Connecting Benefits, Enriching Lives
We believe that everyone deserves a workplace culture that supports their total well-being through benefits.
Since 2006, Empyrean has combined innovative technologies and a service-first approach to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures.
Today, employers continue to rely on us to help them accelerate their benefit strategies. More than 5 million people access and engage with their benefits through our platforms and depend on our best-in class service teams to support and guide them not just at annual enrollment time, but on a year-round basis.
700+
Employees
5M+
Participants Supported
98%
Client Retention
Headquartered in Houston, TX, Empyrean has an additional office location in Minneapolis, MN as well as remote teams located throughout the U.S.
Empyrean is a subsidiary of Securian Financial.
Our Mission
At Empyrean, we believe that benefits are the most tangible expression of a company’s culture, and that your people are your most valuable asset.
Even the most robust and generous employee benefits offering will fall short if employees are not equipped with the tools and support needed to enroll in and utilize their benefit programs, creating poor employee experiences and negatively impacting your company culture.
Our platforms and services bring your benefits to life, enabling employees to not only better understand the value of the benefit programs offered to them, but to then connect with these benefits in a way that drives better outcomes from themselves, their families, and your business.
Our mission is to deliver a scalable and tailored benefits experience for all employees and their families by combining innovative technology solutions with employee-centric services to empower your teams to better understand, access, and engage with their benefit programs year-round.
Our Executive Leadership Team
Empyrean’s leadership team is comprised of innovators and disruptors with deep experience in the HR and employee benefits space.
Their mission is to not only provide the most innovative technologies and best-in class service to support our clients, but also foster the inclusive, positive, and supportive company culture here at Empyrean that our clients also strive for.
CEO and Co-Founder
Richard Wolfe co-founded Empyrean in 2006, building on his over 20 years of senior-level management expertise in HR outsourcing. Previously serving as Empyrean’s Chief Operating Officer, Richard took over as CEO in 2011, and brings a wealth of expertise in business process outsourcing, benefits administration, and systems implementation from his experience working with some of the largest firms in the industry.
Prior to founding Empyrean, Richard was Senior Director for outsourcing firm Synhrgy HR Technologies, where he provided significant business operation and product development leadership. Synhrgy was later acquired by Mercer, where Richard served as Senior Operations Director and Principal, responsible for solution architecture and service delivery to large outsourcing clients. Richard also served as Senior Implementation Manager at Hewitt, implementing outsourcing services for large clients.
Richard has been named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist three years in a row, was recognized as one of Employee Benefit News’ Technology Innovators (2017), and was listed as one of Employee Benefit Adviser’s Top Benefit IT Power Players (2016).
Richard earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance and Economics from The University of Pittsburgh.
Chief Operating Officer
Colleen Waymel has over 30 years of experience helping companies utilize outsourcing solutions to achieve strategic benefit goals. As Empyrean’s Chief Operating Officer, Colleen drives client satisfaction, supports growth and scalability, and operationalizes new products and services to better serve clients.
Before joining Empyrean in 2011, Colleen held several senior level positions at Aon Hewitt. As Vice President, General Manager and Principal, she delivered outsourcing programs to clients across a range of industries, while helping lead an 800-person team focused on client retention and service growth. Colleen also served as North American Health and Welfare Operations Leader and Principal, where she developed and implemented best practices, measures, and delivery model solutions to serve health and welfare clients. As Senior Client Delivery Leader and Principal, she provided implementation and project leadership to large outsourcing clients.
Colleen is a Certified Project Management Professional, and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Trinity University.
Chief Strategy Officer
Jim Priebe is Empyrean’s Chief Strategy Officer, leading the group’s Sales, Marketing, and Product teams and focusing on the delivery of solutions that connect benefits and enrich lives every day.
Over his 30-year career, Jim has been an agent for change in the employee benefits space, delivering several successful market solutions resulting in new businesses and product lines which align with his passion for ensuring all aspects of the insurance and benefits ecosystem work together to provide simplification and education for all users.
Jim is active in the industry, serving in key roles to help shape, define, and position legislative change at both the federal and state levels. Prior to joining Empyrean, he held executive level leadership positions at Bloom Health, United Health Group (Optum), Mayo Clinic, and Acclaris.
Jim earned a B.A. in Marketing and Communications from Concordia University. He served in the United States Army Reserves and earned an Army Achievement Medal for outstanding performance in Desert Storm.
