Leadership Team

Becky Patel

Chief Executive Officer

For over three decades, Becky Patel’s leadership has been key to making the organization what it is today and shaping the General Agency market in California. As Chief Executive Officer, she has been instrumental in every facet of the business. Becky joined the company in 1985 as a receptionist, and within three months, was licensed and selling insurance. After becoming Vice President in 1994, Becky was promoted to President in September of 2004 and then Chief Executive Officer in 2010. Known for her business savvy, she has led the charge in developing strong relationships with carriers and setting industry standards with sales models, products, and services. Becky developed CoPower, Inc. (formerly the California Employers’ Benefits Alliance).

Her guiding principle is a commitment to integrity – doing what’s best for everyone involved. She considers the needs of the broker to be a top priority. She also gains great satisfaction from the work that the team does in helping employers and members and their dependents become more informed about benefit options so they can make better health care decisions.

Becky has built and managed an amazing team that inspires her every day. She finds great rewards in seeing employees break barriers to achieve personal and professional growth. In an ever-changing industry, Becky looks forward to guiding innovative solutions for brokers including products, services, special events, educational opportunities, and customized sales support.

Kevin Timone

Executive Vice President Sales

Kevin Timone is Executive Vice President Sales. Before that, he’s owned sales leadership positions for over 18 years with both market-leading general agencies and third-party administrators. Throughout the insurance industry, Kevin has a reputation for developing deep client relationships, building world-class sales teams, and greatly improving company positioning and market share. Under his guidance, sales professionals transform into true consultants, with a focus on value-based selling. Through process-oriented coaching, he encourages team members to become experts in product and the sales process. Kevin operates with a servant leadership mentality; he educates and empowers sales associates with the freedom to discover new solutions to marketplace challenges. Delivering on accountability is tantamount to achieving greatness. 
 
On the personal side, he enjoys spending time with friends and family. Kevin is a husband to a loving and talented wife, with which he has two extraordinary daughters. You’re likely to catch them in the mountains or lakeside, relaxing with fishing poles. 

Jeff Grocky

Vice President Marketing

Jeff Grocky is Vice President Marketing. He has a history of bringing technology and creativity together to lead highly successful marketing campaigns and data-driven strategies. He excels at keeping companies on brand and bringing their stories to life in an authentic way that resonates with targeted audiences. He builds robust inbound marketing programs that turbocharge the sales pipeline. Jeff is skilled at SEO, Ecommerce/Online Sales Optimization, Digital Advertising, Web Analytics, Social Media Marketing, iOS Development, Web Development, Graphic Design, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Previously, Jeff was the Marketing Director for Input 1 in Woodland Hills, CA, a leading provider of P&C billing and payments software and services. Using his business acumen, Jeff worked with investment banking firm, The Sage Group, in preparing several companies for sale. Jeff brings his entrepreneurial spirit as cofounder of Switch (joinswitch.com), a fine jewelry subscription service and founder of Lovtap.com, a non-profit micro-donation app. He is a graduate of Michigan State University. He has been active with The Bay Foundation. Jeff lives with his wife in Pasadena and has a passion for golf, travel, and the great outdoors.

Jack Lyons

Regional SVP West Region Sales

Jack Lyons is the Reg. SVP West Region Sales where he is responsible for both Large and Small Group broker distribution. Jack brings more than 25 years of experience in the California insurance market where he has held leadership roles in both the carrier and broker segments. He has held leadership roles in Medicare, Individual, Small Group, and Mid-Large Group markets. Jack’s previous experience has included extensive interaction with Product, Marketing, Operations, Underwriting, and Sales Automation/Quoting Technology.

Peter Diaz

Vice President Strategic Partnerships

Peter Diaz brings over two decades of experience in marketing, product development, and new business development. As the VP Strategic Partnerships, he is responsible for identifying and developing new products and services, as well as creating a framework for innovation. Before joining the organization in 2012, Peter was a Vice President of Marketing at WellPoint, where he was responsible for managing marketing programs nationwide, as well as developing a highly successful retention program for Blue Cross of California. He also worked for Health Net as a Vice President and was responsible for enterprise-wide efforts to evaluate Health Net’s value proposition, as well as introducing a new ID card with debit and swipe capabilities. Peter began his career at the Marriott Corporation where he was on the team that developed and launched Courtyard by Marriott Hotels. In 1991, he joined the Walt Disney Company where he was responsible for marketing services at The Disney Store. While at Disney, he also created and managed The Disney credit card program. Peter is driven by listening to the customer, identifying and developing opportunities, and successfully taking them to the market.

Mona Mehta

Vice President Business Development

Mona Mehta joined the organization in 1987 and was instrumental in shaping several departments as the company grew. Because of her proactive involvement, she has cultivated a unique understanding of the granular functions, needs, and requirements of numerous areas of the business. With over three decades of experience in quoting, marketing, underwriting, IT, and broker support, she has evolved into an innovative leader with a passion for delivering the best in quality services and solutions. Mona has also held the positions of Director of IT and Operations Manager, Director of Operations at CoPower as well as Director of Product. As Vice President of Business Development, her focus is to bridge the gap between brokers and their clients with services and solutions in the marketplace that will elevate the benefits experience. 

Kim Josephs

Vice President Operations

As VP Operations, Kim Josephs has over 15 years of experience building and transforming professional service, customer support, and operations teams. She sets a high bar of excellence and brings creative ideas to inspire employee engagement, maximize resources, and enhance the customer experience. Previously, she was with Data Fusion Technologies as Vice President, Professional Services & Customer Support where she rebuilt client trust and loyalty. As CRM and Marketing Consultant for Social Savvy LLC, she developed data-driven sales enablement and marketing plans. For Sage Software, she held several positions from Director of Community Development to Trainer. Kim has a B.A. in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix in Fullerton, CA. Outside of work, Kim enjoys spending time with her family in Orange County, CA.

Cristian Pelligrini

Senior Director Helio

Cristian Pellegrini joined the organization in 2004 with over 25 years of experience in information systems, including software development specializing in the insurance industry. Before joining us, he was the Chief Technology Officer at another General Agency. A valuable member of the Management team, Cristian is responsible for all Software Development initiatives and projects. He prides himself on being an outstanding troubleshooter, an excellent communicator, and a highly capable hands-on person. His passion for computer technology and proven expertise in his field have given him a tremendous ability to develop effective, user-friendly systems to meet business needs and improve processes.