Who We Are
John Gutman
Chief Executive Officer
JohnG@TheBenefitsAlliance.com
John served as Vice President of Saint Michaels College for 18 years in the dual role of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In 1978, John founded and currently serves as CEO of the Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust (VSBIT). VSBIT provides employee benefit and management services to all Vermont's public schools and their 17,000 employees and retirees. John founded the Vermont Nonprofit Insurance Trust (VNIT), bringing to nonprofit organizations his many years of experience with employee benefit programs. He founded The Benefits Alliance to bring innovative health plans and health promotion programs to the private sector. John holds an MBA degree from the University of Vermont and is a licensed insurance professional.
Chris Phalen
Director, Member Services
ChrisP@TheBenefitsAlliance.com
Before joining The Benefits Alliance, Chris was a National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) licensed Financial Representative at Fidelity Investments for six years. At Fidelity, he also became licensed to provide life, accident and health insurance. Chris joined The Vermont Nonprofit Insurance Trust (VNIT) in 2001, and later The Benefits Alliance. Since that time, Chris has been providing guidance to employers in all aspects of plan design in the area of Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability insurance. Chris thrives on excellent service to his clients, and on making sure they have all of the critical information and options when reviewing their benefits.
Gillian Pieper
Director, Wellness and Health Promotion
GillianP@TheBenefitsAlliance.com
Gillian is a nationally known health promotion professional. She works with Benefit Alliance customers, helping their employees adopt healthier habits and become more sophisticated consumers of health care services. Gillian also serves as Director of Wellness and Health promotion for the Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust. At VSBIT, she develops and conducts the wellness program offered through the Vermont Education Health Initiative (VEHI).
Anna Van Fleet
Wellness Practitioner, Program Coordinator
AnnaV@TheBenefitsAlliance.com
Anna has been at the core of The Benefits Alliance’s customer services for over three years, serving as a licensed life, health and AD&D insurance professional and administrator of all client wellness programming. Anna consults primarily with small employee groups (under 50) in health, dental, short term and long term disability and life insurance. Anna is a natural and exciting presenter; her favorite facet of her job is working with employees as she brings wellness into the workplace. She has been so inspired by the company’s message of health that she pursued a lifelong dream of becoming a yoga teacher in 2009. She offers tailored presentations onsite, covering everything from Medical Self-Care to Meditative Breathing and Stress Reduction.
