Jason O’Donoghue

Solutions Architect

Jason O’Donoghue has been a member of the Empyrean team since 2008, and now serves as a Solutions Consultant responsible for overseeing client transitions from the implementation phase and onboarding to ongoing service delivery.  

Jason works very closely with the operations teams to ensure Empyrean is providing the highest level of quality and partnership throughout the onboarding and implementation process. His vast industry and institutional knowledge enables Jason’s understanding of unique client complexities and how Empyrean can customize effective solutions to meet their needs. 

Jason attended Lone Star College in Houston, TX.

Keith Wilson

Chief Client Officer

Chief Client Officer Keith Wilson leads the Empyrean Client Experience team in the delivery of a service-first journey for each client, from onboarding through the entirety of the relationship. He serves as a true advocate and voice for all clients, providing their perspective and feedback to inform key executive decisions while creating a single vision across all methods of contact and building lasting relationships within the market. 

Keith has over 20 years of industry expertise focused on operations management across benefits administration platforms. His experience includes senior-level management tied to implementations, ongoing administration operations, corporate strategy, and channel partner relationship development. 

Prior to joining Empyrean in 2007, Keith served as Principal and Operations Director at Mercer Human Resources Services. There, he managed key service deliverables across the benefits administration practice and provided operations team leadership. He also spent time at SynHRgy HR Technologies as a Senior Implementation Manager, where he was responsible for implementing services for health and group administration. 

Keith earned a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University. 

Steve Campbell

Chief Human Resources Officer

As CHRO, Steve Campbell is responsible for developing the HR strategies, programs, and systems that support Empyrean’s solutions and services. Steve has over 30 years of HR experience with a large focus on talent management activities, including human capital planning, performance management, total rewards, and development. 

Prior to joining Empyrean in 2009, Steve served as Principal and Global Talent Leader at Hewitt, overseeing talent acquisition strategy development and execution for the firm’s 4,400 associates. As Hewitt’s Principal and Global Line of Business HR Leader, Steve led the development and global delivery of talent solutions for Retirement and Health Management consulting. Steve also developed and led HR functions as Director of Human Resources for Information Consulting Group, a start-up IT consulting firm acquired by McKinsey & Company. 

Steve earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Systems Analysis from Taylor University. 

Susan Reynolds Cline

Solutions Consultant

Susan Cline is a Solutions Consultant responsible for Empyrean client transitions and onboarding, working closely with the operations teams to ensure Empyrean is providing the highest level of quality and partnership available throughout the implementation process. 

Her experience as a Business Systems Analyst and Client Service Manager enables Susan’s understanding of unique client complexities and how Empyrean can customize effective solutions to meet their needs. 

Susan joined Empyrean in 2013 and has over 10 years of industry experience, including five years spent at Mercer in the areas of absence management and benefits administration. Her clients at Mercer included those in the healthcare, financial services and oil and gas industries.  

Susan earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Economics with a Business Minor from Texas A&M University. 

Stan Bradford

Client Service Manager

Stan Bradford, Client Service Manager, is responsible for the continued oversight of Empyrean client experience, services, and solutions while managing day-to-day client success and performance. He serves as an additional and escalated point of contact for his clients, coordinating the efforts of the Business Systems Analysts, Implementation Managers, and Customer Service Representatives to ensure seamless service delivery and support.  

An industry veteran, Stan has spent much of his 30-year career in the benefits and human resources space, spending time at Mercer, Towers Perrin (Willis Towers Watson), Signify Health, and Aon Hewitt.  

Stan earned a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania.  

Rita Blueitt

Client Services Manager

Rita Blueitt, Client Services Manager, is responsible for the continued oversight of client services, solutions, and overall experience while managing day-to-day client success and Empyrean performance. She serves as her client’s primary and main point of contact, and is committed to fostering strong relationships driven by platform expertise, service dedication, and compassion.  

Rita has almost a decade of employee benefits experience, starting her career at Empyrean before moving on to join Willis Towers Watson in 2015. There, Rita spent five years in roles of growing responsibility, ultimately serving as a Project Manager before returning to Empyrean in 2020.  

With deep industry experience, Rita’s areas of expertise include implementations, complex project management, relationship management, and overall best practices. 

Rita earned a B.S. from Louisiana State University. 

Munira Shaikh

Business Systems Manager

Munira Shaikh is an Empyrean Business Systems Manager, specializing in shaping and providing technology solutions that meet individualized client needs from the implementation phase through ongoing support.  

She serves as the client’s technical resource, and specializes in integrating health and welfare administrative requirements with industry best practices to optimize efficiencies, improve effectiveness, and enable clients to focus on internal strategic initiatives.   

Munira earned a B.S. from the University of Houston

Melissa Conn

Director, Client Services

Melissa Conn, Director, Client Services, is responsible for the ongoing delivery of benefits administration services and solutions that yield client success, and is committed to fostering strong relationships driven by platform expertise, service dedication, and compassion. Her areas of expertise include complex integrations and setups, project management and development, and relationship management.  

Melissa joined the Empyrean team in 2014, and has over 20 years of benefits industry experience. Prior to Empyrean, Melissa held client relationship and project management roles of escalating responsibility at both Morneau Shepell and Aliquant Corporation (Willis Towers Watson). She also served as the Director of Benefits Administration for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry. 

Melissa earned an M.A. in human resources management and industrial relations from Saint Francis University, and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

Matt Majewski

Senior Business Systems Manager

Matt Majewski is a Sr. Business Systems Manager, specializing in shaping and providing technology solutions that meet individualized client needs from the implementation phase through ongoing support. He serves as the client’s senior technical resource, and specializes in integrating health and welfare administrative requirements with industry best practices to optimize efficiencies, improve effectiveness, and enable clients to focus on internal strategic initiatives.   

