Board of Directors
President
Kristie Rossi
Empower
Kristie Rossi currently works as a Sr Compensation Partner at Empower, located in Greenwood Village, CO. Kristie has over 15 years' specializing in compensation strategies, salary structure implementation, merit and bonus plan design.
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. In her free time, she spends her time running her kids to baseball, football, dance and soccer. Any extra time is spent reading, watching Bravo or drinking wine.
Past President
Pushpa Gurung
Arrow Electronics
Pushpa Gurung is a Global Compensation & Benefits 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.
Past President
DW Mann
ENSIGN-BICKFORD INDUSTRIES, INC.
DW is an Executive Compensation and Talent Solutions Consultant at Aon in Denver. He has 15 years of experience advising companies on the design and implementation of executive compensation, board remuneration, broad-based compensation, and employee benefits. DW works predominantly with clients in the industrial, life sciences, and tech spaces. He joined Aon after 10 years of progressive leadership roles in global total rewards and people operations for high-growth mid-and large-cap public companies. Prior to that, he consulted to large companies on defined benefit retirement plans as an actuarial analyst at Willis Towers Watson.
DW is passionate about advancing the field of total rewards. He has spoken at the Texas Total Rewards Conference on the topic of HR analytics, and he has participated in roundtable and panel discussions on topics including compensation strategy and diversity, equity & inclusion. DW holds an MBA from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, a BS from Florida State University in Actuarial Science, and SHRM-SCP. In his free time, DW enjoys live music, travel, and spending time with his wife and dogs.
Past President, RMTRA
Holly Mertens
IFS
Holly Mertens is the Manager of Total Rewards at IFS located in Denver, CO. At IFS, 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 has also earned her Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) Certification.
In her free time, Holly enjoys the outdoors, hiking, traveling and spending time with her husband.
Communications & Technology Chair
Jenna Jacobs
IFS
Jenna Jacobs is the Human Resources Operations Specialist working at IFS located in Denver, CO. Jenna provides operational, analytical, and administrative support to Total Rewards/HRIS, HR Operations, Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, and HR Management.
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Jenna moved to Florida and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of Miami. She also earned her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification.
In her free time, Jenna enjoy spending time with her dog, Luna, hiking in the mountains, and painting!
Membership
Jennifer Baumgartner
The Hartford
Seasoned HR Compensation professional with 20 years of experience, including 10 years of leading compensation functions in dynamic, global environments. Proven expertise in managing and delivering key initiatives such as global job architecture design, salary structure development, and the design and implementation of merit, bonus, and stock programs. Extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, ensuring seamless integration of compensation structures and practices.
Personal note: enjoys skiing, biking, camping, as well as traveling with her family and watching her kids in youth sports.
Membership/Conference
Terry Pickett
State of Colorado
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!
Sponsorship
Marlena Zimmerman
BI WORLDWIDE
Marlena Zimmerman is a 20+ year seasoned sales professional in the world of agriculture, tech, sports, and service industries. As the Director of Business Development at BI WORLDWIDE, she excels in crafting impactful employee engagement and rewards programs that inspire employees to love their work and the brand they represent. Marlena partners with Fortune 1000 companies to attract, engage, and retain talent, driving the company's EVP.
Outside of work, Marlena enjoys cheering on her two children in their various sports, including soccer, basketball, football, and volleyball, alongside her husband and two dogs. She serves on the Board of Ambassadors for the American Cancer Society and is an Activist for the National MS Society. In her free time, you can find her playing pickleball or expanding her passion for food and her culinary skills.
Programs
Meghan Murray
Gates Corp.
Meghan Murray is a Senior Compensation Analyst at Gates Corporation, where she supports the design, analysis, and administration of compensation programs that help drive equitable and competitive pay practices across the organization. Before joining Gates, Meghan built broad experience across HR in roles spanning recruitment, HR support, and organizational development. Meghan earned her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. She has continued to expand her expertise through ongoing professional development facilitated by RMTRA and earning a DDI Facilitator Certification. Outside of work, Meghan enjoys getting outside, exploring Colorado, reading and hanging out with her various pets.
Programs
Christian Naes
Lockton
Christian Naes is an Advisor and Consultant at Lockton Companies, partnering with senior HR and Total Rewards leaders on benefits strategy, cost management, and long-term workforce planning. With 10 years across the insurance ecosystem—carrier, general agency, and consulting—he brings a practical, end-to-end perspective on how total rewards decisions are designed, funded, and executed.
In addition to his RMTRA board role, Christian co-founded and leads the Denver HR Council and facilitates Total Rewards roundtables locally and globally, connecting practitioners to exchange real-world insights and emerging best practices. His focus is on advancing thoughtful, practitioner-led dialogue that strengthens the Total Rewards community.
Programs
Rey Ramirez
thrive hr consulting
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.
Education/ University Relations
Rene Velazquez
Gates Corporation
René Velázquez is currently the Director of Global Compensation at Gates Corporation.
René has 30 years experience in Human Resources, primarily in the areas of Compensation and Benefits. He has held numerous HR and Compensation & Benefits management roles with industry leaders such as TechInsights USA, DISH Network, 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.
Education/ University Relations
Ken Wigton
Modern Aviation
Ken Wigton is the Manager of Total Rewards at Modern Aviation, where he serves as the strategic leader for the design, administration, and optimization of Total Rewards programs across the United States and Puerto Rico. His scope includes employee benefits, retirement savings plans, compensation, performance management, talent management, recognition, and wellbeing initiatives.
Prior to joining Modern Aviation, Ken served as Global Director of Human Resources for a private, family-owned specialty chemical manufacturing company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. During his tenure in Cincinnati, he was actively involved in the HR community and served as President of the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association (GCHRA) for three years.
Ken holds a master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University. He is also certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
Outside of work, Ken enjoys traveling, discovering great food, appreciating bourbon and wine, and spending time with his wife and children.
