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Proud to Serve.  Proud to Solve.

Zenith American Solutions, over 70 years of experience serving
nearly two million plan participants.​

Our Mission

 
Our mission, we boldly take the risks and actions necessary to serve our clients, employees and shareholders.
 

Our Vision & History

 
Our vision, to provide one in four multi-employer participants throughout the United States with superior customer service; leading innovation;
and more than just administration.

Zenith American Solutions' the combined company of American Benefit Plan Administrators and Zenith Administrators.  Zenith American is a national TPA with experience that dates back to the 1940’s.

Today, Zenith American is the largest Taft-Hartley third-party administrator in the United States and operates numerous offices nationwide, each one focused on serving clients and participants locally through an unrivaled depth of resources and wealth of professional expertise.
 
 

Zenith American Solutions' Family of Companies

 


Pacific Federal, LLC (PacFed) is one of California’s largest and most experienced employee benefits firms. Since 1990, PacFed has served as a trusted consultant and complete administrator of employee benefits via single-source, direct services. With ties to Taft-Hartley, PacFed harnesses group purchasing power.
 

Value Proposition

1. Personalized and accountable service


You could say “we get it.” We know that Trustees and plan members want caring, prompt and efficient service.  Using technology as a tool to provide 24/7 personal service and deliver easy-to-navigate online resources with relevant and understandable information, we lead the industry in performance metrics and service guarantees.

2. Flexible, cost effective and customized solutions


Our business model is classic TPA—focused on flexibility in administering many different plan designs, providing customized reporting, and coordinating with best-in-class partners who provide comprehensive PPO networks, stop loss insurance coverage, pharmacy benefit services, care management, wellness programs and access to value-added ancillary services. Our goal is to provide our clients with flexible yet integrated solutions.

3. Intelligent technology platform


It’s not just about simply administering your plan, it’s about partnering with our clients and their advisors to “effectively” administer the plan.  At Zenith American Solutions, we’ve developed advanced, data-driven systems to provide customized, on-demand reporting, allowing Trustees and their advisors to make better, informed decisions about their benefit plans.

4. Industry-specific understanding and solutions


At Zenith American Solutions, we leverage our insight and experience with specific industries to offer clients tailored approaches that work for their Trust Funds.  Our flexibility gives us the ability to customize administrative services and technology offerings to meet the unique needs of our customers regardless of the industry in which they operate.

Meet The Management Team

Tom Bittner
Executive Vice President, Chief Relationship Officer
As the Executive Vice President and Chief Relationship Officer Tom Bittner oversees the Business Development team, with direct responsibility for driving sales and leading marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining Zenith, Tom spent the past 10 years with Symetra Financial where he had responsibility for the profit & loss of the top sales, service, and underwriting region. He managed national brokers, carriers and TPA relationships and been active in lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. Before Symetra, Tom spent 12 years with Aetna as Regional VP and Head of Sales. Bittner has a BA from Bradley University and a Graduate degree from Stanford University.

An Experienced senior sales leader with demonstrated success in healthcare, finance, retirement, and group insurance. Tom is a strong management professional with a Executive Leadership degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He also serves as an active member on the Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) Healthcare Committee Board.
Art Schultz
Chief Executive Officer
The leader of the Zenith American Solutions family of companies, Art Schultz has spent more than 30 years in the insurance and managed care industry. He joined Consolidated Group (CGT) in 1986 and served in various capacities prior to his promotion to executive vice president and COO in 1992. One of the largest third-party administrators, CGT was acquired in 1996 by HealthPlan Services, where Art served as COO from 2001 to 2011.

In 2011, Art was promoted to the position of president/CEO of Zenith American, a division of HealthPlan Holdings, and is responsible for the largest Taft-Hartley administration in the industry.

As CEO, Art is proud to oversee Zenith American in providing superior service and solutions to nearly 2 million plan participants.
Craig Steffen
President
Part of Zenith American Solutions’ management team since 2015, Craig Steffen previously served in a CIO/COO role in the legal EDI and document processing space. Craig was promoted to President of Zenith American Solutions and Zenith American Holdings in November 2019.

