Lesa, who joined Cowden in 2013, is vice president of employee benefits and operations. Her 25-plus years of experience in the employee benefits consulting field is valuable to her clients as she advises them on the intricacies of their health and welfare plan funding, compliance, and operational processes. Lesa focuses on the development of strategic plan designs that position her clients to achieve their goals of providing benefits in a shifting insurance marketplace. From an operational standpoint, she works to develop internal operations and procedures designed to achieve Cowden’s overall operational goals. In addition, she assists with overseeing many of the day-to-day office operations.
Attentiveness to detail of plan financial and data analytics as well as astute vendor management and negotiations undergird Lesa’s recommendations to clients. She is dedicated to working with her clients to develop and implement solid business plans to construct and manage health and welfare plan offerings that contribute to overall employee health and satisfaction, while enhancing business profitability.
Lesa earned her Bachelor of Science with a concentration on health policy and administration from The Pennsylvania State University. In addition, she holds a Pennsylvania Life, Accident and Health License, a Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefits (IFEBP), and is currently working towards the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation. Lesa earned the Certified Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional accreditation from the National Association of Health Underwriters. She also serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Association of Health Underwriters (PAHU) and the education committee for Pittsburgh Business Group on Health (PBGH), and is a member of Pittsburgh Human Resources Association (PHRA).
The depth and breadth of Lesa’s knowledge in the employee benefits and welfare fields has positioned her to speak on various health and welfare topics at the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association, the Healthcare Council of Western PA, the Institute of Entrepreneurial Excellence, and the University Conference.