GROWING CONNECTIONS IN THE TOTAL REWARDS COMMUNITY. |
Holly Mertens - President, RMTRA
Holly Mertens is the Manager of Total Rewards at P2 Energy Solutions located in Denver, CO. At P2, Holly works as the functional lead in the administration and design of global benefit programs including group health coverage, wellness programs, and retirement savings plans. She also assists in the development of a variety of projects including compensation program design, analysis and implementation of new and existing programs.
Holly earned her Bachelors of Business Administration in Human Resources from Grand Valley State University and a minor in Hospitality and Tourism Management in Michigan. She is currently pursuing her Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) Certification.
In her free time, Holly enjoys the outdoors, hiking, traveling and spending time with her husband.
Pushpa Gurung - President Elect, RMTRA
Pushpa Gurung is a Sales Compensation Manager at Arrow Electronics, a Fortune 150 technology company located in Centennial, CO. Pusha is responsible for leading global sales compensation design, projects, reporting and analysis. Prior to her current role, Pushpa was a Project Manager in Sales Compensation where she led and executed global sales compensation projects and made recommendations for process improvement. Prior to joining Sales Compensation, she worked in Payroll for 10 years. Pushpa has a B.S. in Human Resources Management and holds SHRM – CP and Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Nicole Davies - Past President, RMTRA
As the Vice President for Talent Optimization, Nicole helps Valet Living redefine talent and performance management while also building top-tier leadership and development programs. Prior to coming to Valet Living she led a team of Human Resource Business Partners at ADP Inc. ($12B) with a specific goal of realizing human capital potential. Nicole’s human resources management experience has included for and not-for-profit organizations as well as higher education.
Nicole earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Virginia and her Master of Science degree in Higher Education Administration from Colorado State University. Nicole also maintains her credentials as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM – Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Nicole has a passion for travel and mountain climbing. When she isn’t working, she can often be found hanging out on a peak somewhere in the world.
Annie Dieu - President Emeritus
Annie Dieu is Lead Compensation Analyst at BMC Software, Inc based out of Houston, TX. Prior to her compensation role, she spent several years in global benefits and retirement at BMC. During her tenure in Total Rewards, her team has won numerous communications awards such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards, Pensions and Investments Eddy Awards, Hermes Creative Awards, and Gold Communicator Awards. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from South University, and a Global M.B.A – HR Concentration from University of Houston – Victoria. Annie also holds her CCP and CBP.
Matt Sarchet has been a consultant in the Health Insurance/Employee Benefits Industry for more than 15 years. He has assisted hundreds of groups and thousands of employees acquire protection in CO and TX. His current focus is on assisting HR professionals manage benefit programs efficiently using the latest available technology. He lives in Centennial with his wife, two girls and two dogs. He loves being a “Girl Dad” and Matt’s family loves to play Volleyball together and go camping and hiking.
Jim has spent 16 years of his career in finance and accounting. As a finance executive, he thoroughly enjoyed the aspects of employee development, culture, and engagement. Jim has made it his mission to impact his clients and their employees in a similar fashion; guiding them through the complex nature of employee benefits and its relationship to the employee experience. A graduate of University of Phoenix with a degree in accounting as well as an MBA, Jim is excited to join the Rocky Mountain Total Rewards Association in the Denver area where he lives with his lovely wife and their 8 beautiful children.
Ashley is a Colorado native, born and raised in Highlands Ranch. She went to University of Missouri (Mizzou) for college and lived in Kansas City, MO for three years post college. She moved back to Colorado in fall 2020 and started working at Arrow in January 2021, coming up on her two-year anniversary with the Arrow Employee Capability team. Currently, she is a project Manager for Arrow and works with the Sales Comp, Performance, Learning and Succession, and the Talent Acquisition team. She loves reading, spending time with friends and family, and really enjoys meeting new people and trying new things!
Naomi Nichols- Communications & Technology
Naomi Naomi Nichols is a Senior Analyst, Global Compensation at Arrow Electronics, a Fortune 150 technology company located in Centennial, CO. Naomi leads and supports global compensation projects, participates in annual compensation planning/merit process, reporting and provides support to HR partners and regional compensation & benefit teams. Prior to joining Arrow Electronics, she worked in Human Resources at American Airlines based in Arizona. Naomi earned her bachelor's degree from Colorado State University and MBA from Regis University, as well as her Society of Human Resources – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification. In her free time, Naomi enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, reading and traveling.
Lindsey Jenkins - Communications & Technology
Lindsey Jenkins is the People Generalist at dYdX Trading Inc. located in New York, NY. Lindsey works remotely in Colorado. At dYdX Lindsey is responsible for onboarding/off-boarding, benefits, employee recognition, payroll, contractors, performance reviews, etc. In short Lindsey is responsible for the entire employee lifecycle and experience. She also plans the company off-sites both domestic/international. Lindsey earned her Bachelors of Business Administration with a double major in Human Resources and Management at the University of Michigan - Dearborn. When Lindsey is not hard at work you can find her in the mountains or on the road. She will be visiting her final state (Hawaii) and final National Park (American Samoa) this April! She enjoys everything the great outdoors has to offer.