Craig’s approximately three decades of progressive healthcare management responsibilities include eight-plus years with Xerox Healthcare as senior vice president of Health Enterprise Operations. Craig assumed this position after Xerox acquired his own company, Adaptive Project Solutions, an IT integration and project management firm focused heavily on healthcare claims, cost and care management. He also has served as COO, vice president of Operations and employee owner of a health claims third-party administrator.

Craig earned bachelor’s degrees both in marketing and in decision sciences/computer statistical modeling. He plays a vital role at Zenith American to ensure we maximize efficiencies and most effectively serve our clients, employees, and shareholders.
Garry Welsh
CPA
EVP, Chief Financial Officer,
Chief Administration Officer
Garry Welsh joined Zenith American Solutions in 2014. In his 30+ years career he has served in COO, CFO, or CEO capacities for a number of businesses including a global insurance company - Aviva, Barclays Bank, and the Human Resources outsourcing company Gevity HR. He has also served as an advisor to a number of healthcare related businesses.

Garry earned his MBA from Rollins College in Florida. At Zenith, in addition to overseeing financial management and support services, Garry focuses on acquisitions and developing new value-adding solutions for clients.
Tom Sciuto
Executive Vice President,
Chief Client Officer
Tom Sciuto joined Zenith American Solutions as Executive Vice President, Chief Client Office in 2015. Tom has more than 30 years of healthcare industry experience, including serving as vice president, Large Group New Sales at ConnectiCare; vice president, Large Group Account Management at United Healthcare; vice president, Large Group Account Management at Health Net, and founder/owner of a healthcare consulting firm. His experience is comprehensive having served Taft-Hartley, Governmental, Tribal and Commercial organizations, and representing Self-Administration, Self-Funded and Fully Insured businesses.

Tom holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Connecticut, and he has earned Life, Accident and Health producer licenses in numerous states. Tom possesses extensive experience in new business development, employee benefits, client relationship management and growth, mergers/acquisitions, organizational structure, resource optimization, and leadership acquisition, retention and development. These skills are critical to Zenith American’s personalized services that enable us to provide our clients with flexible yet integrated solutions, and to lead the industry in delivering on our client specific service commitments and performance standards.
Mike Toomer
Executive Vice President,
Chief Information Officer
Mike Toomer joined Zenith American Solutions in 2019 as the CIO. Bringing to the firm 20+ years of experience working in IT.

Previously Mike served in various executive leadership roles, serving as the CTO for Extensys, Inc., Senior Director at VeriFone, Inc., and as the CIO of Power Design, Inc.

Mike holds a bachelor's in Business Management from the University of Phoenix, an MBA from the University of Tampa and is a current CISSP.

In his current role, Mike is responsible for all aspects of the technology strategy and has leadership responsibilities that oversee customer and internal business solutions, data integrity, business process, and acquisitions, overall ensuring we continue to utilize secure, leading-edge technology solutions.
Stephanie Edwards
Senior Vice President,
General Counsel, Legal
Stephanie Edwards joined Zenith American Solutions management team in 2018 to lead the internal legal team and support compliance.

Stephanie has 23 years of legal experience and an extensive understanding of ERISA, gained through previous roles at corporations including AT&T, Coca-Cola Company and BellSouth Corporation. These roles also provided extensive exposure to health & welfare, retirement and plan design and compliance, litigation support, and advising plan fiduciaries.

Stephanie holds a Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law, and a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from Georgia Southern University.
Tom Bittner
Executive Vice President, Chief Relationship Officer
As the Executive Vice President and Chief Relationship Officer Tom Bittner oversees the Business Development team, with direct responsibility for driving sales and leading marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining Zenith, Tom spent the past 10 years with Symetra Financial where he had responsibility for the profit & loss of the top sales, service, and underwriting region. He managed national brokers, carriers and TPA relationships and been active in lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. Before Symetra, Tom spent 12 years with Aetna as Regional VP and Head of Sales. Bittner has a BA from Bradley University and a Graduate degree from Stanford University.

