with a positive outlook, encouraging employee engagement and building teams with heart and purpose. Prior to joining Warner Pacific, Debbie spent 23 years at Anthem, starting with keying claims on swing shift and rising through the ranks to Vice President of Sales and Operations, leading teams in 14 states. Before that, she managed operations and marketing for a family franchise of Jostens, famous maker of class yearbooks, rings and other school memorabilia.

Fun
Debbie loves to sing, a hobby she’s enjoyed since the age of three. She spends a lot of free time with family, hosting get-togethers and hanging out with her nine grandchildren.

Words to live by
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” - Steve Jobs

Amy Grant

Chief Operating Officer

Life
A Connecticut native, Amy is an alumnus of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. She and her husband Bob have been married for over 20 years and reside in central CT.  Together they cherish time spent with their two children, cheering them on through years of dancing, track, football and lacrosse.

Work
Amy’s career includes a recent tenure of nearly 19 years at UnitedHealthcare, where she served as Senior Vice President of broker and client operations. Her responsibilities included managing a global team of people responsible for the end-to-end broker and client experience. Her primary areas of focus were driving operational excellence, financial stewardship and enhancing customer satisfaction. She is passionate about building a strong workplace culture, championing an inclusive environment and helping to develop future leaders. 

Fun
Amy is an avid reader and enjoys traveling, finding inspiration in new experiences and cultures. She and her family have a goal of visiting every National Park in the US and love to take trips in their Airstream.  

Words to live by 
“Good leaders inspire people to have confidence in their leaders. Great leaders inspire people to have confidence in themselves.”  -- Eleanor Roosevelt

John Dillon

Chief Financial Officer

Life
John has lived up and down the East Coast throughout his life. Born in New Jersey, he moved to Florida as a teenager, went to college at Duke in North Carolina (go Blue Devils!) and attended business school in Philadelphia. Later he worked in New York City, eventually settling down in Connecticut with his wife and two daughters.

Work
John has spent most of his career working in professional services, including over 9 years with the benefits consultancy, Mercer. John is excited to return to the benefits space to help Warner achieve its mission of making health coverage accessible to all.

Fun
John is a racquet sports enthusiast. He plays tennis year-round, platform tennis in the winter and occasionally can be found on a pickleball court or at a ping pong table. He also enjoys coaching his daughter’s basketball team and boating with his family on the Long Island Sound.

Words to live by
“If you take out the team in teamwork, it’s just work. Now who wants that?” – Matthew Stover

Jeff Peden

Chief Technology Officer

Life
Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. He makes his home in the Bay State, living on the South Shore 20 miles outside of Boston.

Work
Jeff has spent his career building technology and product teams at all stages, from pre-seed startup to post-IPO enterprise. Most recently a senior vice president at EverQuote, Jeff scaled the platform powering the third-party insurance exchange marketplace to a $200 million per year business. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys making things. Whether it’s woodworking, home improvements, 3D printing or building electronics, he derives satisfaction from the creative process.

Words to live by
“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” – Jack Kerouac
 

Jeff Papenfus

Chief Business Development Officer

Life
A native Californian.

Work
Jeff’s official title is Chief Business Development Officer, but his real job is helping find solutions for broker partners. Before his time at Warner Pacific—a long and productive stint of more than 22 years and counting—Jeff found satisfying work as a sports buff, first at Aloha Skatetown, a skateboard park, surf shop and video arcade all in one. After high school, he moved to Mammoth to be a ski instructor. A few years after graduating college, he found a “way cooler” job—selling health insurance for John Alden Life. He worked his way up and down the California coast, across the country to Tampa, Florida, and eventually back to his home town in Westlake Village, California.

Fun
In the summer, Jeff likes to hang out on his boat with the family at their favorite lake. Winter is all about ski trips to Mammoth. When he’s not out on the water or hitting the slopes, you can find him playing golf.

Words to live by
“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.”

John Kurath

Chief National Sales Officer

Life
John was raised in Boulder, Colorado. He attended Arizona State University and is a graduate of the University of Colorado. John considers his most important education as having the opportunity to work for some great bosses who mentored him over the years.

Work
John has spent the last 30+ years in the health insurance and healthcare space, with an emphasis on start-ups, market expansion and business development. He has been with Warner Pacific for more than 15 years.

Fun
With roots in Colorado, it’s no wonder John loves the great outdoors. Fly fishing, kayaking, hiking and camping are some of his favorite pursuits.

Words to live by
“Always do right. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” - Mark Twain

Brent Hitchings

Senior Vice President of National Strategy and Administrative Services

Life
Brent grew up in the farm country of central Illinois and went to Illinois State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Work
Brent has been in the health insurance market most of his career, working on the carrier and General Agency sides of the business. His role prior to Warner Pacific was as Vice President and General Manager of Small Group at Blue Shield of California.

