July 15 & 23, 2020

Presenter Biographies

Lauri Begley Associate Account Specialist, IBAMSLauri is a member of CPG’s account management team and serves voluntary clients, which include schools and Episcopal institutions, on the east coast. Prior to joining CPG in 2018, Lauri was Director of Parish Life at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Atlanta since 2006, where she served as senior staff member and collaborator with clergy and lay staff in implementing the vision and mission of the parish. Her depth and breadth of knowledge of the Episcopal Church, coupled with a previous corporate career with Federated Department Stores, on their Corporate Training and Development Team and as a Project Manager, enhances and supports her work at CPG. Lauri has two adult children, and lives in Roswell, Georgia, just north of Atlanta, with her husband, David.

Andrew Jesse Brown Business Analyst, Benefits PolicyAndrew is responsible for administration, implementation, and maintenance of benefit designs and plan policies for all health and welfare plans. He started with CPG in 2007 as a summer intern in the Pension Services department. He joined the Benefits Policy team in 2013. Andrew holds a BA in political science and philosophy from Fordham University and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from CUNY School of Public Health. He is currently pursuing a JD from the CUNY School of Law. Andrew lives with his wife, Alisha, in Queens, New York. His interests include running and Cleveland baseball.

The Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng Senior Vice President, Client Benefits and Education CompliancePatrick leads CPG’s benefits compliance team, which is responsible for ensuring that CPG’s pension, health, life, annuity, and disability businesses are operated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Patrick is an Episcopal priest as well as an attorney. Prior to joining CPG in 2000, he practiced tax and employee benefits law at two Wall Street law firms. Before that, he served as a law clerk to a federal appellate judge. Patrick holds a B.A. from Yale College, a J.D. from Harvard Law School (where he served as an executive editor of the Harvard Law Review), and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary. In addition to his work at CPG, Patrick serves as the Theologian in Residence at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan.

Anthony Cota Associate Vice President, Policy and Design, Benefits PolicyAnthony is responsible for managing plan policies and designs for Benefits Policy, including all Health and Welfare plans (Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Life Insurance), Pension (Clergy and Lay plans), and Defined Contribution (Lay DC and RSVP). He is also responsible for driving opportunities for efficiencies across the Benefits Policy team. Anthony joined CPG in 2012 in the Data and Finance department within Benefits Policy. There he led the Data Analytics team in support of the administrative and business strategy for plan design, new business, medical and dental renewal pricing, and medical management. Prior to joining CPG, Anthony served as Team Leader at Tokio Marine North America Services where he was responsible for the systems, data analysis, plan management, strategic planning, and implementation of employee benefit plans. Anthony holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Operations Management and a Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) designation. Anthony enjoys running and lives in Staten Island, New York with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children.

Emily Craig Business Analyst, Benefits PolicyEmily is responsible for coordinating and performing numerous plan administration activities, including conducting analysis of the vendor and plan performance, and ensuring consistency in CPG’s approach to managing vendors in order to ensure client satisfaction. Before bringing her 12 years of industry experience to CPG in 2018, Emily served in a variety of roles at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, most recently as an Account Manager for Anthem National Accounts. Emily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance, and maintains a Life, Health and Disability Insurance License.

Michael Eisner Senior Business Analyst, Benefits PolicyMike is responsible for the administration, implementation and maintenance of benefit designs and plan policies for the defined contribution and pension plans offered by CPG. Mike joined CPG in March 2020. Prior to joining CPG, Mike worked in Morgan Stanley’s Corporate Benefits group managing their retirement plans in the Americas. While there, Mike specialized in vendor management, benefits strategy and expense reduction. Earlier, Mike worked in Affiliated Computer Services’ Benefits Outsourcing practice specializing in implementations and ongoing service delivery. In all, Mike has more than 20 years’ experience working with different types of retirement plans. Mike resides in New York City with his wife and son.