An Experienced senior sales leader with demonstrated success in healthcare, finance, retirement, and group insurance. Tom is a strong management professional with a Executive Leadership degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He also serves as an active member on the Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) Healthcare Committee Board.
Art Schultz
Chief Executive Officer
The leader of the Zenith American Solutions family of companies, Art Schultz has spent more than 30 years in the insurance and managed care industry. He joined Consolidated Group (CGT) in 1986 and served in various capacities prior to his promotion to executive vice president and COO in 1992. One of the largest third-party administrators, CGT was acquired in 1996 by HealthPlan Services, where Art served as COO from 2001 to 2011.

In 2011, Art was promoted to the position of president/CEO of Zenith American, a division of HealthPlan Holdings, and is responsible for the largest Taft-Hartley administration in the industry.

As CEO, Art is proud to oversee Zenith American in providing superior service and solutions to nearly 2 million plan participants.
Craig Steffen
President
Part of Zenith American Solutions’ management team since 2015, Craig Steffen previously served in a CIO/COO role in the legal EDI and document processing space. Craig was promoted to President of Zenith American Solutions and Zenith American Holdings in November 2019.

Craig’s approximately three decades of progressive healthcare management responsibilities include eight-plus years with Xerox Healthcare as senior vice president of Health Enterprise Operations. Craig assumed this position after Xerox acquired his own company, Adaptive Project Solutions, an IT integration and project management firm focused heavily on healthcare claims, cost and care management. He also has served as COO, vice president of Operations and employee owner of a health claims third-party administrator.

Craig earned bachelor’s degrees both in marketing and in decision sciences/computer statistical modeling. He plays a vital role at Zenith American to ensure we maximize efficiencies and most effectively serve our clients, employees, and shareholders.
Garry Welsh
CPA
EVP, Chief Financial Officer,
Chief Administration Officer
Garry Welsh joined Zenith American Solutions in 2014. In his 30+ years career he has served in COO, CFO, or CEO capacities for a number of businesses including a global insurance company - Aviva, Barclays Bank, and the Human Resources outsourcing company Gevity HR. He has also served as an advisor to a number of healthcare related businesses.

Garry earned his MBA from Rollins College in Florida. At Zenith, in addition to overseeing financial management and support services, Garry focuses on acquisitions and developing new value-adding solutions for clients.
Tom Sciuto
Executive Vice President,
Chief Client Officer
Tom Sciuto joined Zenith American Solutions as Executive Vice President, Chief Client Office in 2015. Tom has more than 30 years of healthcare industry experience, including serving as vice president, Large Group New Sales at ConnectiCare; vice president, Large Group Account Management at United Healthcare; vice president, Large Group Account Management at Health Net, and founder/owner of a healthcare consulting firm. His experience is comprehensive having served Taft-Hartley, Governmental, Tribal and Commercial organizations, and representing Self-Administration, Self-Funded and Fully Insured businesses.

Tom holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Connecticut, and he has earned Life, Accident and Health producer licenses in numerous states. Tom possesses extensive experience in new business development, employee benefits, client relationship management and growth, mergers/acquisitions, organizational structure, resource optimization, and leadership acquisition, retention and development. These skills are critical to Zenith American’s personalized services that enable us to provide our clients with flexible yet integrated solutions, and to lead the industry in delivering on our client specific service commitments and performance standards.
Mike Toomer
Executive Vice President,
Chief Information Officer
Mike Toomer joined Zenith American Solutions in 2019 as the CIO. Bringing to the firm 20+ years of experience working in IT.

Previously Mike served in various executive leadership roles, serving as the CTO for Extensys, Inc., Senior Director at VeriFone, Inc., and as the CIO of Power Design, Inc.

Mike holds a bachelor's in Business Management from the University of Phoenix, an MBA from the University of Tampa and is a current CISSP.

