Our Staff

Tim Morrison
Tim Morrison
President/Owner
Started Benefit Design Specialists, Inc. August 1986
Providing employee benefit plans for employers
  • Administrative services for Section 125 & 105 plans, Cobra and Pension Plans
  • Executive Benefits, Life and Disability Insurance Planning
  • Coordination of personal estate planning
  • Innovator of the MERPTM concept in Central PA, saving employers millions of premium dollars since 2004

Educational Background:
1978 Graduate of Reynolds High School, Greenville, PA
1983 Graduate of Rider University B.S. Business Administration
1990 Graduate of Chartered Financial Consultant from the American College
1994 Graduate of Chartered Life Underwriter from the American College
2007 Graduate of Chartered Benefit Consultant


Member:
Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. (Keystone Chapter)
Rider University Hall of Fame

 

Marie Bennett
Marie Bennett
Vice President of Client Services
Marie Bennett - Vice President of Client Services Marie has worked with Benefit Design Specialists (BDS) Team since 2004, bringing over 20 years of service and management experience in the health insurance industry.

As an employee of Highmark BlueShield for over 17 years, Marie held various positions including Claims Processor, Customer Service Representative, Customer Service Technical Assistant, Service Coordinator, Customer Service Supervisor, Business Analyst working with IT staff and finally Supervisor of a Business Analyst unit. In December of 2004, Marie joined Alpha Benefits Group as a Client Manager servicing more than 50 groups with medical, dental, vision and ancillary product renewals.

As Vice President of Client Services for BDS, Marie handles new client sales, in addition to supporting our existing clients through the healthcare renewal process, and educating employees during the open enrollment period. Marie assists with the development and implementation of workplace wellness initiatives.

Her primary focus is to provide our clients with the excellent service and support that they have come to expect from BDS.

Marie's educational background includes the following accomplishments and distinctions:
1985 Graduate of East Pennsboro Area High School, Enola, PA
1988 - 2004 Employee of Highmark Blue Shield focused on claims processing, customer service and IT systems enhancements
2005 Pennsylvania Licensed Producer for Health and Life Insurance
2007 Graduate of Chartered Benefit Consultant


Marie's family is her number 1 priority! Her two sons keep her busy during football and wrestling seasons. Marie especially enjoys the family rituals, such as Friday night pizza and movies.
 

Jill Ford
Jill Ford
Office Manager
As manager of Benefit Design Specialists, Inc., Jill oversees the staff, and the daily operations of the office. She also assists with the MERPTM plan administration. Jill previously spent 21 years at Highmark Blue Shield where she served as a Business Analyst, and as a representative in the claims/customer service departments dealing with written correspondence as well as providing telephone customer service. Jill is a graduate of Harrisburg Area Community College with an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts/Business Management, and has attended Millersville University and Wilson College where she earned credits towards a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management.  

TJ Morrison
TJ Morrison
Sales & Marketing Manager
T.J. joined BDS in June of 2008 after graduating cum laude from Rider University with a bachelors degree in Business Administration Entrepreneurial Studies. T.J. is responsible for new sales and servicing existing clients, as well as, all marketing aspects for BDS. He is dedicated to providing unparalleled customer service and building strong relationships with clients.

Education:
2003 Graduate of Cedar Cliff High School, Camp Hill, PA
2008 Graduate of Rider University with B.S. in Business Administration Entrepreneurial Studies
2008 PA licensed producer of Life and Health Insurance


Other Accomplishments:
One of 12 wrestlers in the history of Rider University to win over 100 career matches
NCAA Division I Academic All-American
CAA Conference Champion
Four time NCAA Division 1 National qualifier
 

Ricky Boyer
Ricky Boyer
Plan Administrator
As Plan Administrator, Ricky supports clients in preparation of documents and set up of MERPTM, Cafeteria, and COBRA Plans. She administers COBRA for clients and helps to maintain their compliance. Ricky graduated from Harrisburg Area Community College with an Associate's Degree in Business Administration. She was formerly a Customer Service Trainer at Highmark Blue Shield and joined BDS in 2006.  
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Cheryl Manna
Cheryl Manna
Plan Administrator
As Plan Administrator, Cheryl's duties include processing MERPTM, HSA, and FSA and Debit card claims. She also handles many phone calls concerning customer service issues for all of our clients. Cheryl is also part of the network of people who process the reimbursement checks each week. Her number one priority is customer service.  

