Leadership Team

Becky Patel

Chief Executive Officer and President

For over three decades, Becky Patel’s leadership has been key to making LISI what it is today and shaping the General Agency market in California. As Chief Executive Officer, she has been instrumental in every facet of the LISI business. Becky joined the company in 1985 as a receptionist, and within three months, was licensed and selling insurance. After becoming Vice President of LISI in 1994, Becky was promoted to President in September of 2004 and then Chief Executive Officer in 2010. Known for her business savvy, she has led the charge in developing strong relationships with carriers, and setting industry standards with sales models, products, and services. Becky developed LISI’s affiliate, CoPower, Inc. (formerly the California Employers’ Benefits Alliance).

Her guiding principle is a commitment to integrity – doing what’s best for everyone involved. She considers the needs of the broker to be a top priority. She also gains great satisfaction from the work that LISI does in helping employers and members and their dependents become more informed about benefit options so they can make better health care decisions.

Becky has built and managed an amazing LISI team that inspires her every day. She finds great reward in seeing employees break barriers to achieve personal and professional growth. In an ever-changing industry, Becky looks forward to guiding innovative solutions for brokers including products, services, special events, educational opportunities, and customized sales support.

Kevin Timone

Senior Vice President of Sales

As Senior Vice President of Sales, Kevin has led sales for LISI, an AmWins Group Company, for the last two years. Prior to that, he’s owned sales leadership positions for over 18 years with both market-leading general agencies and third-party administrators. Throughout the insurance industry, Kevin has a reputation for developing deep client relationships, building world-class sales teams, and greatly improving company positioning and market share.  Under his guidance, sales professionals transform into true consultants, with a focus on value-based selling. Through process-oriented coaching, he encourages team members to become experts in product and the sales process. Kevin operates with a servant leadership mentality; he educates and empowers sales associates with the freedom to discover new solutions to marketplace challenges. Delivering on accountability is tantamount to achieving greatness. 
 
On the personal side, he enjoys spending time with friends and family. Kevin is a husband to a loving and talented wife, with which he has two extraordinary daughters. You’re likely to catch them in the mountains or lakeside, relaxing with fishing poles. 
 

Jeff Grocky

Director of Marketing

Jeff Grocky is Marketing Director for LISI. He has a history of bringing technology and creativity together to lead highly successful marketing campaigns and data-driven strategies. He excels at keeping companies on brand and bringing their stories to life in an authentic way that resonates with targeted audiences. He builds robust inbound marketing programs that turbocharge the sales pipeline. Jeff is skilled at SEO, Ecommerce/Online Sales Optimization, Digital Advertising, Web Analytics, Social Media marketing, iOS Development, Web Development, Graphic Design, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Previously, Jeff was the Marketing Director for Input 1 in Woodland Hills, CA, a leading provider of P&C billing and payments software and services. Using his business acumen, Jeff worked with investment banking firm, The Sage Group, in preparing several companies for sale. Jeff brings his entrepreneurial spirit as cofounder of Switch (joinswitch.com), a fine jewelry subscription service and founder of Lovtap.com, a non-profit micro-donation app. He is a graduate of Michigan State University. He has been active with The Bay Foundation. Jeff lives with his wife in Santa Monica and has a passion for golf, travel, and the great outdoors.

Jack Lyons

Director of Sales

Jack Lyons is the Director of Sales at LISI where he is responsible for both Large and Small Group broker distribution. Jack brings more than 25 years of experience in the California insurance market where he has held leadership roles in both the carrier and broker segments. He has held leadership roles in Medicare, Individual, Small Group, and Mid-Large Group markets. Jack’s previous experience has included extensive interaction with Product, Marketing, Operations, Underwriting, and Sales Automation/Quoting Technology.