In his current role, Mike is responsible for all aspects of the technology strategy and has leadership responsibilities that oversee customer and internal business solutions, data integrity, business process, and acquisitions, overall ensuring we continue to utilize secure, leading-edge technology solutions.
Stephanie Edwards
Senior Vice President,
General Counsel, Legal
Stephanie Edwards joined Zenith American Solutions management team in 2018 to lead the internal legal team and support compliance.

Stephanie has 23 years of legal experience and an extensive understanding of ERISA, gained through previous roles at corporations including AT&T, Coca-Cola Company and BellSouth Corporation. These roles also provided extensive exposure to health & welfare, retirement and plan design and compliance, litigation support, and advising plan fiduciaries.

Stephanie holds a Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law, and a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from Georgia Southern University.

Get In Touch With Our New Business Development Team

Bonnie Payson
Senior Vice President,
Business Development
A vice president with the Zenith American Solutions organization for more than 17 years, Bonnie Payson is our key sales executive for the Western United States, Bonnie was promoted to senior vice president in 2019.

Overall, Bonnie has more than 26 years of experience in Taft-Hartley fund administration and is well-versed in the many rules and regulations governing the funds. She also offers proven expertise in the employee benefit field and the third-party administrator industry, and previously worked in the behavioral health field.

Bonnie places a strong emphasis on client relations, client retention and client satisfaction as part of our value proposition of providing personalized and accountable service along with flexible, cost-effective and customized solutions.
Stacey Hofert
Senior Vice President,
New Business Development
Stacey Hofert, with 25 years of sales consulting experience, is Zenith American Solutions’ key sales executive for the Eastern United States. She places a strong emphasis on client relations, client retention and client satisfaction, ensuring we meet the unique needs of our customers regardless of the industry in which they operate.

For the last several years, Stacey has worked directly with trustees on their self-administered trust funds. She understands the many intricacies involved within each fund and the complex structure it entails.

Stacey began her career in the Taft-Hartley market working with members through a union mortgage program, serving as an advocate to help members save their homes from default. At one time a laborer in the Southern Illinois steel mills, she continues her passion for union labor and for helping collectively bargained workers. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University in human resource management and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management.
Larry Bourland
Vice President,
New Business Development
Larry Bourland spent 9 years as the chief executive officer and owner of Insurance Programmers Inc. (IPI), prior to serving as the vice president of sales at Zenith American Solutions.

Notably during his time as CEO and owner of IPI, revenue increased approximately 40%. Larry’s experience leading IPI along with his Series 6 and securities license to sell mutual funds, variable annuities, and insurance have shaped his expertise in the world of third party administration.

Prior to the acquisition by Zenith American Solutions in 2017, IPI was a full service Third Party Administrator (TPA) in New England and Upstate New York, with the majority of funds being Taft-Hartley. Additionally, IPI served Municipal, Teacher and Police groups.

Larry received his BA in Political Science from the College of William and Mary, and Juris Doctorate from the University Of South Carolina School Of Law. He practiced as a trial lawyer in Maryland State Courts and United States Federal Courts for 13 years prior to entering the world of third-party administration and employee benefits.

Client Service Leaders

Dave Dreibelbis
Vice President, Client Services
(Nevada)
Dave Dreibelbis is the Vice President of Client Services for Zenith American Solutions leading the team responsible for the administration of the Health & Welfare and Pension plans for Southern Nevada’s 55,000 Culinary and Bartender union members and their families. Dave has over 25 years of leadership experience in Client Service, Customer Service and IT and has been with Zenith American Solutions since 2010.

