Nicholas Hughley

Nicholas Hughley

Nicholas Hughley

Director, Business Development

Nicholas Hughley serves as Director, Business Development at Empyrean, and is an initial interface for brokers and new prospects. He employs a consultative, service-first approach in finding solutions that best fit each employer’s unique needs and employee populations.

Nicholas joined Empyrean in 2014 as a Business Analyst, gaining deep experience in technical design specifications and configurations, testing, and project management. In 2018, he moved to Empyrean’s sales organization, where he has been able to leverage his Business Analyst to become a trusted advisor to his prospects, guiding them towards technologies and services that best fit their unique needs.

Prior to joining Empyrean, Nicholas served in several sales and development roles that allowed him to build trust and rapport with clients, serving as a true partner throughout their prospect journey.  

Nicholas earned a B.A. in Business Management from Hampton University.

Mike Boyles

Mike Boyles

Mike Boyles

Director, Business Development

Mike Boyles is a Director, Business Development at Empyrean with over 10 years of deep experience in the benefits space. He partners with brokers and employers across the southeastern U.S. to identify and configure Empyrean’s technologies and services to meet each organization’s individual and unique needs. 

Mike’s benefits-focused career began in 2012 at BeneTrac, a San Diego-based benefits and HCM technology company, which was acquired by Paychex in 2017. Throughout his tenure, Mike worked with employers and brokers serving as a true partner and advisor throughout the benefits lifecycle and journey.

 From there, Mike joined Web Benefits Design, a benefits administrative technology company, where he supported many client and broker relationships and recommended services that would best suit the client needs.

Mike earned a B.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. He resides in Atlantic Beach, Florida.

Matt Ruskin

Matt Ruskin

Matt Ruskin

Director, Business Development

Matt Ruskin serves as Director, Business Development at Empyrean in the Mid-Atlantic region. He acts an initial interface for brokers and new prospects, building strong partnerships that enable him to fully understand individual employer needs and complexities to identify right-sized technology and service solutions.

With over 20 years of experience in the benefits industry, Matt has accrued deep knowledge and expertise that allows him to serve as a trusted advisor and advocate for prospects and brokers alike.

Prior to joining the Empyrean Team, Matt held the role of Regional Vice President at Medical Group Insurance Services, a subsidiary of Sun Life Insurance.

Matt earned a B.A. from Lipscomb University. He resides in Nashville, TN.

Lisa Adams

Lisa Adams

Lisa Adams

Director, Business Development

Lisa Adams serves as Empyrean’s Director of Business Development where she partners with clients and brokers to support their benefits strategy and manage their biggest benefit challenges.

With 15 years in the employee benefits space, Lisa has served in high-level business development and sales management roles with industry leaders including 7 years at Humana / Concentra, a Kentucky based health insurance company, where she built strong relationships with clients and brokers and recommended products that best suited their individual needs. She also spent 7 years at EyeMed Vision Care, where she focused on providing comprehensive vision wellness solutions to her clients and prospects.

Lisa earned a B.S. from LaGrange College. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia where she volunteers for the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute and is a member of the Buckhead Business Association.

Katie McCabe

Katie McCabe

Katie McCabe

Director, Business Development

Katie McCabe serves as a Director, Business Development at Empyrean, focusing on building broker, employer, and carrier relationships throughout New York State.   

An industry veteran with more than 18 years of experience, Katie began her benefits career at Emerson Reid & Co (a subsidiary of USI). Moving to Prudential as a Senior Sales Associate/Account Manager she supported the sales process and served as a single point of contact for clients throughout their benefits lifecycle.

Katie went on to develop her deep industry expertise while holding the role of Account Specialist at The Standard, before returning to Prudential as a Premier Account Executive.

Katie earned a B.S. in Business Administration from State University of New York College at Oswego. She currently resides in the New York City area.

Karen McRae

Karen McRae

Karen McRae

Director, Product Strategy

Karen McRae serves as Director, Product Strategy, identifying new and expanded market opportunities that drive innovation in product design and delivery to ensure an optimized, connected Empyrean client experience.  Karen has over 16 years of deep experience leading large product teams within highly matrixed organizations in areas including product strategy, development, go to market (GTM), implementation, and defining and driving product roadmaps and business cases for new and enhanced products.  

Before joining Empyrean, Karen spent 11 years at global healthcare and insurance company Cigna Healthcare. Where her most recent role was Sr. Director of Product Strategy / Management at eviCore Healthcare (a subsidiary of Cigna).  Over her career at Cigna, she served in several high-level product strategy roles, including leading a team to understand and prioritize the needs of both local and national markets.

Karen earned a B.S. from Excelsior College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She resides in North Carolina.

Jennifer Barr

Jennifer Barr

Jennifer Barr

Director, Business Development

Jennifer Barr is a Director, Business Development at Empyrean, where she provides assistance to HR professionals to connect their employees with life enriching benefits.

With over 20 years in the health and benefits space, Jennifer is a trusted industry expert, advisor, and advocate dedicated to finding right-sized benefits technology and service solutions that will fit the unique needs of each employer she serves.

Jennifer has deep experience in the benefits industry, including co-founding San Diego-based BeneTrac, a San Diego-based benefits and HCM technology company that was acquired by HCM giant Paychex in 2007. 

Jennifer earned a B.A. in International Business from San Diego State University. She currently resides with her family in the San Diego area.

Chris Melanson

Chris Melanson

Chris Melanson

Director, Business Development

Chris Melanson serves as Director, Business Development with Empyrean creating connected client and broker relationships for employers located across the northeastern United States.