Matt originally joined the Empyrean team in 2009, where he spent time in roles of advancing responsibility before joining Willis Towers Watson in 2015 as a Business Analyst. In 2017, Matt returned to Empyrean to support clients of various size, industry, and complexity.  

Matt earned a B.B.A. from Texas A&M University. 

Mark Kleckley

Senior Client Service Manager

Mark Kleckley, Sr. Client Service Manager, is responsible for the continued oversight of Empyrean client services, solutions, and overall experience while managing day-to-day client success and performance. He serves as an additional and escalated point of contact for his clients, coordinating the efforts of the Business Systems Analysts, Implementation Managers, and Customer Service Representatives to ensure seamless service delivery and support.  

Mark has deep and extensive HR and employee benefits experience, spending several years as an SAP HR Consultant at Capgemini before joining Empyrean in 2014. He originally served as an Empyrean Business Analyst before moving into his current position, allowing him to leverage his service leadership experience and platform expertise to play a critical role within our client team.  

Mark earned a B.A. in Business Management from Texas A&M University 

Kylie Whittaker

Senior Implementation Manager

Kylie Whittaker serves as an Empyrean Implementation Manager, overseeing the successful build-out and launch of new client solutions. She is both a technology leader and service delivery expert, and plays a critical role in ensuring a seamless transition from the implementation stage through ongoing client service and support.  

An industry veteran with more than 12 years of employee benefits experience, Kylie began her career as a Benefits Analyst for Pittsburgh-based Morneau Shepell. She then went on to join Kennametal as a Sr. Analyst, Total Rewards, Global Benefits, and five years later moved to Matthews International where she served for several years as a Benefits Supervisor.  

 Kylie’s areas of expertise include benefits strategy and design, technology and service implementation, ongoing benefits administration, and application configuration management.  

Kylie earned a B.S. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 

Ken Whitesides

Senior Implementation Manager

Ken Whitesides serves as a Sr. Implementation Manager, overseeing the build-out and launch of new client solutions and playing a critical role in ensuring a seamless transition from the implementation stage through ongoing service and support.  

An industry veteran with two decades of extensive and diverse experience in the employee benefits space, Ken spent 10 years at Aon Hewitt where he ultimately served as an Advanced Lead Systems Analyst. From there, Ken went on to join Morneau Shepell (formerly SBC Systems) as Director of Client Services, where he spent several years leading simultaneous implementations, managing post-live issue resolution planning, and managing escalated client requests. Throughout his career, he has led projects for multiple Fortune 50 and 100 companies, municipalities, utilities, and one of the largest non-profit organizations in the U.S.  

Since 2016, Ken has played a critical role as a member of the Empyrean implementation team.  

Ken earned a B.S. and Master’s in Management Information Systems (MIS) from the University of Florida

Heather Menard Turley

Senior Client Service Manager

Heather Menard Turley, Sr. Client Service Manager, is responsible for the continued oversight of Empyrean client services, solutions, and overall experience while managing day-to-day client success and performance. She serves as an additional and escalated point of contact for her clients, coordinating the efforts of the Client Service Manager, Business Systems Analysts, Implementation Managers, and Customer Service Representatives to ensure seamless service delivery and support.  

For more than eight years, Heather has served as a member of the Empyrean client service team, specializing in support for large market clients. Her extensive service leadership experience and technical platform expertise fuel her ability to design and drive effective operational processes from the implementation phase through daily project and functional management.  

Heather earned a B.S from the University of Michigan. 

Belinda McCall

Director, User Experience

Belinda McCall is Director, User Experience at Empyrean. She has over 15 years of deep experience in the design and development space, and leads the organization’s UX Team in creating intuitive, connected benefit experiences within the Empyrean platform.

Belinda has spent the majority of her career in the creative space and has experience in everything from marketing to visual design, to project management. She began her User Experience career at Keymind, a division of Axiom Resource Management, where she spent 10 years establishing herself as a leader in the space and providing innovative design solutions and compelling online experiences.

Belinda earned a BFA in graphic design from the University of Tampa. She is also a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and has passions for food, yoga, and books. Belinda resides in VA with her husband, son, and dog.

Desta Millner

Strategic Account Advisor

Desta Millner is a Strategic Account Advisor (SAA), serving as a true Empyrean client partner and advocate. Her responsibilities include providing the clients she supports with updates surrounding product strategies and initiatives, representing the client’s voice as it relates to new carrier relationships and Empyrean service and solution enhancements, and ensuring that broader client teams understand the individualized pain points and needs of each and every Empyrean client.  

Desta’s expansive and diverse experience in the HR and benefits space also enables her to provide clients with a unique perspective surrounding regulatory compliance updates, employee experience, and overall best practices. Early in her career, Desta served as a Sr. Benefits Project Lead for facilities provider G&K Services, where she introduced automated reporting and recordkeeping systems, ensured HR compliance standards were met or exceeded, and partnered with executive leadership to establish new benefits design strategies.  

Desta then moved on to join Capella University, where she spent several years as Manager, Benefits and HR Technology, creating and executing a comprehensive benefits strategy designed to not only manage plan costs, but also promote and improve employee benefit engagement levels. Desta also supported other strategic HR initiatives and worked to ensure the alignment and achievement of goals across the HR function and the overall organization.  

Immediately prior to joining the Empyrean team, Desta served as a Manager, Project Management at ACA software solution provider, Health e(fx). There, she led the project management team within the group’s client services area, leading new implementations and internal projects.  

Desta earned a B.A. from Saint Catherine University.