Steve Follos General Manager, Church Insurance Agency CorporationSteve is the general manager of the Church Insurance Agency which is the service provider for the Church Insurance Companies. The agency currently serves 95% of the Episcopal churches in the United States. Steve has spent the past 30 years in the insurance industry and specializes in risk management and insurance for religious organizations. He joined Church Insurance in 1997. Steve is a graduate of Syracuse University and has degrees in Journalism and English Literature. He has been married for 30 years and has three adult children. He lives in Saratoga Springs, New York with his wife Lynda and their Labrador retriever Tank. He doesn’t always enjoy golf but plays it quite often.

The Rev. Robert Griffith Director, Client Learning & Resources, IBAMSBob is responsible for the strategic planning and creation of education, communications, and development opportunities for administrators and Church leaders. Prior to working at CPG, Fr. Bob spend twenty years working in higher-education as a lay-chaplain and administrator in Ohio and Europe. As a bi-vocational priest, he serves parishes in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, and is especially interested in how the Church can be present with younger people within fast-changing culture. Fr. Bob has degrees in Secondary Education, Higher Education/Student Development, and Theology. He loves smart science fiction, photography, discovering new places, and good food.

Jeff Hamilton Regional Account Specialist, IBAMSJeff is responsible for providing account management services to the bishops, dioceses, and select parishes of Province III, along with others located in Province IV and Province V. Jeff has spent his career serving the Church in a variety of ways since 2001. Prior to joining CPG in 2005, Jeff worked in sales and marketing for Morehouse Publishing. Before that, he worked for Princess Cruises in the travel industry. Jeff holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Saginaw Valley State University. He enjoys playing guitar, travel, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Angela Harris Vice President, Relationship Management & Development, IBAMSAngie supports the IBAMS department as an executive relationship manager, improving operational efficiencies and advancing the team’s skills. She also manages the Administrator Program Development team. Angie joined CPG in 2005, and led the creation of a central contact center to serve the needs of clients across multiple business units, and CPG’s Voice of the Client Program. Prior to CPG, she served as Vice President of Customer Research and Resolution with Fidelity Investments’ employee benefits outsourcings division, where she led an organization of more than 400 associates. Previously, she worked in leadership roles in the healthcare industry and business process outsourcing firms. As an expert in client experience design and operations management, Angie is an active member of the Customer Experience Professional Association. She is a former Board of Trustees for the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals International. Angie is on the Customer Contact Leadership Council with Gartner Inc. Angie has two grown children - a son, Ben, here on the east coast, and a daughter, Amanda, in Omaha. She is the proud “Moma” of six grandchildren ranging in ages 3 years to 18 years old, 5 boys and one girl. Angie and her husband, Deke, live in Connecticut, and can be found scuba diving all over the world, or on a motorcycle trip on the back roads of the Northeast.

The Rev’d. Garth M. Howe Vice President, Account Management, IBAMSGarth leads the domestic account management team who serve domestic bishops, dioceses, large parishes and parochial schools. Garth came to CPG in 2009 with over 25 years of accounting, finance, and relationship management experience. He began his ministry with the Episcopal Church as the Parish Administrator at St. James-by-the-Sea, La Jolla, California, where he served for seven years. He also served as President of the National Association of Episcopal Church Business Administration. Garth was ordained in June 2017 as a Vocational Deacon in the Diocese of Chicago and serves at Grace Church, Chicago, Illinois.

Chipasha Kashoki Manager, Domestic Relationship Account Management, Western Region, IBAMS Chipasha is responsible for building and maintaining strong, trusting and professional relationships with bishops and diocesan and parish leadership in domestic dioceses. Chipasha is also responsible for building and supporting relationships as a consultative benefits partner within the context of CPG’s mission and fiduciary responsibility to support its clients. Chipasha began his career with the Church Pension Group in 2016. He came to CPG from the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation (PECF) in Washington, DC, where he worked for over 10 years administering PECF’s benefits programs. Prior to serving in the Episcopal Church, Chipasha worked for the City of New York Parks and Recreation department as a Program Analyst for a jobs assistance program. Chipasha holds an MBA from Syracuse University and a BA in Economics from Colgate University and Human Resource certifications from the HR Certificate Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management. Chipasha lives in Houston, Texas, and enjoys playing tennis and cycling.