Dave grew up in Las Vegas, graduating from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 1988 with a degree in Management Information Systems. Dave has served on the Board of Directors for the UNLV Alumni Association, Classrooms on Wheels and has served on the Board of Directors Events Committee for the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Nevada. In 2018, Dave was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to serve a three year term on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board for the state of Nevada. Along with his wife Cindy, Dave is actively engaged in many Southern Nevada non-profit organizations.
Clay Ellis
Vice President, Client Services
(Washington)
Clay Ellis serves as Vice President, Client Services in the Pacific Northwest and brings to Zenith American Solutions more than 28 years of experience in the benefits industry. Prior to joining our firm, Clay served for 14 years as Chief Operating Officer for Healthcare Management Administrators, a Blue Shield Blue Cross TPA subsidiary, and also held senior leadership positions with Northwest organizations such as First Choice, Health Washington, and Cigna Healthcare.
Clay is also known for leading the development of several health insurance products in the region including Inland Health, the Costco Healthplan, Cigna Healthcare of Oregon, and Health Washington – a Boeing health plan offering.

Clay was brought to the Pacific Northwest by CIGNA in 1993 after serving in multiple operational and leadership positions. Having direct experience in many facets of the benefits industry, Clay’s commitments to client focus, operating quality, and servant leadership have served as the key elements of his management philosophy throughout his career. He works closely with a decorated team of highly experienced client professionals and operational leaders to deliver on our promise to serve our clients and take care of America’s workforce.
Angela McMillin
Vice President, Client Services
(Midwest)
Angela McMillin joined Zenith American Solutions in June of 2019 as Vice President of Client Services leading the Midwest Team responsible for Client Services in Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Indiana, Omaha and Wisconsin in addition to other business demands throughout the region.

Born and raised in Chicago with deep roots and diverse relationships, Angela brings over 20 years of insurance industry experience in both the public and private sector with a focus on Taft Hartley business over the last 15 years holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Saint Xavier University in Chicago. With a background in brokerage, consulting, and health plan and benefit design, as both the vendor and the client, with companies such as Aon, Coventry, BCBSIL and as Director of Health Benefits for the Cook County Pension Fund, Angela brings a unique perspective to Client Services leadership here at Zenith and is committed to enhancing both the client and member engagement through education, information, technology, innovation and engaging communication. Angela also has a passion for local and state politics having organized and run various political campaigns, and enjoys volunteering in her community. She resides with her three children, Billy, Annie, and Joey, in Norwood Park on the northwest side of Chicago.
Darric Sorko-Ram
Senior Vice President, Client Services
(California)
Darric Sorko-Ram began his career in the Taft-Hartley space overseeing the complex, collectively bargained benefits for the UFCW and Employers Benefit Trust (IUBAT), which has more than 130,000 plan participants. Prior to joining Zenith American Solutions, Darric oversaw health care operations for the City and County of San Francisco. Darric continues to service the San Francisco area in his current role of Client Services Vice President at Zenith American Solutions, where he oversees our local San Francisco office.

Darric’s extensive background in healthcare operations management, both strategic and tactical, along with his commitment to achieving the highest quality results, align with Zenith American Solutions’ mission and vision objectives. Darric works in tandem with his operational peers across the organization to ensure the highest level of execution of all clients’ and members’ service deliverables. Darric has earned his Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) certification, B.A. degree from SFSU, and a MBA from UOP.
Nicholas Bonaldo
Senior Vice President, Client Services
(Northeast/Tri-State)
Nick began his career with Zenith American Solutions as a Vice President overseeing Client Services in New England, New Jersey and New York. In January of 2020, Nick was promoted to a Senior Vice President. Prior to Zenith, Nick worked with ConnectiCare, United Healthcare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, in Finance, Product Development, Client Retention and New Business Acquisition. His success is rooted in his unbridled commitment to service excellence and his focus on creating customer directed partnerships. Nick leads, coaches and mentors a Client Services team across the Northeast. Nick also works in tandem with his operational peers to ensure operational effectiveness and execution of daily Client / Customer deliverables. Nick earned his Master of Business Administration and Master of Science degrees in Management from Albertus Magnus College.
Mary Karsten
Vice President, Client Services
(Illinois)
Zenith American Solutions’ Client Services vice president, Mary Karsten brings to our firm more than 25 years of experience in the Taft-Hartley employee benefits field. Mary achieved her Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) designation in 2003 and her Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation in 2010.

