Skip to main content

HANYS Benefit Services Adds New Leadership to Retirement and Employee Benefits Portfolios

HANYS Benefit Services (HBS), an industry leader that has provided trusted advisory services, retirement plan offerings, and best-in-class employee benefits products for more than 45 years, recently hired new executives to expand its employee benefits portfolios.



“HBS is building our team with uniquely talented individuals who bring years of industry experience,” said James J. Kelley, HBS President. “HBS builds real relationships with our clients by investing in a team of professionals who use their expertise to bring successful outcomes.”



Avon M. Scherff joined HBS as the new Director of Employee Benefit Services. Laura A. Sausville joined HBS as a Sales Account Executive responsible for new business development of group employee benefits.



Avon Scherff is a mission-oriented executive with a history of accomplishments in the for-profit and not-for-profit arenas. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to HBS, having held chief operating officer positions for local businesses and being president of her own insurance agency for 13 years. She has served in numerous board leadership and volunteer capacities, including Women’s President Organization, local Chambers of Commerce, Double H Ranch, and Shelters of Saratoga. Ms. Scherff also ran her own non-profit, I Am I Can, a mentoring organization dedicated to encouraging and empowering young women. She has been interviewed and featured in the Albany Capital District Business Review, The Post-Star, and HerLife magazine, and was honored with the Harriet Rifkin Leadership Award by the Women’s Employment and Resource Center.



Laura Sausville assists clients in navigating the employee benefit landscape and develops effective strategies to meet client objectives. She has been in the insurance and financial services industry for 25 years. Her career has included experience as an insurance broker, where she focused on asset protection, wealth transfer, and retirement planning for individuals, professionals, and business owners. Ms. Sausville holds her New York State Property and Casualty license, New York State Life Accident and Health license, and her FINRA Series 6, 63, and 65 licenses.



HBS, originally formed to support healthcare employers in New York in the delivery of superlative employee benefit programs, is now an industry leader in employee benefits and retirement plan consulting. HBS delivers tangible business results to human resource leaders, enabling them to enhance their plan offerings while remaining competitive and reducing overall plan costs.

Popular posts from this blog

Innovative employee retention strategies: 9 fresh ideas

Employee engagement and retention are pivotal in every sector, but they carry even more weight in the not-for-profit space, where resources are often limited. High turnover can be both costly and disruptive, impacting productivity and damaging morale. In an era of workforce evolution, to effectively retain their top talent, organizations must explore innovative employee retention strategies that go beyond conventional methods.  Engaged employees are distinguished by their higher productivity, motivation and loyalty, and they are more likely to stay with a company for the long term. Gallup recently updated its research article, The Benefits of Employee Engagement , finding that "low engagement teams typically endure turnover rates that are 18% to 43% higher than highly engaged teams."  In addition to turnover, disengaged employees negatively impact a company's financial health, with turnover costs averaging six to nine months of the departed employee's salary, accordin

Executive disability income protection program: C-suite FAQ

Implementing a comprehensive risk management strategy is imperative for C-level executives and senior management at HANYS member hospitals. One critical, but often overlooked component, is the executive disability income protection program. But what exactly is this program and why is it vital for high-income earners?   With increasing interest in executive disability income protection programs from C-suite executives, TruePlan Benefit and Retirement Advisors interviewed Bernard A. Gleeson, Director, Employee Benefit Services on Executive disability income protection programs FAQs.  What is an executive disability income protection program?  An executive disability income protection program (EDIPP) is a specialized form of disability insurance designed to supplement existing group disability plans offered by employers. These individual plans provide additional coverage beyond the typical monthly maximum benefit cap found in traditional employer-based offerings. By overlaying on top of g

Employer Q&A: What is Financial Wellness?

There is a significant gap between employees and employers regarding financial wellness programs, according to the Harvard Business Review . “80% of employees report being financially stressed. Only 28% of employers offer financial wellness programs,” the article states.   Similarly, Forbes highlights a 2023 Transamerican Institute study showing that 77% of workers consider financial wellness programs an important benefit.  With so much research on the need for these programs, what should employers do?  The first way employers can bridge this gap is to learn what financial wellness is and how it can improve an employee’s overall being. In this short Q&A, we introduce the topic and offer some essential tips to get started.  Q1: What is financial wellness?  A: Financial wellness refers to the sense of security a person feels about their financial situation in all aspects of their life. It means having control over day-to-day finances, being prepared for emergencies and having a plan