"If you are a people leader, you are likely under tremendous pressure to grow your businesses while also addressing unsustainable stressors on your people. Financial pressure, job stress, and health concerns are overwhelming people everywhere. Engagement is suffering. People are suffering. Yet, the work doesn’t stop. It can’t stop.
What if the workplace could transform from the source of much of our stress to the solution? What if the place where we all spend 80,000 hours of our adult lives could help us achieve more of our potential and experience more purpose and meaning?
People-first, high-performance organizations lead to healthy growing families and communities. Higher engagement drives productivity and performance…and a virtuous cycle begins.
It’s time to change the workplace, change the world."
As senior vice president of talent, Travis supports OneDigital’s sustained growth by leading our talent acquisition, talent management, and learning and development strategies. His goal and philosophy are simple. Help people do their best work and live their best lives, and they will not only stay, they’ll bring their friends. With a strong passion for people, Travis began his career in the consulting industry, transitioning to the talent industry in 2003. He previously served as senior vice president of learning & development at Jackson Healthcare, the nation’s third-largest healthcare staffing and technology company. Under his leadership, the organization invested deeply in the development of its leaders and received numerous accolades for their workplace culture, including a Best Place to Work by Fortune Magazine and #1 Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer by Atlanta Business Chronicle. Travis is an entrepreneurial leader who has spent his career focusing on how people, talent and culture can drive business forward. He believes the workplace has the potential to solve many of life’s greatest challenges…or cause them. For this reason, he helps leaders build safe, purpose-driven cultures where people align their work to their purpose and approach every day as an opportunity to grow and positively impact the lives of others.
GLP-1 class drugs, primarily used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, are highly sought after, given their effectiveness in managing blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss. However, the low supply and exorbitant cost of these drugs pose significant challenges.
Coverage of these drugs has even been seen as a recruiting strategy, particularly for potential employees who may be managing diabetes. However, industry turnover rates may impact the employer’s return on investment.
In analyzing the impact of covering GLP-1’s as an engagement tactic, employers must consider the impact on employee wellbeing, particularly for those employees managing chronic conditions like diabetes. They must also consider company values, and whether they align with providing comprehensive healthcare coverage that includes high-cost drugs like GLP-1’s.
The organizational culture, too, plays a role in this decision. A culture that prioritizes employee health and wellbeing may see more value in covering these drugs despite their cost.
This timely session from our internal pharmacy consulting expert offers the latest perspectives and considerations for this revolutionary class of medications, taking into account their potential benefits for diabetic employees and the broader implications for the organization.
Richard Lo, PharmD, MBA, CSP is a Director of Clinical Services OneDigital Pharmacy Consulting | RxConnection. Richard serves as the clinical resource for client decision support whose role includes clinical analytics oversight, formulary and clinical rules review, and delivery of integrated solutions to drive plan performance. By partnering with OneDigital in 2019, RxConnection continues to leverage a strong proactive approach to prescription benefits analysis through optimal PBM partnerships and the clinical and actuarial experience that has helped countless customers across the country manage their prescription costs and make informed choices. Richard brings over 10 years of experience as a pharmacist in the retail industry having worked as the pharmacy manager for various pharmacies in the mass-merchandising, grocery, and drug-store sectors where he led organizational initiatives, provided optimal health outcomes to patients, and developed future pharmacists through partnerships with various universities. Richard graduated with his professional doctorate degree of pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Georgia with a minor in Spanish. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Kennesaw State University and is a certified specialty pharmacist through the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board.
AI-driven talent management is crucial for organizations seeking a competitive edge. By leveraging AI, employers can redefine roles based on skills, enhance learning experiences, streamline recruitment, and predict employee retention. A balanced approach that combines AI with human judgment is essential for effective talent management and developing an AI Labor Strategy. Also discover how Sean Daly and our OneDigital team is leading through innovation and how OneDigital is experimenting with AI today.