Fun
Brent’s passion is golf. Since his wife loves to golf as well, they spend a lot of time together on the course.

Words to live by
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Trei Wild

Senior Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions

Life
Graduated University of Tennessee

Work
Trei is dedicated to the insurance industry, having served as President of the National Association of Health Underwriters and CEO of SafeGuard, Texas.

Fun
Trei dives into his passion of competitive swimming. He also enjoys spending time with family.

Words to live by
“If you are not first, you are last."

Jean Halsell

Senior Vice President Human Resources

Life
Jean is a lifelong learner and received her bachelor’s degree as a working adult. Continuing her studies, she received her Master’s in Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law School’s Straus Institute. She tries to learn something new each day.

Work
With her transferrable skills and interest in people, Jean has had the opportunity to work in various industries. Her current pursuits in healthcare allow her to apply her knowledge in both the provider and payer sides of the business.

Fun
Jean enjoys outdoor gardening, scuba diving and being in the mountains. Family time is how she recharges her batteries.

Words to live by
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” - Maya Angelou

Dawn Baird

Senior Vice President Strategy and Integration

Life
Dawn was born and raised in California.

Work
Dawn has 34 years of experience in the healthcare insurance industry. Before joining Warner Pacific, she spent the majority of her career at Anthem, where she served as Staff VP of Strategic Initiatives for the Individual, Small and Large Group Segments. During her career, she has held various leadership positions with direct oversight of individual underwriting, enrollment and billing, training, instructional design, quality assurance, process improvement, project management and vendor management. She also earned certification in 360 Feedback and Professional Leadership Coaching.

Fun
Dawn enjoys hosting gatherings with friends and family, working in her garden and relaxing on her back patio.

Words to live by
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” - Amy Poehler

Memo Rodriguez

Vice President Product and Engineering

Life
Memo was born in Mexico City and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. He graduated as a computer systems engineer from the Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Guadalajara’s Jesuit University. An avid learner, Memo is working on his Master’s from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He has lived in California for 21 years.

Work
Before joining Warner Pacific, Memo worked as a software developer for several companies in the U.S. and Mexico.

Fun
Memo gives back to the community volunteering with his church. He is also a big Star Wars fan.

Words to live by
“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” - Albert Pine

Yury Furman

Vice President - Platform Engineering

Life
Yury grew up in Southern California and has made the Golden State his home. He received his BA degree from Cal State Northridge and his MBA from Pepperdine University, located on the beautiful Malibu coast.

Work
During Yury’s 30-year career in Information Technology, his primary focus has been on supporting organizations in the healthcare and finance fields. His work over the last 20 years has been centered on operational stability and security.

Fun
Yury is an avid racquetball player, a moderately adept snowboarder, and an expert at boating for relaxation. He also keeps busy in his kids’ ice hockey adventures, which is practically a full-time job.

Words to live by
“Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” - Vince Lombardi

Fei Convery

Head of Data Analytics

Life
Fei holds a doctoral degree in Polymer Chemistry. Her professional certifications include PMP® (Project Management Professional) and ScrumMaster®. Fei plans to grow her interests in nature with courses in gardening and horticulture.

Work
Fei worked as a research scientist and a teacher at universities in China and Japan before moving to California, where she ultimately discovered her passion in Information Technology. She began her IT career at a start-up company, and then worked at Anthem and Amgen before joining Warner Pacific.

Fun
Fei enjoys gardening, along with traveling, reading and hanging out with friends.

Words to live by
“No mud, no lotus.” - Thich Nhat Hang

Cara Mudgett

Vice President of Operations

Life
Cara’s studies prepared her for her chosen field of healthcare and health insurance. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from California Lutheran University and a master's in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University, which she completed in 2019.

Work
Cara has spent her entire career in the health insurance industry. Prior to Warner Pacific, she worked on the carrier side in various leadership roles, including call center operations, medical management, enrollment and billing, and underwriting.

Fun
Cara loves spending time with her family. Her favorite activities include cooking Sunday dinner, gardening, and practicing yoga for relaxation.

Words to live by
“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

Nik Palles

Vice President, Florida

Life
A native Floridian, Nik graduated from Rollins College in Orlando and while he will assume statewide oversight, he currently resides in Tampa.

Work
Nik has extensive experience in employer group distribution across all product lines, business segments and alternate distribution. Nik comes to us from Humana, where he spent the last 14 years leading small and large group business segments in Florida. Over this period of time, he has cultivated many long-standing relationships within the broker community and developed a deep understanding of Florida market dynamics and the competitive landscape throughout the state.

Fun
In his off hours he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf and saltwater fly-fishing.
 