Stacey Young
Stacey Young
Senior Plan Administrator
Stacey joined BDS in 2004. As a Senior Plan Administratorr, Stacey assists clients with all aspects of Section 125, HSA, and debit card administration. Stacey also processes MERPTM, HSA, and flexible spending claims. Stacey also provides customer service support to individuals regarding claims. Stacey provides training and technical supervision to staff members. Stacey is a graduate of Millersville University who enjoys tennis and traveling.  

Heather Young
Heather Young
Senior COBRA Plan Administrator
As Senior COBRA Plan Administrator, Heather assists clients with all aspects of COBRA administration to help them remain compliant under the COBRA laws. Joining BDS in 2004, she provides support to clients for the on-line COBRA system. Heather also provides customer service support to termed individuals regarding the COBRA process, as well as providing training and technical supervision to BDS staff members. Heather is a graduate of Millersville University who enjoys traveling and swimming.  

Ruth Gleim
Ruth Gleim
Benefit Administrator
As Benefit Administrator, with over 4 years experience with BDS, Ruth supports clients with questions about their claims, and enters claims to be processed. She also processes the weekly checks for reimbursement, and the documents for renewals and new clients. Ruth's grandchildren are the light of her life. She enjoys working with the 3 and 4 yr old kids at church. Ruth has two dogs, one cat and a Hamster for entertainment at home.  

Kelly Matthews
Kelly Matthews
Benefit Administrator

Kelly joined the BDS team in 2009.Kelly's primary focus with BDS is processing MERPTM claims for multiple groups. She enjoys the challenge of providing excellent customer service for the groups that she is assigned for MERP processing. Before Kelly joined BDS, she worked at Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund for 8 years as a medical claims examiner.

Kelly has four children that range in age from 2 to 14yrs old. When Kelly is not hard at work, she enjoys watching her kids play sports and relaxing outdoors.

 

Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Benefit Administrator
Carla has been with Alpha Benefit Administrators since February of 2007. Her responsibilities are primarily claims processing, check processing, and preparing documents for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA's). Additionally, Carla assists with COBRA administration, phones and customer service issues.

While not in the office, Carla enjoys spending time with her three children, her family and friends. She also enjoys, spending time outdoors camping, hiking and all kinds of sports.
 

Jennifer Taylor
Jennifer Taylor
Clerical Assistant
Jennifer started working at BDS in October 2007 as an Office Assistant. She works diligently on scanning, disbursing the mail, assisting with COBRA tasks, mailing checks and assisting in many other office procedures. Jennifer has also been a volunteer at her local Fire Department for over 11 years. Jennifer loves spending time with her family and friends, especially her 3 year old son. She attended Computer Learning Network in Mechanicsburg and specialized in Health Information Specialists graduating in March 2005.  

Tim Block
Tim Block
Sales Rep

Tim joined BDS in December of 2008. Tim is a sales representative and works out of our new Arizona office. He is responsible for prospecting, increasing our clientele, and the servicing of new clients. Tim graduated from Trinity College in Deerfield, IL and Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Before joining BDS, Tim was involved in ministry for 30 years.

When Tim is not hard at work, he enjoys spending time with his loving wife of 31 years and their two children, Casey and Carley. Tim has a passion for outdoor sports that include, but are not limited to, camping, skiing, hunting, and fishing. He also enjoys to prop his feet up and read a book once and a while.

 

Justin Nelson
Justin Nelson
Client Manager
Justin has been with BDS since December of 2008. He graduated from Penn State University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He is responsible for new sales and servicing existing clients. When Justin is not at work, he enjoys hunting, fly fishing, and golf.
 
 

Justin Nelson
Scott Job
Benefits Consultant

Scott joined the BDS Phoenix office as a Benefits Consultant in 2009. Scott has over 12 years of experience as a Human Resources Manager and has administered group benefit plans for two different companies during that span of time. Through his experiences, Scott has developed a strong conviction that effective HR practices, such as rich benefit plans, lead directly to improved employee performance and retention.

Scott joined BDS because of his experience with the company as one of their first clients in Arizona. After working with BDS as a client, Scott discovered that not all brokers are created equal and quickly developed a strong interest in working for BDS.

Scott's experience and balanced approach enable him to work effectively with CFO's and HR Managers to meet the often-competing objectives of HR and Finance. Further, Scott's responsiveness and organization enable him to handle the renewal and enrollment process for his clients in a timely and orderly manner.

Education and Memberships:
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration/Finance Emphasis - Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
- May 1995
Master of Arts, Organizational Management - University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona - June 2005
Member, Society of Human Resource Management