Mary serves on the Milwaukee Chapter of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (ISCEBS) Board and the Administrators Committee of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).

Prior to joining Zenith in 2015, Mary held several roles including Product Manager, Sales Manager, and Senior Account Representative at a major Taft-Hartley Insurance Company in Wisconsin giving her a well-rounded understanding of the needs of our clients.
Mary Laffey
Senior Vice President, Client Services
(California)
With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Mary Laffey brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her position of vice president, Client Services at Zenith American Solutions. She previously worked in billing and eligibility, delinquency and claims before moving to Client Services, where she has stayed for 20 years.

Mary has serviced many different health and welfare, pension, vacation and apprenticeship funds. She also works on the Zenith American New Business Implementation team and manages our Client Services team in California.

Mary’s extensive experience in third-party administration, as well as her focus on quality customer service for her clients, continues to make her a highly valuable member of the California service team. She is dedicated to providing Zenith American clients with the highest quality of service and professionalism.
Mark Mead
Senior Vice President
(Illinois)
Mark Mead is senior vice president of Zenith American Solutions, and fund manager of the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union-Industry Pension Fund (“National Pension Fund”).

In the latter role, Mark is responsible for the administration of the fund, which serves approximately 100,000 active participants covered by collective bargaining agreements between approximately 500 employers and approximately 60 UFCW Local Unions. It also provides monthly pension benefits to about 68,000 retirees and beneficiaries.

Mark has over 30 years of experience in the Taft-Hartley employee benefits field, bringing extensive value to Zenith American as the nation’s largest Taft-Hartley third-party administrator. He has worked with numerous funds and new groups in conjunction with their mergers into and new participation in the National Pension Fund. He also conducts pension benefit education seminars, and serves on the Administrators Committee of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.

Prior to joining Zenith American in 1990, Mark was a benefits consultant at a major actuarial consulting firm. He graduated from the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.
Pati Piro-Bosley
Senior Vice President, Client Services
(West)
Zenith American Solutions Senior Vice President Pati Piro-Bosley has more than 30 years of experience as a client services executive in Taft-Hartley fund administration. She is a dynamic leader in third-party administration, and has consistently managed the overall stability and success of the plans she serves in the Northwest.

As administrative services duties have become more sophisticated, demanding and complex, Pati has demonstrated her ability to manage the day-to-day operations of trust funds. An effective leader, she initiates and guides change to comply with the ever-evolving benefits administration environment.

Prior to joining Zenith American, Pati served as the executive vice president for ATPA’s Northwest Regional Office. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and serves as a trustee on a multi-employer pension trust.
Simone L. Rockstroh
Senior Vice President, Client Services
(Midatlantic)
Simone Rockstroh's career has been focused on all facets of the employee benefits industry. Prior to joining our team, she owned and operated a very successful Third Party Administrator. Simone is responsible for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Client Services Teams and is located in our Columbia Maryland office location.

Simone currently serves on the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), following her tenure as President and Chair in 2010. She has also served on their Executive Committee, Government Liaison Committee and Strategic Initiative Steering Committee as well as the Accountants, Administrators, Educational Program, Health Care Management and Coalition, and Research Committees; and she is a frequent speaker at IFEBP conferences.

Simone attended Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross in Washington D.C. and has received the designations of Emergency Medical Technician for the State of Maryland and Group Benefits Associate from the IFEBP.
Mike Shea
Senior Vice President, Client Services
(Southwest/Southeast)
Mike Shea joined Zenith American Solutions in 2009, and currently serves as vice president, Client Services overseeing offices and clients in a number of states: Nevada (Las Vegas), Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas (Dallas and Houston), Atlanta, Alabama and Ohio. Prior to being promoted to his current position, Mike served as branch and operations manager for our Las Vegas office.

Mike has 12 years of experience managing Taft-Hartley trust funds, providing expertise that enables Zenith American to keep up with technology trends and innovations and continue providing best-in-class services to our clients and their members.

After serving our country on active duty for 20 years, Mike retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2004.

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