Chris Rossi

VP, Sales

Chris Rossi serves as Empyrean’s Vice President, Sales, leading a strategic and enterprise sales team which continues to develop Empyrean’s presence in the eastern United States.    

An industry veteran, Chris has spent close to two decades in the employee benefits space, serving in high-level sales roles and executive positions with industry leaders, including more than nine years with Aetna / Payflex, as well as time spent at Businessolver and Benefit Concepts. 

Chris earned a B.S. in Economics from Cortland College. He resides with his family in New York’s Hudson Valley, where he is an active volunteer and coach for several youth sports organizations as well as business mentorship programs. He has served as President for the Minisink Valley Little League, and continues to sit on the league’s Board of Directors.  

Taylor Dicarlo

Sr. Client Service Manager

Taylor Dicarlo, 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 Client Service Manager, Business Systems Analysts, Implementation Managers, and Customer Service Representatives to ensure seamless service delivery and support.

Chris Juede

Solutions Consultant

Chris Juede, Solutions Consultant, is responsible for the technical consultation and demonstration of Empyrean’s platform, ensuring that clients’ needs are efficiently and effectively addressed throughout the sales process. In addition, Chris is responsible for leading the transition of clients from the sales process through to implementation to ensure that agreed upon services are delivered in the appropriate manner.

Chris joined Empyrean in early 2018 and has 11 years of experience in the Benefits Industry, having spent several years within Empyrean’s Client Services Team as a Sr. Client Service Manager directly overseeing and managing client relationships. He has a breadth of progressive experience in ongoing benefits administration/operations, project management, advocacy point solutions, sales, and marketing. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music and Business.

Chris earned a B.A. from Azusa Pacific University.

Sarah Hotze

Sr. Director, Client Experience

Sarah Hotze serves a Sr. Director, Client Experience and for the last eight years has played a pivotal role in ensuring high-level support and service throughout the Empyrean client lifecycle.

Prior to joining the Empyrean team in 2013, Sarah spent six years at leading global professional services firm Aon as a Health & Welfare Practice Leader. She also spent several years at Houston-based business consulting firm Ascende, where she served as Director, HR & Benefits Administration.
Sarah earned a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Management and Finance along with a B.A. in Communications from Trinity College.

Colleen is a Certified Project Management Professional, and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Trinity University.

Colleen Waymel

Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer, Colleen Waymel drives client satisfaction, supports growth and scalability, and operationalizes new products and services to better serve Empyrean’s clients. After spending more than 25 years in the space, she has extensive experience helping companies utilize outsourcing solutions to achieve strategic benefit goals.

Before joining Empyrean in 2011, Colleen held several senior-level positions at Aon Hewitt. While serving as the group’s Vice President, General Manager and Principal, she delivered outsourcing programs to clients across a range of industries while also providing leadership to an 800-person team focused on client retention and service growth.

Colleen also served as North American Health and Welfare Operations Leader and Principal at Aon Hewitt, where she developed and implemented best practices, measures, and delivery-model solutions to serve health and welfare-aligned clients. As Senior Client Delivery Leader and Principal, she provided implementation and project leadership to large outsourcing clients.

Colleen is a Certified Project Management Professional, and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Trinity University.

Jon Bernard

Director, Business Development

Jon Bernard is a Director, Business Development, responsible for managing new Empyrean prospect relationships while also cultivating connections with sourcing advisors, consultants, and brokers. He also partners closely with the operations team to ensure that expectations set during the sales process are delivered through implementation and ongoing service.  

Prior to joining the Empyrean team in 2018, Jon spent almost 25 years at Alight / Hewitt Associates for 23 years, ultimately serving as the Senior Health & Welfare Solution Architect for the large market. There, he worked with new clients to determine appropriate administration solutions and managed the transition of work to the implementation team.  

During his career, Jon has worked with many large and complex clients and brings a wealth of diverse experience to help companies craft effective and impactful employee benefits technology and service solutions. 

Jon earned a B.A. from Trinity International University.