Ken Doyle

Senior Vice President of Sales

As the Senior Vice President of Sales at LISI, Ken Doyle oversees statewide sales. With over three decades of experience in sales, marketing, and strategy, Ken began his career in the early 1980s at Blue Cross of California in Operations. He was regional Sales Manager for 12 years as well as manager of Broker Services. He also assumed other leadership roles during his tenure at Blue Cross of California. In 1996, Ken joined WellPoint Health Networks where he was responsible for brand management, event marketing, and marketing programs nationwide. In 2004, he transitioned into the general agency segment. He joined LISI in 2011. He is past President of LAAHU and past Region VIII NAHU Membership Chair. He has also been a Chairman of the Board for the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce and Foundation, as well as a member of Westlake Rotary. Ken and his wife Christal reside in Westlake Village, California.

Peter Diaz

Director of Program and Sales Management

Peter Diaz brings over two decades experience in marketing, product development, and new business development to LISI. As the Director of Program and Sales Management, he is responsible for identifying and developing new products and services for LISI, as well as creating a framework for innovation. Before joining LISI in 2012, Peter was a Vice President of Marketing at WellPoint, where he was responsible for managing marketing programs nationwide, as well as developing a highly successful retention program for Blue Cross of California. He also worked for Health Net as a Vice President and was responsible for enterprise-wide efforts to evaluate Health Net’s value proposition, as well as introducing a new ID card with debit and swipe capabilities. Peter began his career at the Marriott Corporation where he was on the team that developed and launched Courtyard by Marriott Hotels. In 1991, he joined the Walt Disney Company where he was responsible for marketing services at The Disney Store. While at Disney, he also created and managed The Disney credit card program. Peter is driven by listening to the customer, identifying and developing opportunities, and successfully taking them to the market.

Mona Mehta

Director of Product & Portfolio Management

Mona Mehta joined LISI in 1987 and was instrumental in shaping several departments as the company grew. Because of her proactive involvement, she has cultivated a unique understanding of the granular functions, needs, and requirements of numerous areas of the business. With over two decades of experience in quoting, marketing, underwriting, IT, and broker support, she has evolved into an innovative leader with a passion for delivering the best in quality services and solutions. Mona has also held the positions of Director of IT and Operations Manager at LISI as well as Director of Operations at CoPower. Her background in both technology and process management are certain to help LISI continue to lead the way with product and portfolio management.

Cristian Pelligrini

Senior Director of Software Engineering

Cristian Pellegrini joined LISI in 2004 with over 25 years of experience in information systems, including software development specializing in the insurance industry. Before joining LISI, he was the Chief Technology Officer at another General Agency. A valuable member of LISI’s Management team, Cristian is responsible for all Software Development initiatives and projects for LISI and CoPower. He prides himself with being an outstanding troubleshooter, an excellent communicator, and a highly capable hands-on person. His passion for computer technology and proven expertise in his field has given him a tremendous ability to develop effective, user-friendly systems to meet business needs and improve processes.

Kim Josephs

Director of Training

As LISI’s director of Training, Kim Josephs has over 15 years of experience building and transforming professional service, customer support, and operations teams. She sets a high bar of excellence and brings creative ideas to inspire employee engagement, maximize resources, and enhance the customer experience. Previously, she was with Data Fusion Technologies as Vice President, Professional Services & Customer Support where she rebuilt client trust and loyalty. As CRM and Marketing Consultant for Social Savvy LLC, she developed data-driven sales enablement and marketing plans. For Sage Software, she held several positions from Director of Community Development to Trainer. Kim has a B.A. in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix in Fullerton, CA. Outside of work, Kim enjoys spending time with her family in Orange County, CA.

Jessica Lamm

Director of Human Resources

Jessica Lamm has 17 years of human resources experience including Employee & Labor Relations, Policy and Program Design, International Registration of Business, Immigration & Relocation, Talent Acquisition, Workforce Planning, and HRIS Implementation. Currently, she is responsible for defining and implementing HR infrastructure, including full-cycle recruiting, management development, performance management, benefits, and managing cultural change and growth within the organization. She has a BA in International Relations from the University of San Diego. She is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and is an avid linguist, baseball fan, and traveler.