Chris is an initial interface with employers and brokers, and follows a client-centric, consultative sales approach. He focuses on prioritizing relationships and understanding the specific needs of an employer to identify solutions that best fit each organization’s unique needs and employee populations.

Prior to joining Empyrean in 2021, Chris was a group insurance carrier representative for 9 years at Sun Life Financial, a Canadian based life insurance company, where he solved clients’ benefit needs by understanding and addressing pain points with solution-based products. Throughout his career he has developed strong employer and broker relationships, and his vast experience in the health and benefits space allows him to guide both brokers and employers through their benefits journey.

Chris earned a B.S. in Business from Nichols College.

Chris Knight

Chris Knight

Chris Knight

Director, Business Development

Chris Knight is a Director, Business Development, creating connected prospect and client journeys for employers located across the western U.S. with fewer than 5,000 benefits eligible employees.

An industry veteran with over 21 years of diverse employee benefits experience, Chris partners with brokers and employers to identify and configure Empyrean’s technologies and services to meet their individual and unique needs. 

Before joining Empyrean in 2017, Chris spent over 16 years with BeneTrac, a San Diego-based benefits and HCM technology company. There, he served in several high-level sales roles of escalating responsibility, building strong relationships with employers and brokers throughout his tenured career. He is considered a true subject matter expert in the benefits administration space and is a trusted partner to both brokers and employers.

Chris earned a B.S. from San Diego State University. He currently resides in the Los Angeles area.

Kelly Clark

Kelly Clark

Kelly Clark

Chief Information & Technology Officer

Kelly Clark, Chief Information & Technology Officer, leads Empyrean’s strategic technology innovation initiatives, providing the vision for digital transformation across the organization.

For over two decades, Kelly has been a proven technology leader in the HR and employee benefits space, driving business transformation through IT modernization and by leveraging innovative technologies while improving people and process knowledge. His collaborative mindset and philosophies have also enabled him to build high-performing teams, gain alignment across business groups, and develop strategic relationships that elevate brands.

Prior to joining the Empyrean team, Kelly held several c-level positions at organizations like Maximus, OptumHealth, and OptumHealth Financial Services, and most recently served as the Chief Information & Digital Officer at Alight Solutions. There, he led the group’s digital transformation to solve highly complex business and client needs while improving technology capabilities and overall operational excellence.

Kelly earned a B.A. and Master’s Degree from the University of Manitoba.

Keith Wilson

Keith Wilson

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.

 Randy Alvarez

 Randy Alvarez

Randy Alvarez

Director, Business Development

Randy Alvarez is Empyrean’s Director of Business Development in the Northeast Region, focusing on groups above 5,000 benefits eligible employees. 

With an exceptional 20 yeartrack record as a top sales performer, Randy not only has experience, but an extensive understanding of the employee benefits and HR technology sector. He will act as your trusted partner and resource throughout the sales process and beyond, ensuring you and your team receive the highest level of service and support. 

Randy spent a decade of his career at ADP in the PEO division in New England, where he worked as both a District Manager and Sales Lead. There, he helped businesses evaluate their HRIS technology and employee benefits strategy. Prior to that, he was a vital member of the sales team at Quadrant Software and WorkHuman. 

As a passionate people person, Randy will demonstrate the value of Empyrean’s platform and partnership. 

Cathy McMillan

Cathy McMillan

Cathy McMillan

Sr. Customer Service Team Manager

Sr. Customer Service Team Manager Cathy McMillan manages the day-to-day operations of Empyrean’s service team, ensuring assigned call center resources serve as both customer advocates and an integrated extension of each client’s HR and benefits function. She is passionate about providing the highest quality of service possible, setting new service standard benchmarks and equipping her team with the tools and support necessary to quickly resolve participant inquiries and issues. 

Prior to joining the Empyrean team in 2016, Cathy spent more than 15 years at management consulting giant Mercer, ultimately serving as a Sr. Team Lead and managing a team of over 150 call center supervisors and representatives. Her leadership led to the improvement of all call center metrics, and she played an integral role in driving process change that contributed to this success. 

In her role at Empyrean, Cathy employs a positive and proactive approach to problem solving. She not only closely monitors the success and performance of her team, but also keeps a close eye on any trends that emerge at the account level as well as in the market as a whole. 

Brent Holmes

Brent Holmes

Brent Holmes

Client Service Manager

Brent Holmes, 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.

Brent joined the Empyrean Team in 2015 as Business Systems Analyst before moving to his current position, allowing him to leverage his service leadership experience and platform expertise to play a critical role within our client team.

Brent earned a B.A. in Business Management from the University of Houston Downtown.

Ben Grimmett

Ben Grimmett

Ben Grimmett

Sr. Director, Client Experience

Ben Grimmett is a Sr. Director, Client Experience, and has been a key member of the Empyrean team for more than a decade. Ben oversees the successful delivery of Empyrean solutions and services throughout the client lifecycle, specializing in optimizing client effectiveness and efficiency at the time of implementation, through ongoing support, and during annual enrollment periods.


Ben has extensive experience in the employee benefits space, starting his career at leading professional services firm Aon, where he spent seven years before moving on to join Mercer. This deep industry knowledge provides him with the perspective and expertise necessary to manage Empyrean’s uniquely customized client solutions. Throughout his career, Ben has worked with many large and complex clients, bringing a wealth diverse experience to the advantage of Empyrean clients.


Ben earned a B.S. and B.A. from Texas A&M University.

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