Rey Ramirez- Communications & Technology
A senior manager with more than 20 years’ experience in technology organizations and international companies. Rey is skilled in leading HR teams, project management, talent acquisition, executing strategies to drive business results, vendor management, facilities management and functional HR. He specializes in change management and communications strategy/execution. He also has extensive experience in end to end Merger, Acquisitions, Integration, Divestitures and Carveout processes and has executed on 45+ global transactions. Rey is Co-founder of Thrive HR Consulting and is focusing on providing fractional HR services to organizations that need critical projects/processes completed. He has served as a Management Consultant for Deloitte and RGP.
He has also been a Sr Director of HR for the Cognizant Technology Solutions operation and is based in Denver, CO since July of 2014. He has lead project teams implementing Workday HCM and ERP systems, ADP and Bamboo HR. He has also led Strategic Deal Teams that focus on global Carveouts and M & A transactions. Rey understands how to work closely with Corporate Development Teams and other Key Functions to ensure employees have a positive transaction experience.
Terry is a Compensation and Classification Analyst for the State of Colorado. Terry has been with the State for eleven years, of which, ten has been at the Department of Personnel and Administration, and one year at the Department of Human Services.
Terry is a subject matter expert (SME) in compensation, job evaluation, classification, personal services contracts, and reward and recognition programs, providing proactive HR consultation and coaching to other HR staff and leaders of multiple agencies. Prior to working at the State, she started and operated her own company, C Suite Consulting, where she conducted Executive Searches for Manager levels and higher and provided Human Resources Consulting on a variety of topics.
Prior to that she was a Director of Human Resources for a manufacturing company as well as a Manager of Human Resources for a call center in Colorado Springs where she lived before moving back to the Denver metro area in 2012. Terry has a Master’s of Arts degree in Organizational Management (MAOM), a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA), and Bachelor’s Degree in Business with an Emphasis in Human Resources from the University of Phoenix. Terry is currently working on her SPHR and CCP certificates. In her free time, she focuses on spending time with her family, especially her three young granddaughters. She is also an avid Denver Bronco fan! Let’s go Broncos! .
Alex is an Associate Producer at Lockton Companies and enables organizational efforts in the design & execution of strategies involving employee benefits, compensation, and engagement solutions, including the assessment & mitigation of associated risk. Alex joined RMTRA for the learning and networking opportunities. He has been in the industry a long time, but is relatively new to the broker world. He was looking for ways to connect with professionals in the field and acquire new insights to help improve his ability to service clients. Alex is also an outspoken mental health advocate who prioritizes work-life balance; he credits community involvement, nature, and photography to maintain a positive headspace!
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Kristie Rossi is a compensation professional, specializing in compensation strategies, salary structure implementation, merit and bonus plan design, as well as benefits. She previously worked at Marketo, where she was responsible for managing all compensation plan administration. Prior to Marketo, she worked at Denver Public Schools and Ports America, based in Arizona.
Kristie received her BS in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Accounting from Sonoma State University (CA). She holds her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification and hopes to begin work on her CCP soon. In her free time, she like to read, do puzzle and spend time with her family.
Rene Velazquez - EducationRené Velázquez is currently the Director of Total Rewards at TechInsights.
René has over 25 years experience in human resources, primarily in the areas of Compensation and Benefits. He has held numerous HR and compensation and benefits management roles with industry leaders such as DISH Network, Gates Corporation, Burger King Corporation, Black & Veatch, DCP Midstream, and ExxonMobil.
René holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BSc in Accounting from DePaul University in Chicago.
Lora Manternach, CCP, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a Human Resource Manager at BI, Inc. a GEO Group Company with over 20 years of human resource experience. Lora has earned a Bachelors in Human Resource Management from Northern Illinois University. She has been a member of Rocky Mountain Total Rewards Association and World at Work since April 2015 and earned CCP in June of 2016. She has also been a member of SHRM since 1996 and has volunteered in many roles in the past contributing to the COSHRM conference, DCPA conference and Day at the Capitol events. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing indoor sand volleyball and traveling.
Lindsey Bax is a HR Service Center Coordinator at University of Colorado at Boulder for three years. Lindsey is a CU Boulder alumnus and has earned a Bachelor’s in Ethnic Studies with emphasis in Native American and Chicano studies. She also has earned an Associates in Paralegal. Lindsey joined RMTRA as a volunteer on the Programming Team to expand her exposure to the HR field and networking. She enjoys art and live concerts on her free time and spending time with her family and puppy, Gigi.
Carol is a Vice President, Employee Benefits Consultant for HUB International Insurance Services. Carol has 25+ years’ experience in the insurance industry working for consultant firms, two major insurance companies, hospital providers, and a large fortune 100 employer in the human resource benefits division. Carol’s area of expertise includes both self-funded and fully funded insurance plans. She is well versed in strategic planning, cost containment, account management, underwriting and renewal negotiations, carrier relationship management, benefit design development, medical plan auditing, financial reporting, and HR system implementations. |
DW is a Total Rewards Director at The Simply Good Foods Company, a consumer packaged goods company with the nutritional snacking brands Atkins and Quest Protein. His experience spans compensation, benefits, HR analytics & operations for companies at various lifecycle stages and sizes, from his progressive leadership roles at ConocoPhillips, Pacific Drilling, and most recently MRC Global. He began his total rewards career as a retirement actuarial analyst at Willis Towers Watson in Texas. DW received his BS in Actuarial Science at Florida State University and will earn his MBA from the Cornell SC Johnson Graduate School of Management in 2023. He holds his SHRM-SCP. In his free time, he enjoys live music, traveling, and spending time with his wife and two dogs. |
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