Laurie Kazilionis Senior Vice President, IBAMSLaurie leads the Integrated Benefits Account Management Services (IBAMS) team. She joined the Church Pension Group in 2005 with responsibilities for account management and retention, and new group acquisition. In July 2012, she was promoted to lead IBAMS, a new division CPG created to support business-to-business relationships, to provide consultative service, complex case management and administrator development. Prior to joining CPG, Laurie served for 12 years as the Director of Finance for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. Laurie has three grown children, two adorable grandsons, and lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband, Stephen.

Stokes Liles Program and Conference Specialist, IBAMSStokes is responsible for the overall implementation of the Church Pension Group’s (CPG) four annual, client-focused conferences: Client Council, Benefits Partnership Conference, Episcopal Business Administration Conference, and Bishops Conference. He also represents CPG at several major Church wide conferences: FORMA, CEEP, AAM, and UBE. Prior to joining CPG in 1996, he spent ten years in Washington, DC, first as a legislative director for a member of U.S. House of Representatives, and later in private sector government and public affairs. Stokes served on the vestries of Christ Church, Georgetown (Washington), and the Church of St. Luke-in-the-Fields (New York). He has a BA from Wofford College, in Art History and Political Science. Stokes loves sailing, playing bagpipes, gardening, ocean liners, fly-fishing, fountain pens, and choral singing. He and his husband, Brian, live in Ridgewood, Queens.

The Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee Executive Vice President, Chief Ecclesiastical Officer, Office of Church RelationsAnne serves as an ambassador for CPG and is a key advisor to the organization. Immediately prior to joining CPG in 2014, she served as Vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City for ten years. Ordained for over 30 years, her ministry has been at the diocesan level and in campus, parish, and cathedral settings. She holds a BA from the University of Kansas and a MDiv from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University.

Kirk Mason Director, Account Management, IBAMSKirk leads a team of Account Specialists that builds and maintains strong, trusting, and professional relationships with domestic bishops, diocesan, and parish leadership in the Eastern portion of the US. Prior to joining CPG in November 2018, Kirk served as Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of West Texas. Before that, he owned and operated a family business in Corpus Christi, TX for twenty years. Kirk holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design (Architecture) degree from Texas A&M University. He and his wife, Lisa, live in Larchmont, New York where she serves as Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church. They have two grown sons and a wonderful daughter-in-law. Kirk enjoys cooking, eating, sailing, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

Zach Peterson Senior International Account Specialist, IBAMSZach is responsible for building and maintaining trusting and professional relationships with the leadership of international dioceses of the Episcopal Church and their Covenant Partners. Prior to joining CPG in 2009, Zach worked in the investment finance industry for several years, including Fidelity Investments, where he was a Retirement Planning Specialist. Zach is fluent in Spanish and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Language with an emphasis in Spanish Commerce. Zach enjoys gastronomy and Pickleball. Zach lives in northern Utah with his wife, Amber, and their four children.

Jackie Quarnberg Account Specialist, IBAMSJackie is responsible for providing benefit support to bishops, diocesan and parish leadership in domestic diocese. Jackie began her career with CPG in 2009 to 2015 working in Client Services, providing operational support in training, quality assurance, vendor and data reports. Prior to joining CPG, Jackie worked at Fidelity Investments, as a Retirement Planning Specialist. Jackie has an ABA from Utah Valley University, and her Life and Health Insurance License. Jackie and her husband have four children, and live in Utah. She enjoys traveling, hiking and family adventures.

Cecilia Roberts Assistant Business Analyst, IBAMSCecilia project manages CPG-sponsored conferences, including workflow and timeline management and tracking deliverables. She is responsible for various conference tasks like trafficking presentations, developing signage and printed materials, and conference role assignments. Cecilia joined CPG in 2013 with Web Strategy doing a legal audit and proofreading documents for the Medical Trust and Communications, and continued to Research in 2015, working on the Episcopal Clerical Directory. She joined IBAMS in 2016, and joined CPG full-time in 2018. Cecilia has an MFA in portrait painting, and a creative art practice outside of her work at CPG.

