About Us

    Alera Group Pittsburgh is dedicated to understanding our clients' business needs, human resource objectives, financial goals, and long-term strategic plans. We strive to find new and innovative ways for employers to offer high quality, affordable benefits to their employees now and in the years to come.

    We focus on all areas of Employee Benefits, including, but not limited to:

    • Health and Welfare Benefits Consulting
    • Strategic Planning
    • Data Analytics
    • Cost Containment Strategies
    • HR Support
    • Compliance
    • Benefits & Administration Technology
    • Pharmacy Solutions
    • Human Capital Management
    • Specialty Programs
    • Ancillary/ Voluntary Benefits
    • Worksite Benefits

    Our consulting philosophy is to ensure our clients understand their funding options in their various lines of business. We not only illustrate fully insured proposals, but also specialize in self-funding. Clients who consider self-funding can select traditional self-funding options or choose from one of our captive models.

    National Scope.  Local Service.

    Why work with Alera Group Pittsburgh? Because we provide the best of both worlds – national scope combined with local service. Our mission is to transform the client experience by providing a greater depth and breadth of resources, innovative thinking, and constant collaboration, while maintaining strong local relationships.

    National Scope.

    Our clients benefit from our national resources and broad expertise. As an Alera Group company, we have the resources, technical expertise, and best practices of a larger national firm.

    Local Service.

    Alera Group Pittsburgh is dedicated to delivering exceptional client experiences and the best possible outcomes; positively impacting our employees, clients and the communities where we live and work.

    Work With Us

    At Alera Group, we are passionate about collaboration and growth. Enjoy working in a highly collaborative culture? Looking for an exciting environment that is constantly growing and improving? If you care about providing outstanding client service while serving local communities, then we may be looking for you.

    Explore Openings.

    Meet Our Team

    People you can count on. People you can trust.

    Don Balla

    Senior Vice President, Partner
    Don Balla

    Don Balla is a Senior Vice President and Partner of Alera Group Pittsburgh and has more than 27 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry. Don has oversight of Sales & Marketing for the Western Pennsylvania marketplace.  Prior to selling his agency to Alera Group in 2017, He most recently served as Managing Principal of the Employee Benefits Division of Simpson & McCrady, LLC.  Under his leadership, Simpson & McCrady grew into a multi-line insurance advisory firm providing benefits, property and casualty, and risk management services.

    Balla earned his Bachelor of Administration degree in Business Administration and Economics from Grove City College.  Balla is currently serving on industry advisory boards for insurance companies.  Additionally, he serves/advises many charitable organizations.

    Susan Campbell

    VP, Client Operations
    Susan Campbell

    Susan Campbell is the VP, Client Experiences for the Alera Group Pittsburgh office.  Susan has been in the insurance industry for almost 30 years with a focus in client management. At Alera Group, she assists clients with:

    • Finding creative strategies to control employee benefit costs;
    • Compliance issues;
    • Utilizing Alera Group tools and services;
    • Promoting wellness strategies;
    • Everyday HR challenges regarding their benefits, and;
    • Providing updates on health care reform.

    Campbell earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a concentration in Business from Mt. St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition, she has her Managed Health Professional (MHP) designation from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Group Benefits Disability Specialist designation and is licensed in Health and Accident, Life and Fixed Annuities.

    Tina Hapanowicz

    Senior Vice President, Partner
    Tina Hapanowicz

    Tina is a Senior VP, Partner of Alera Group Pittsburgh and has provided expertise in insurance benefits for more than 30 years. Her current role is to provide local corporate oversight of business matters and, along with local leadership, setting the strategic direction and growth for Western Pennsylvania. Prior to the formation of Alera Group, Tina was president of Coury Health Services, Inc. She worked with clients to understand their culture and business needs, then facilitated the development of the strategies required to improve the health and productivity of their workforce while allowing the employer to focus on their core business. As an original founding partner of Alera Group, she will continue to focus on our mission with emphasis on maintaining the mindset for quality customer experience and provide unlimited resources through collaboration to ensure delivered excellence and build long term relationships with our clients.

    Hapanowicz earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently participates in the Alera’s Women’s Leadership Council and has sat on several carrier advisory boards in the past.

    Kevin Sweeney

    Senior Vice President, Partner
    Kevin Sweeney

    Kevin is a Senior Vice President and Partner of Alera Group Pittsburgh. His role is to assist in the development, growth, and execution of the company’s strategic plan.

    Kevin has been servicing employer groups since 1996 in Western Pennsylvania.  Kevin is an advocate for his customers, lobbying for them on both the state and federal level throughout his career. This expertise has placed him on multiple producer advisory boards, forums and focus groups and volunteer organizations. He has extensive background in the fiscal needs of plan performance, funding strategies and benefit solutions for mid, large and national accounts.

    Kevin is a graduate of Duquesne University and lives in Wexford with his wife and three children.

    EXPERT EDUCATION

    Events and Webinars

    Employee Benefits

    HIPAA Privacy and Security Overview

    Join our compliance experts for an overview of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules.

    April 2, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

    Sign Up
    Stock image with the words Alera Group Webinar

    Employee Benefits

    2024 Employee Benefits Symposium

    Join us (in person) as we bring together top experts covering key healthcare trends, population health management, pharmacy and more. Enjoy a great breakfast while you gain valuable takeaways for your organization.

    April 16, 2024 at 08:30 am CT | Glenview IL

    Sign Up
    2024 Employee Benefits Symposium

    Employee Benefits

    Finding, Using and Transitioning Out of a PEO

    Your company is small, and limited resources make it difficult to manage a robust benefits program. Time to explore outside support from a professional employer organization (PEO). But where to begin?

    April 18, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

    Sign Up
    Webinar graphic - Alera Engage

    THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

    Insights

    Property and Casualty

    Environmental Liability Insurance: Stable market for a growing need

    Despite stricter regulations and increased penalties for environmental contamination, market conditions remain stable for Environmental Liability Insurance —  an outlier in a mostly hard market for property and casualty coverage. As Alera Group’s "2024 Property and Casualty Market Outlook" reports, now is an excellent time to secure this valuable coverage, especially if your organization owns property that is or may be contaminated. 

    March 20, 2024

    Find out more

    Property and Casualty

    Challenges Persist Amid Increasing Market Stability for Education Insurance

    Despite facing continued challenges in property and liability coverages, educational institutions and school districts can expect a relatively stable insurance market throughout 2024.

    March 12, 2024

    Find out more

    Property and Casualty

    A Window of Opportunity to Fortify Your D&O Policy

    Recent lawsuits focused on corporate directors, most notably Spence v. American Airlines Inc. et al. and Simeone v. Walt Disney Company, underscore the importance of Directors and Officers (D&O) Liability Insurance for anyone who serves on a board. Now is the perfect opportunity to bolster your D&O Liability Insurance, with both public and private entities enjoying favorable rates, capacity and availability.

    March 7, 2024

    Find out more

    Employee Benefits

    Show Why Your Voluntary Benefit Offerings Make You an Employer of Choice

    If you’re a business owner or benefits manager seeking to optimize your employee benefits offerings, you won’t want to miss Alera Group’s March 21 Engage webinar, "How Voluntary Benefits Inspire Employee Loyalty." During the one-hour session, our panel of Alera Group experts will discuss how voluntary benefits serve employers as well as employees, enabling employers to show they recognize the varied needs of their workforce by providing supplementary offerings in a cost-effective manner.

    March 5, 2024

    Find out more