As Chief Product Officer (CPO), Vinay Gidwaney is passionate about creating opportunities for employees and families to make better decisions around their finances through OneDigital’s integrated offerings. He leads a strong team of technology experts and developers who deliver the latest in innovative products and solutions to OneDigital’s customer base. Vinay is a seasoned expert and entrepreneur with decades of experience in employee benefits, insurance and product innovation. Prior to joining OneDigital in September 2021 as CPO, Vinay founded Maxwell Health, later acquired by Sun Life Financial, a financial services organization offering a wide range of insurance and investment products. Most recently. Vinay was the Head of Technology at Boston-based CIC Health, working to scale up operations for COVID-19 testing and mass vaccination sites across Massachusetts. In addition to his role at OneDigital, Gidwaney is a Board Member at the education and social justice non-profit, Design for Change USA and sits on the advisory boards of several startups in the insurtech, life sciences and healthcare industries.
Sean Daly is currently the AI Program Manager at OneDigital, a leading insurance brokerage firm. In this role, he identifies opportunities to apply artificial intelligence and spearheads projects that integrate AI into the company's day-to-day operations. His work focuses on leveraging advanced technologies to drive innovation and enhance business processes within the organization. Prior to joining OneDigital, Sean’s career spanned various industries and roles. In 2023, he built socially-motivated AI applications with the Boston-based Be-A-Good-Bot Labs. Sean also worked as a data scientist at an investment firm in Vancouver, and he began his professional journey as a geotechnical engineer, where he designed major infrastructure, dams, levees and high-rise buildings in the earthquake-prone region of Vancouver, BC. Sean’s diverse experiences, combined with his Master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, have equipped him with a unique blend of technical expertise and cross-industry insights.
The Secure Act 1.0 of 2019 created an opportunity for employers to consider including guaranteed lifetime income solutions within their Defined Contribution (DC) retirement plans. This engaging panel of experts will explore the thinking behind providing (or not providing) these solutions; the critical considerations plan sponsors should wrestle with when evaluating them, and practical advice on how to wade through the sea of products now available on the market.
Chad Wilson currently serves as a Senior Vice President of the Retirement + Wealth division. In addition to managing his office operations, Chad oversees the office's process of selecting and monitoring investment managers, performing manager due diligence and formulating investment strategies. His duties also include provider fee negotiation, client acquisition and retention, and the due diligence surrounding selecting non-fiduciary service providers, such as a plan’s record-keeper, administrator, actuary and custodian/trustee. Prior to co-founding Fiduciary Plan Advisors, Chad was the Director of Investment Consulting at a regional consulting firm overseeing $2.7 billion of qualified and non-qualified plan assets. Previously, Chad worked for a local TPA/Record-keeper, where he gained a deep understanding of ERISA compliance. Chad graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance and English from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charter holder, as well as a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP™) designee. He was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps after serving four years in the infantry and as a scout sniper. Chad currently lives in Crownsville, MD with his wife, Jill, and two daughters, Dorothea and Sylvia. Investment advice offered through OneDigital Investment Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of OneDigital.
Mr. Dial is Senior Retirement Strategist with American Century Investments and has over 30 years of retirement-industry experience. Prior to joining American Century Investments, Glenn held positions as the Head of U.S. Retirement at Allianz Global Investors, National Sales Manager for the DCIO business at JPMorgan Asset Management, and Head of Retirement at Ceridian Retirement Plan Services. Mr. Dial holds two patents as the co-inventor of the “method and system for evaluating target-date funds.” He has led the creation of several industry-leading tools and programs such as; Income Blueprint, Target Date Blueprint, Target Date Compass, and the Certified Behavior Finance Analyst program Glenn serves on the executive committee for the Retirement Research Center of DCIIA and on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Business at UCF. He has a B.S. /B.A. in finance from UCF and an M.B.A. from Rollins College.