John Servais Senior Vice President, Benefits Policy and DesignJohn is responsible for plan design and policy development, financial performance and management, and the overall business strategy for all benefit plans, products and policies. Prior to joining CPG in 2016, he was in the benefits consulting industry for over 22 years including time with American Benefits Consulting, Aon Hewitt and Foster Higgins. During his consulting tenure, he consulted with large Fortune 100 organizations including JPMorgan Chase, Verizon, Alcoa, and Morgan Stanley. Before this, he was a group underwriter for Prudential in their Northeast Group Operations. He holds a BS from University of Wisconsin - Madison. John resides in Chatham, New Jersey, with his wife Ann.

Paul Stephens Vice President, Marketing & Risk Management Services, Church Insurance Agency CorporationPaul is responsible for the property & casualty marketing and risk management services of the Church Insurance Agency Corporation (CIAC). Additionally, Paul leads a team of Marketing Specialist while also managing a territory consisting of ten Diocese. He also represents CIAC at several major Church wide conferences: BPC, EBAC, Diocesan specific. Prior to joining CIAC in 2001, he spent 12 years in the for-profit sector with Fireman’s Fund Direct, Safeco and Nationwide Insurance companies. He has a BA from The University of Missouri – Kansas City, in Business Administration and Computer Science. Paul has earned ACS, ARM, CPCU and FLMI professional designations as well as the title of Kentucky Colonel; for his contributions to church risk management. Paul loves his family, friends, career, songwriting and documentaries. He and his wife Kelly, live in Franklin, Tennessee with their daughters Melody and Piper.

Toni Marie Sutliff Business Development Manager, IBAMS,Toni Marie is responsible for marketing, sales, and account management of CPG’s institutional clients, including camps and conference centers, schools, social service agencies, and Episcopal Service Corps programs. Prior to joining CPG in January 2009, Toni Marie was the Minister of Finance for the Diocese of Utah, and she has several years of experience consulting with non-profit and for-profit organizations. She holds a Juris Doctorate from the Cornell Law School, is a licensed life insurance agent in all 50 states, and is working toward a certification in employee benefits management. Toni Marie enjoys traveling with her husband, playing with her granddaughters, knitting and gardening.

Timothy Vanover Vice President, IBAMSTim leads CPG’s voluntary and international account services team. Tim has spent most of his career at CPG in benefits plan administration and more recently in client relations. Prior to joining CPG in 1995, Tim completed his Master’s degree in Washington, DC where he subsequently held a number of health benefit administration positions. Tim lives with his husband Christian in Montclair, NJ where he served on the vestry of St. Luke’s. He also served as the President of the Christ Hospital Foundation in Jersey City and was a member of the Christ Hospital Board of Directors.

Akina Warner Account Specialist, IBAMSAkina is responsible for supporting the domestic dioceses and large parishes of Province I, II, and part of Province IV. Prior to this, she served as the Coordinator for Health Education on the Education & Wellness team, providing education and support to Episcopal dioceses. Akina began her career at CPG in 2008 with the Medical Trust, later serving as a Business Analyst. She holds a BS in Healthcare Management from the University of Connecticut and is certified by the Wellness Council of America’s Well Workplace University as a WELCOA Faculty Member. Akina is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and hails from Queens, New York. She currently resides in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Courtney Whittington Associate Account Specialist, IBAMSCourtney is a member of CPG’s account management team and serves bishops, diocesan administrators, and parish administrators. Prior to joining CPG, she was the Parish Administrator at St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church and School in Houston, Texas, where she served for over five years. Courtney also has previous experience in aerospace engineering and non-profit management. She is proficient in Spanish and holds a BA in Human Biology (concentration in Human-Environment Interactions) from Stanford University. Courtney lives in Houston with her husband and two cats.