Chief Financial Officer
Trey Noel, Empyrean’s Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for providing strategic leadership in the execution of the organization’s strategic finance and accounting objectives. Trey has 25 years of financial expertise in the consumer goods, medical devices, and healthcare industries.
Prior to joining Empyrean in 2016, Trey was Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations at NextGxDx, responsible for capital raise, organizational design, development, and customer operations. Trey also held senior leadership positions with McKesson for nine years. There, he managed large pharmaceutical relationships for specialty products, federal vaccine programs, hospital pharmacy management organizations, and traditional supply chain operations.
Trey earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. He is a financial entrepreneur, angel investor, and leadership mentor for several programs, and also serves on several advisory boards.
Chief Client Officer
Keith Wilson, Chief Client Officer, leads the Empyrean Client Experience team in the delivery of a service-first journey for each client, from onboarding through the entirety of the relationship. He serves as a true advocate and voice for all clients, providing their perspective and feedback to inform key executive decisions while creating a single vision across all methods of contact and building lasting relationships within the market.
Keith has over 20 years of industry expertise focused on operations management across benefits administration platforms. His experience includes senior level management tied to implementations, ongoing administration operations, corporate strategy, and channel partner relationship development.
Prior to joining Empyrean in 2007, Keith served as Principal and Operations Director at Mercer Human Resources Services. There, he managed key service deliverables across the benefits administration practice and provided operations team leadership. He also spent time at SynHRgy HR Technologies as a Senior Implementation Manager, where he was responsible for implementing services for health and group administration.
Chief Information & Technology Officer
Kelly Clark, Chief Information & Technology Officer, leads Empyrean’s strategic technology innovation initiatives, providing the strategic vision for digital transformation across the organization.
For over two decades, Kelly has been a proven technology leader in the HR and employee benefits space, driving business transformation through IT modernization and by leveraging innovative technologies while improving people and process knowledge. His collaborative mindset and philosophies have also enabled him to build high-performing teams, gain alignment across business groups, and develop strategic relationships that elevate brands.
Prior to joining the Empyrean team, Kelly held several c-level positions at organizations like Maximus, OptumHealth, and OptumHealth Financial Services, and most recently served as the Chief Information & Digital Office at Alight Solutions. There, he led the group’s digital transformation to solve highly complex business and client needs while improving technology capabilities and overall operational excellence.
Compliance Officer
Karen Bailey serves as Empyrean’s Compliance Officer, focusing on ensuring all Empyrean solutions and services comply fully with the legal landscape governing health and welfare benefits. Karen’s responsibilities include HIPAA privacy and security matters, contract matters, and providing general legal and overall compliance support to Empyrean’s teams and clients. She also provides consulting services to Empyrean clients regarding health and welfare compliance matters.
Karen joined Empyrean in 2012 with over a decade of experience managing regulations surrounding health and welfare benefits. Her previous experience includes serving as General Counsel/ERISA attorney for Hewitt Associates, where she managed legal outsourcing delivery for defined contribution, defined benefits, and health and welfare practice areas. Karen also served as Health and Welfare Requirements Consultant at Hewitt and Health and Welfare Domain Manager at Aon Hewitt.
Karen holds a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she received the American Jurisprudence Award for Research Analysis, and Writing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Executive Vice President, Human Resources
Angel Seufert serves as Empyrean’s Executive Vice President, Human Resources, leading the organization’s strategic and administrative HR function. She plays a key role in identifying and developing people-centric strategics, programs, and systems that support Empyrean employees both inside and outside of work.
Angel has more than 20 years of diverse HR experience, including total rewards, employee development, and HR systems and technology.
She began her career as a Benefits Administrator, spending several years at brands including Smart Online, Inc. and ExxonMobil. Angel then moved on to join Kansas-based Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (SCL Health) for six years as Manager, Flexible Employee Benefits for the 24,000-employee healthcare system.
Since 2018, Angel has held several roles of escalating responsibility throughout Empyrean’s HR organization, providing her with a unique perspective and institutional knowledge that drives her leadership effectiveness. She is an Empyrean thought leader and regularly serves as a subject matter expert in the areas of benefits, compensation, talent attraction and retention, compensation, HR compliance, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Angel earned an M.S.M. from Baker University.
