PEOPLE

Mary Kesel: President / Founder

Mary Kesel left her longtime position as manager of health and welfare plans for Wachovia Corporation to found Benefit Advocates in 2001.

A certified employee benefits specialist (CEBS), Kesel also holds a master's degree in social work (with specialty in health and medical services) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In addition to her leadership at Benefit Advocates, Kesel is an adjunct professor of human resources at the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University and is also a member of their Board of Visitors.

Linda Carter: Vice President, Client Services Manager

Carter, a more than 25-year benefits industry veteran with Wachovia, helped Kesel launch Benefit Advocates and has been with the company since its founding. She leads the implementation team for new clients, serves as account manager for larger clients and leads the appeals team.

Ann Richardson: Customer Service Supervisor

An industry veteran with more than 30 years of human resources and benefits experience, Richardson joined Benefit Advocates in 2003 from the HR department of Wachovia and also worked for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina. Ann supervises the advocate team and works on high-level advocacy cases.

Cindy Lineberry: Advocate

Before joining Benefit Advocates in 2008, Lineberry was an analyst for business partner Prism Business Systems. She specializes in Medicare-related cases.

Carolyn Richardson: Advocate

Richardson joined Benefit Advocates in 2005 after working for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina as customer service representative. She has more than 20 years of experience in health care and benefits — holding a number of HR/benefits positions with Wachovia in North Carolina.

Kathy Huie: Advocate

Huie, who has more than 30 years of employee benefits experience, joined Benefit Advocates in 2008 after serving as the benefits manager for Forsyth County. During her career she was a member of several professional human resources organizations and attended numerous benefits related workshops and conferences. She now functions as a part of the appeals team.

Lee Patella: Nurse Consultant

Patella also joined Benefit Advocates in 2009. A registered nurse licensed by the N.C. Board of Nursing, her primary background is critical care nursing. She has experience with acute triage situations in internal medicine, OB/GYN and pediatrics, is a clinical consultant and works with our appeals team.