Brendan is the Head of Retirement Investing for Nuveen where he is responsible for the firm’s DCIO efforts in the U.S. In this role, he leads strategy and distribution for Nuveen investment and TIAA lifetime income solutions in the 401(k), 403(b) and 457 marketplaces. He joinedthe organization in 2015. Brendan has more than two decades of retirement leadership experience in the financial services industry. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, he has been quoted in a number of publications such as the Financial Times, Investment News and Plan Sponsor magazine, and was recently named #35 on the 2022 “401kWire 100 Most Influential People” list. Prior to joining TIAA, he was Chief Operating Officer of F Squared Retirement Solutions, a subsidiary of F Squared Investments. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at Putnam Investments responsible for Defined Contribution Investment Only Business Development. In addition, he held other leadership roles at Putnam Investments including 401(k) product development, DCIO relationship management and institutional trust services. Brendan graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s College and an M.B.A. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
2020 - the year that feels both like yesterday and a decade ago - made “work-life balance” a thing of the past. The workplace and home became one, and we have since been called to remove our masks and show up not just as professionals, but as our true selves. While the “green light” to show up in our magic – all of the things that make us uniquely who we are – came with a sense of excitement and freedom, the reality is that we’ve been well-trained to NOT be curious in the workplace. We refrain from conversations around our differences, racism, societal issues,...and most definitely mental health. The reality is that “being comfortable with getting uncomfortable” is not an easy thing to do, and sometimes, the risk of showing up authentically (perceived or real), does more harm to our overall wellbeing than good. In this discussion, learn how to build and maintain a lasting culture of trust and mental balance by empowering your people to be vulnerable, authentic, and curious.
Kristen Eskew is the VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) at OneDigital, a leading insurance brokerage, financial services, and HR consulting firm. In her role, Kristen drives OneDigital’s DEI&B strategy at large. Prior to becoming VP of DEI&B, she served in a regional leadership role that aligned with all things growth: DEI&B, talent, and business development. Before OneDigital, she worked in talent and leadership at Consolidated Planning, a prominent financial planning firm in the Southeast, and spearheaded their DEI&B journey. Born in California and raised in a military family in Georgia and North Carolina, Kristen attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, earning a B.A. in Communications Studies. She now calls Charlotte, NC home. Kristen is a super-connector whose passion for people can be seen not only through her work in DEI&B, business development, and talent acquisition, but through her community involvement. Kristen serves on the board of Neighborhood Hope and Youth Development Initiatives, both Charlotte-based non-profits. In addition, she serves on the advisory board for Yellowbird, a financial empowerment platform that provides underserved communities quality access to financial literacy. Enthusiastic about being a culture changer and making an impact, Kristen enjoys being a featured speaker, moderator, and panelist at various colleges, business events, and diversity seminars. She has been quoted in multiple media publications, including Forbes and Insurance News Net. In her spare time, Kristen loves cooking – and eating! – trail running and practicing her interior design skills. A happy wife to husband Josh, and proud aunt of seven nieces and nephews, Kristen also enjoys being a dog mom to Teddy and Maggie.
Lucy serves as the Mental Health & Wellbeing Lead at OneDigital. She brings over twelve years of experience in various roles across the fields of mental health, education, and healthcare. Lucy completed her PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Alabama. She holds a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Richmont Graduate University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Georgia Tech. Lucy’s training in academic research coupled with her time as a mental health practitioner has provided her unique insight into the disparities between the need for care and access to resources for employees. Lucy is passionate about strategically bridging this critical gap in order to improve employee mental health and wellbeing, and ultimately, to help employees thrive.
In this post-COVID world, we are all a little more aware of our mortality and that impact on our families' standard of living in the event of an unforeseen tragedy. This is contributing to increased financial stress of employees and progressive employers are engaging innovative solutions in ancillary benefits as a strategy to help employees feel more prepared and financially secure for the unknown. But this is not about offering an insurance product - it is about specifically tailored and communicated coverages and utilizing new metrics for defining success.
Josh’s career over two decades has been focused on developing the next generation of Ancillary Benefit Solutions to meet the specialized needs of employers and employees. His consulting expertise is in benefit design, contract analysis, product development, value maximization, and integrating the Ancillary Benefit Strategy into the Comprehensive Benefit Strategy (Unified Benefit Development) for proactively-minded employers. Josh also consults for Insurance Carriers on new Ancillary Benefit Product Development and has helped bring new innovative products and solutions to market that were never before available. Josh is a frequent speaker on the dynamic future of Ancillary Benefit Development and the importance of understanding the impact of these benefits on families. He has spoken to numerous HR Association Groups/Conferences, the Employee Benefit News Conference, NASBI, AAHU, The Georgia Hospital Association, and has been featured/quoted often in industry publications