Kim Gomez

Chief of Staff/National Operations Practice Leader

Life
Kimberly went to Pepperdine for her BS in psychology, with a minor in sociology. From there, she graduated from California Lutheran University with a master's in Marriage and Family Therapy — which has served her well in the business world, especially in the ever-changing area of insurance.

Work
Kimberly is about to celebrate 20 years with Warner Pacific, where she oversees CA Small Group Quoting and Large Group Operations, as well as operations in Colorado and Texas. Prior to her time at Warner Pacific, she worked at Starbucks, where she got her caffeine fix while attending Pepperdine.

Fun
Fitness and family are two operational words for Kimberly. She loves to play games with friends, swim with her two kids, cook, go to the movies, and spin on her Peloton.

Words to live by
“It will all be okay in the end. And if it’s not okay, it’s not the end."

Susan Davis

Senior Director of Operations

Life
Susan’s first job was at the age of 15 working at St. Mary’s hospital. She enjoys touching the lives of others and making a difference.

Work
Susan is dedicated to her career and to the insurance industry in particular. Before joining Warner Pacific, she was at Anthem Blue Cross, where she worked for 35 years.

Fun
Susan loves spending time with friends and family, especially her grandchildren. When she’s not traveling, gardening or reading, she’s cheering on her grandkids at a softball or soccer game.

Words to live by
“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears."

Shahram Homami

Senior Director of Operations

Life
Shahram attended California Lutheran University, where he earned a BS degree in Business Management.     

Work
Shahram entered the health insurance space in 1989 when he joined Anthem Blue Cross. In his current role as Senior Director of Operations at Warner Pacific, Shahram oversees various departments, including Rate Load, Agent Appointments, and Inshore Benefits.

Fun
For Shahram, family always comes first. The only time Shahram experiences FOMO (fear of missing out) is when it concerns his kids. He’s always there for them, especially at baseball games and soccer matches.

Words to live by
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present."

Eva Boucher

Contracts, Compliance & HIPAA Privacy Officer

Life
Eva lives in the small country town of Arbala, Texas (population 89), located about 90 minutes from Dallas.

Work
Eva began her career in the insurance industry in 1981, working in all aspects of medical, ancillary, life, individual and group benefits at a large general agency. Over the years, she continued to grow her career in areas of corporate compliance, HIPAA, COBRA and flexible spending administration with an emphasis on contracts, risk management and internal audit. In addition to serving in membership and leadership roles for such professional organizations as the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics, Eva invests her time for the benefit of animals. She has served on boards of directors for non-profits focusing on animal welfare and therapeutic equine riding. Eva happily takes her work home with her, providing refuge for a menagerie of rescue animals, including horses, pigs, goats and peacocks.

Words to live by
"In your world where you choose your behavior, always chose kindness, first and last."

Kim Barnaby

Director of Sales, Southern California

Life
As a child of an Air Force sergeant, Kim grew up living in quite a few places in the US and Europe. She attended college at the University of Arizona, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and minored in Math, Chemistry and Physics. Kim has lived in Los Angeles for 24 years and now considers herself a true Californian.

Work
Kim has spent the majority of her career in the health insurance industry. Prior to joining Warner Pacific in 2004, she worked on for an insurance carrier overseeing the General Agent Sales Channel. Kim is excited to bring her experience as a top performing Sales Consultant to the role of Director of Sales.

Fun
Kim loves to entertain. Family, friends, food, wine and laughter are a must for any weekend in her home. Her two sons keep her active and young.

Words to Live By
 Life is too short, and it is up to you to make it sweet – Sarah Louise Delan

Randa Reynolds

Director of Sales, Northern California

Life: 
Randa grew up in Auburn, California with her parents and 5 sisters. The family later moved to Sacramento, California and she currently lives in the Bay Area.

Work:
Randa has worked in the healthcare industry for most of her professional career, beginning with her position at HealthNet. After Health Net, she transitioned to Kaiser Permanente where she spent almost 18 years in several sales roles. Her positions included sales associate and sales executive in the small and large group business lines before moving into management. Before joining Warner Pacific, Randa held positions as Sales Manager for Northern California and most recently, California Director of Sales for Small Group at Kaiser Permanente. 

Fun:
Randa loves spending time with family, especially her 2 sons and husband, as well as extended family and friends. The family loves to travel and try new experiences and they have a family mission to see a ballgame at every baseball stadium! During the winter months, they try to spend as many weekends as possible skiing and summer brings water ways for boating. They spend a lot of time in Arnold, California and the surrounding area doing both. 

Words to Live by:
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.” - Maya Angelou

Lisa Hertz

Director of IT Programs

Work
Prior to joining Warner Pacific, Lisa worked at Anthem for 12 years. 

