Empowering change.
Nexben is leading a truly radical marketplace transformation by creating the most advanced digital benefits platform in the country. We’re helping companies of all sizes to transform their process of buying and selling health insurance by making it as simple as possible.
Our focus is on making health benefits easier for everyone, so businesses can focus on what they do best.
Join the digital changeover.
Helping businesses connect and build partnerships with customers is important work. Interested in joining Nexben on this ongoing mission? Please contact us…we look forward to hearing from you.
Leadership Team
John Kelly
Founder & CEO
The grand design, growth and direction of Nexben was and continues to be innovated by John Kelly. John’s singular passion is to finally and permanently fix the entire health benefit experience — bringing it into the 21st century and leading it beyond as the industry evolves.
Prior to his revolutionary work at Nexben, John’s deep industry knowledge and insight was forged as founder and CEO of the BrocorXchange in 2011, the proto-concept that began to transform the health insurance marketplace through a first-ever consolidation of plan information.
John earned his BA at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He regularly engages with like-minded organizations that focus on health insurance issues and industry solutions.
Keith Huckaby
President
Keith likes to keep himself busy by going on family adventures with his two young daughters, Evelyn and Margot. Keith started out his career in the hospitality industry where he has experience in every aspect from park operations and employee retention at Disney to owning franchised restaurants.
Keith is excited for the future of the organization because the brand represents the people. Nexben has worked hard to put together a team to execute its vision and mission; it’s exciting when people develop to reach new heights to best serve our customers.
Scib Ebel
Chief Technology Officer
Scib is no stranger to the healthcare industry and a startup culture. This, paired with his proven track record of driving business value through healthcare technology, makes him a perfect fit for Nexben. As Chief Technology Officer, Scib creates Nexben’s technological vision and implements the appropriate technology strategies to support Nexben’s growing business.
His experience developing teams and directing technology strategies within the healthcare industry make him an invaluable addition to the team. Scib previously served as the CTO/SVP Technology/CISO at Icario (formerly Revel Health), where he played a key role in the company’s growth through organic business development and mergers.
Prior to this, he held leadership positions at Optum and Cigna. Scib earned his Master of Business Administration and Master of Science Degree in Software Engineering from the University of St. Thomas. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
Kasey Bacso
VP Business Development
Kasey has been ensuring that Nexben solutions meet the needs of all their customers since 2013, when it was still the BrocorXchange. He is responsible for connecting business with technology through quality partnerships inside and outside of the organization.
Kasey is one of the very first hires at Nexben and has continued growing alongside the company ever since. The knowledge and skills he’s gained by helping build this forward-thinking startup tech company has vastly expanded his expertise. Kasey has been able to immerse himself in every aspect of the company, giving him a 360º perspective and the chance to take on multiple leadership roles.
Kasey earned his BS from the College of Saint Scholastica, Minnesota. He is most excited about bringing a lasting real-world solution that will benefit millions of consumers.
Victoria Schanen
HR & Recruiting Manager
As the Human Resources and Recruiting Manager, Victoria brings both the human and resources into her responsibilities at Nexben. She leads and executes the people/talent strategy, and all HR functions including, hiring and onboarding, benefits, payroll, policies, and employer branding.
Victoria’s specialty is working with growing technology companies. Prior to joining Nexben, she held executive leadership roles at software companies Kipsu, as VP of Talent, and Leadpages, as Director of Recruiting. Her professional passions are about opening doors for others and being a leader who helps cultivate a strong and sustainable company ecosystem.
Victoria earned a BA from the University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts and a PHR certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).
Julie Halgren
Director of Marketing
Julie’s task is to drive all marketing strategy to optimize corporate and customer solutions. She is responsible for the marketing vision and roadmap for the overall company, including competitive market analysis, marketing initiatives, brand efforts, and communication strategies.
Three decades of marketing and corporate strategy experience in the financial services industry, including time at FICO and Thrivent, is what Julie contributes to Nexben every day. Prior to joining Nexben, she held positions as the Director of Corporate Strategy & Innovation and Director of Product Marketing at Thrivent. She seeks to leverage her passion of challenging the status quo to identify innovative ways to drive change.
Julie earned her BA in Business Administration, Marketing, and Finance from Luther College, Iowa. Outside the office, Julie volunteers at non-profit humanitarian organizations.
Terri Stang
Director of Customer Success
As Director of Customer Success Terri is the ambassador between broker partners and carriers. Her expertise and acumen is essential in strengthening customer relationships and supporting partners so they can achieve their desired outcomes.
Terri brings over 2 decades of experience in insurance to Nexben. For 19 of those years she held leadership roles within commercial health brokerages and management positions leading account teams at Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting. Terri also has extensive experience designing and implementing several successful staff training and client management systems.
Terri earned her BA from Concordia College, Minnesota. She is excited to be part of the innovative solutions Nexben is bringing to the employee benefits marketplace.
Mark Pontliana
VP of Operations
As the operations leader, Mark oversees the design, build, launch and support of Nexben products. He brings his recognized driving focus to delivering outstanding technology solutions by specifying deliverables and deadlines, defining business requirements, motivating people and aligning processes. Mark specializes in start-up organizations, new product launches, process engineering, mergers and acquisitions, acquisition integration and strategic planning.
Mark’s deep knowledge in health insurance was gained at organizations including, Conduent, Alegeus, and UnitedHealth Group. He has extensive experience leading new program development, incorporating quality design and defining new technology deployment initiatives. Mark has also acted as an independent consultant, working at the intersections of healthcare and financial services, focusing on platform implementation, product development and process improvement.
Scott Wayne
Regional VP
Scott is responsible for all Nexben sales, service and relationships in the West and Midwest. He brings 35 years of benefits, consulting and insurance industry experience, evenly split between the vendor world and consulting world. Scott gained his expertise at companies including, UnitedHealth Group, Mercer, and Fidelity, where he was focused on national accounts and difficult cases.
Scott earned his BA from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. After three decades in the health insurance industry, Scott is thrilled about the opportunity to grow a truly revolutionary solution from the ground up.
Kelly Harman-Severson
Director of Operational Delivery
As Director of Operational Delivery, Kelly ensures positive outcomes for Nexben clients through the strategy and execution of post-sales processes and operational delivery. Her thoughtful leadership and ability to build meaningful, cross-functional relationships with both internal and external stakeholder are the key to Nexben’s success.
Kelly’s critical thinking and creative problem solving set her apart and she has more than 20 years of experience in operations management, strategic account management, process improvement, contract negotiation/management, vendor management and strategic planning. Prior to joining Nexben, she held leadership roles with Thrivent Independent, Voya Financial, Securian Financial and Allianz.
Kelly earned her B.S. from the University of Iowa. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, entertaining, wine and travel.
