BENEFITS MANAGEMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Professional Staff Member
- Actuarial Assistant
Mr. Trapatsos has been employed in the Actuarial and Consulting business since 1987. He previously worked for Benefits Management, Inc. from 1994 through 1997 and has returned to us from W.E. Stanley & Co., Inc. in North Carolina where he was employed as a Senior Actuarial Analyst. Chris was responsible for Defined Benefit Plan compliance as well as assisting with the design and implementation of new pension valuation systems.
Prior to his initial employment with Benefits Management, Inc., Chris was with the Albany office of Milliman & Robertson, Inc., a national Actuarial and Benefits Consulting Firm. He has developed his expertise with qualified Defined Benefit Plans and is currently responsible for much of the Defined Benefit work that is processed in our office. Chris is a Certified Pension Consultant, a designation given by the American Society of Pension Actuaries to those who have completed rigorous educational and experience requirements and he is also actively pursuing the designation of Enrolled Actuary under ERISA. Chris is also a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist, a designation awarded jointly by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- President
- Professional Staff Member
Mr. Gallagher is the President and founder of Benefits Management, Inc. and began full-time in the qualified plan market in 1977. He became involved in the qualified plan area with the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and has had hands on experience with all of the pension legislation enacted since then.
Prior to Benefits Management, Inc., Mr. Gallagher was affiliated with a number of actuarial consulting firms. His experience includes the position of Manager in the Employee Benefits Consulting Department of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. in Rochester for six and one-half years. He was Principal of a local Rochester consulting firm for three and one-half years responsible for the department servicing 350+ corporate clients. Additionally he spent some time as Manager of the Actuarial/Benefits consulting staff for Norstar Employee Benefits Services in Rochester and Mercer Meidinger Hansen in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mr. Gallagher graduated from Niagara University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics, he is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, a Member of the American Society of Pension Actuaries and an Enrolled Actuary under ERISA.
Since 1981, Mrs. DeRidder has been responsible for the administration and recordkeeping functions associated with all types of qualified employee benefit plans. She is currently concentrating her efforts in the Defined Contribution area especially on the administration of our client's 401(k) savings programs.
Before joining Benefits Management, Inc. Sue worked in a variety of positions with several organizations. She was a Pension Administrator with Cortland L. Brovitz & Co., PC, a Benefits Officer with Fleet/Norstar Employee Benefit Services, Inc., a Trust Analyst with PSI Group and she worked as a Trust Accountant and Employee Benefits Specialist in two financial institutions in Houston, Texas. Her background at these various organizations and in the various disciplines allows her to be very familiar with all aspects of qualified plan administration.
Sue has passed two parts of the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist exams.