Fun
Lisa likes to read and travel. 

Words to live by
“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” 

Parker Hurst

Director of Mergers & Acquisitions

Life
Parker grew up in Connecticut, where he still lives today. He attended Middlebury College in Vermont, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, with a minor in Mathematics. Later, he earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut.

Work
Parker has a background in finance that includes investment banking for Sandler O’Neill and research and financial analysis in the hedge fund sector. He has a deep interest in corporate development and comes to us from Winchester Interconnect.

Fun
Parker and his wife grew up together in Connecticut and both played Squash competitively during their college years. Today they enjoy playing golf together, waterskiing, and eating steamers on warm Cape Cod summer nights.  

Words to live by
“Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.”
 

Tracy Morris

Director of Human Resources

Work
Tracy has a wide breadth of insurance experience. Prior to her current role in Human Resources, Tracy worked in broker commissions, property and casualty, and workers’ compensation.

Fun
Tracy enjoys being active. Whether it’s hiking, biking, boating or taking a quick walk, she’s always game. She also relishes time with family.

Words to live by
“Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today.”

Steve McCormick

Director of Medicare

Life
Steve was born and raised in Ventura County, California, where he and most of his family still live today. He’s married with two children and two huskies. Steve graduated from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Work
Steve has worked in the insurance industry for more than two decades, primarily on the carrier side of the business. He has supported many different lines of business including Medicare, Small Group, Large Group and Individual. Prior to his joining Warner Pacific, he was the Director of the Medicare Sales Support teams at Anthem, Inc. for over 10 years. 

Fun
Outside of spending time with his family and kids on the soccer and lacrosse fields, Steve’s personal passion is sailboat racing. He participates in races throughout Southern California. He also enjoys camping, snowboarding, and hiking. 

Words to live by  
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” ― Robert Brault
 

Lars Parkin

Director of Sales, Colorado

Life:
Lars was born in Denmark.  As a young teen his family immigrated to sunny Boulder, Colorado in the early 1980s.  They never left!

Work:
Lars brings decades of employee benefits and sales management experience to Warner Pacific and he is thrilled to help lead Warner’s team of sales professionals in Colorado. He is recognized as an insightful, innovative and trusted leader in the group benefits industry by clients, carrier partners and peers alike.  He is an unpretentious, positive, fun and engaging industry expert and leader of people. His clients appreciate his straightforward, honest and timely advice. His sales and service teams appreciate his kind, bold, ethical and thoughtful leadership.

Fun:
Lars has many passions but the ones that bring him the most joy are family focused: Time with his (grown) kids, dating his wife and helping care for his mother.  He has had at least one pint in over 200 of Colorado’s independent craft breweries over the last 4 years.  He never grew out of his science fiction fan phase. Over the years he has collected and shared thousands of philosophical and business related quotes and bad dad jokes. He starts every day with his meditation practice, a dog walk and a French press of good coffee.

Words to Live By:
“Our lives are not our own.  From womb to tomb we are bound to others” : David Mitchell, Author – “Cloud Atlas”

Eric Scher

Director of Sales, Texas & Oklahoma

Life
Together with my loving wife Elizabeth (the rock that keeps me grounded), we have two wonderful kids: Amelia in 4th grade and Eli in 2nd grade. We also lovingly rescue boxers and are currently living with Lou and Annie, who run the house like typical crazy boxers. I’m a Chicago native but really grew up in Plano, Texas. I attended Stephen F. Austin State University — behind the pine curtain. SFA is located in Nacogdoches, one of the most gorgeous places in Texas outside of the hill country.

Work
After college, I became a property and casualty producer selling long haul trucking risks. This is where I really cut my teeth on building deep relationships with clients, as well as working with complex risk strategies to keep my clients in compliance. After that, I went into banking compliance in Washington, D.C. with FANNIE MAE which opened my eyes to the complexities and intense government oversight within our financial institutions. 

Following that, I made the move back to insurance and became a General Agent. That was one of the best decisions I have made, because it really allowed me to use my natural abilities to serve agents and help them scale-up their businesses for the future. After nearly a decade operating a Houston GA, I moved to the ‘big leagues’ by joining Warner Pacific. Truly the opportunity of a lifetime, I’m excited about the great thing we’re doing here at Warner Pacific Texas, changing the game in Texas and nationally.

Fun
As a family, getting out of the big city for adventure is the goal. Living in Houston brings a lot of great foodie opportunities, as well as some of the best little Texas towns with the coolest old downtown squares. We often take weekender trips to small towns like Brenham, where Blue Bell Ice Cream is made. These little spots have some great Texas BBQ, as well as some of the finest coffee houses you can find. 

Words to live by
“Make sure when you fall you land on your back. If you can see, you can get up.” ― Les Brown