Meet Our Team

    Heather Eshaghpour

    Regional Vice President, Employee Benefits Practice Leader
    Heather Eshaghpour

    Heather is the Regional Employee Benefits Practice Leader.   In her role, Heather collaborates with firms across the region leading initiatives on our client experience, our people, growth, and operational efficiencies.  Heather sits on our national employee benefits leadership team working with other practice leaders to drive innovation and growth within the employee benefits practice.

    Heather has over 25 years of experience in employee benefits having worked previously for both small and national consulting firms in client-facing and leadership roles.    Heather lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, son, and two Labrador retrievers.   She is an avid Nashville Predators Hockey fan.

    Mike Inman

    Vice President, Property and Casualty, South Central
    Mike Inman

    Vice President, Property and Casualty, South Central

    Nita Ponnaganti

    Vice President of Operations, South Central Region
    Nita Ponnaganti

    Vice President of Operations, South Central Region

    Greg Donovan

    Regional Finance Lead, South Central Region
    Greg Donovan

    Regional Finance Lead, South Central Region

    EXPERT EDUCATION

    Events and Webinars

    Employee Benefits

    Alera Group Presents: Navigating Medicare

    The knowledgeable team at Alera Group is here to help you navigate your Medicare options to ensure you feel confident in your post-65 healthcare coverage.

    March 11, 2026 at 12:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    image saying Alera Group Webinar

    Employee Benefits

    The Funding Edge: Why Fully Insured Limits Control — and What Modern Funding Unlocks

    A funding decision framework leaders can use to evaluate options and align on next steps.

    March 17, 2026 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Webinar Graphic

    Employee Benefits

    Network Performance Strategy: Why Any Provider Costs More — and How to Steer to Value Without Disruption

    A steering strategy that improves outcomes and total cost of care.

    April 21, 2026 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    webinar

    Quote from President and CEO

    The Alera Group met with us throughout the year to monitor claims and helped us develop mitigation strategies in real time. For me, the most important thing was that they shared our ethical commitment to our employees.
    President and CEO

    Quote from President and CEO

    Throughout my career, I have worked with several well-known companies on benefits. None have compared with the Alera Group.
    President and CEO

    Quote from Director of Human Resources

    The Alera Group has worked tirelessly and proactively to help us get the best product at a price we and our staff can afford.
    Director of Human Resources

    Quote from Executive Director

    The Alera Group has helped us to find innovative solutions to our unique challenges and has served as a strong ally for every employee.
    Executive Director

    THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

    Insights

    Employee Benefits

    Legal Alert: RxDC Reporting Due June 1st

    Reminder: RxDC Reporting Due June 1st

    February 26, 2026

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    Property and Casualty

    AI-Powered Cyber Attacks, Why Yesterday’s Defenses Aren’t Enough.

    The widespread availability of AI technology, combined with the ease of manipulating video calls, makes phone and Zoom calls susceptible to exploitation by threat actors.

    February 2, 2026

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    Employee Benefits

    IRS Releases Guidance Related to Recent HSA Changes

    The IRS recently released Notice 2026-5, which provides guidance and answers to common questions related to the expanded availability of health savings accounts (“HSA”) under the Reconciliation Act (previously named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) passed into law earlier this year.

    December 30, 2025

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    Property and Casualty

    Are you prepared for 2026? Property and Casualty Trends Uncovered

    The sixth annual Property and Casualty Market Outlook from Alera Group sets the stage for how organizations can recalibrate their risk strategies in 2026. Built on thousands of data points — including a nationwide survey of insurance company partners and wholesale intermediaries — this report delivers actionable insights for insurance buyers, risk managers and business leaders.

    December 17, 2025

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      Alera Group, Inc. is aware that there are persons fraudulently impersonating our company by using fake internet domains that appear to look like our legitimate services. If you are contacted by someone claiming to work for Alera Group, or any of our partners, please carefully review the email address and domain. If you have a relationship with our company, please contact us directly and not through any information that is provided in such an email. Please be extremely careful in responding to such emails with personal and financial information, sharing passwords, or any other information of value. Alera Group, or any of our partners, will never send ACH instructions via email and thus we strongly recommend that you verify the authenticity of each wire transfer request by calling your Alera Group contact using the number you have previously called.