Our Team

Ned Havern

President

Ned founded Havern Benefits Strategies to provide a best in class advising team for organizations in need of employee health and wealth benefit packages. Prior to HBS, Ned served as an employee benefits advisor at National Financial Partners assisting companies of all sizes and growth stages with their employee benefit decisions to design competitive employee plans while mitigating increasing annual costs and liability to his clients. His NFP team became an elite consulting firm and established national recognition as a top national consulting and brokerage firm.

Ned has a unique niche expertise in the national and global cross-border employee benefits market. His HBS team offers specialized advising for Canadian owned companies navigating their US employee benefits decisions in the challenging and always changing foreign US health and wealth market.

Prior to his career in employee benefits, Ned was a three-time member of the Hockey East all-academic team and varsity hockey player at Boston College. He was drafted in the 2002 NHL draft. He enjoys spending time golfing, skiing, and on the beach with his wife, and his two daughters. He currently resides in Lynnfield, Massachusetts.

Rob Hegarty

Senior Advisor

Rob is General Manager of Financial Markets and Fintech for DataRobot, the category creator and leading provider of automated machine learning. Rob has global responsibility for the industry vertical strategy, Go To Market, and revenue/growth targets for those businesses.

Prior to joining DataRobot in 2019, Rob was Founder and Managing Partner of Hegarty Group, a strategic research, advisory and consulting firm at the intersection of financial markets, technology and data. Previously, Rob was Global Head of Equities for Thomson Reuters where he had overall responsibility for Thomson Reuters' global equities business, including all Equities desktop, transactions, data feeds, and analytics businesses. Prior to Thomson Reuters, Rob was Managing Director, Strategy and Marketing at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) overseeing strategy, planning, marketing, and corporate development. Prior to that he spent 10 years at TowerGroup, where he launched and led TowerGroup's Investment Management practice. Rob also held leadership positions at Putnam Investments, Fidelity Investments, and Coopers & Lybrand.

Rob has served on the boards of public and private companies, and many industry boards. He has been a featured speaker at dozens of industry conferences globally and has appeared regularly on CNBC-TV (U.S. and Europe), ABC-TV and other broadcast outlets. Rob holds an M.B.A. with a finance/marketing concentration from Babson College and a B.S. in computer science from North Adams State College.

Rob enjoys time with his family on the beach, golfing, and biking. He currently resides in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Tracy Deforge

Senior Advisor

Tracy is a Senior Advisor at Havern Benefits Strategies focused on the growth of early stage companies, venture investment and employee culture. Tracy’s background brings more than a decade of management expertise, startup business initiatives, and legal affairs. Tracy has been starting, growing, and selling companies for over 10 years. Most recently as COO at Burst, her expertise was specializing in business operations, technology, and human relations. She also served as Director of East Coast Operations for Active.com and Vision Sports & Entertainment. Tracy has been intimately involved in all aspects of entrepreneurship, from envisioning the concept, business planning, hiring, operations build out, funds raising, strategic partnerships, outsourcing, finances, marketing, and more.

After earning her JD at Seton Hall University she worked for the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and worked as COO of a pioneering mobile video Saas offering targeting sports broadcasters and partner in a venture investment firm focused on sports and entertainment firms.

In addition to an attorney background, Tracy holds a BA. in Sociology, minors in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Wagner College. Tracy enjoys spending her free time at several youth sports with her two children, and currently resides in Framingham Massachusetts.

Ryan Whitney

Senior Advisor

Ryan is a Senior Advisor at Havern Benefits Strategies focused on Business Development and Social Media Marketing. Ryan is currently a TV analyst at the NHL Network, TSN, and Sportsnet. He is also the founder and co-host of the Barstool Sports NHL Podcast Spittin’ Chiclets.

Ryan’s professional sports career consisted of several accolades such as three consecutive Stanley Cup runs with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks. He was drafted fifth overall in the 2002 NHL Draft and played for the Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in his nine-year NHL career. Ryan, as US Olympian, won a silver medal as part of Team USA at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Ryan grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts and currently resides in Milton. Ryan is a devoted Boston sports fan and enjoys early retirement from the NHL as an avid golfer, and spending time poolside with his family.

Ryan Coffey

Benefits Advisor

Ryan is a Benefits Advisor at Havern Benefits Strategies. At HBS, Ryan helps grow new business, while also advising clients on their employee health and wealth decisions. Prior to HBS, Ryan worked as an Advertising Executive for the Boston Globe, collaborating with clients to help grow their brand through media. Ryan graduated from St. Lawrence University where he received his Bachelor's degree in both Economics and History. Ryan was a member of the school's hockey team for two years, before transitioning over to a volunteer coaching role.

Ryan grew up in Needham, Massachusetts and currently resides in South Boston. Ryan enjoys golf and is a devoted Boston sports fan.

Daria is a Benefits Consultant at Havern Benefits Strategies. Daria and her team at HBS work to help companies design their employee benefits package and support their valued clients with all ongoing benefits and administrational needs. She has many years of client service experience and excels at delivering advice and support to HBS clients. Prior to HBS, Daria worked for Michael Kors and completed an Internship with Perspectives Corporation, doing behavior therapy with children with autism. Daria grew up playing volleyball prior to attending college, then continued playing on an intramural team in college. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2021 with a B.S in Communicative Disorders.

She grew up in Nashua, NH, where she currently resides. Daria enjoys spending time with family friends, along with keeping an active life.

Kelsey Slack

Benefits Consultant

Kelsey is a Benefits Consultant at Havern Benefits Strategies. Kelsey and her team at HBS work to help companies design their employee benefits packages and support their valued clients with all ongoing benefits and administration needs. Kelsey is experienced in building client relationships and supporting and providing information for HBS clients. Prior to HBS, Kelsey worked at a bank in Pennsylvania where she worked in the loan department to create and administer Small Business Association loans under the Paycheck Protection Program for COVID-19. Kelsey graduated from Bowdoin College in May of 2021 with a double major in History and Sociology. Kelsey is from Radnor, Pennsylvania where she grew up sailing and continued sailing on the team at Bowdoin College.

She currently resides in Boston and enjoys spending time with friends. Kelsey enjoys exploring new restaurants with her friends and staying active along the Charles River.

Vallery Vega-Yu

Benefits Consultant

Vallery is a Benefits Consultant at Havern Benefits Strategies. Vallery and the HBS team work closely with HBS clients and prospects to market their employee benefits package and help them navigate the optimal plan design to hire and retain the best talent in their specific industry. Vallery is a valued client resource assisting with marketing, plan selection expertise, implementation of plans, and ongoing employer and employee support.

Prior to HBS, Vallery worked at North Shore Community College as a Senior Recruitment Counselor and CRM Administrator where she worked on improving student enrollment and retention. Vallery graduated from Boston University with a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Vallery grew up in Boston and currently resides in Lynn. She enjoys trying new restaurants, gardening, and spending time with her husband and 2 children.

Lewis Mosley

International Benefits Advisor

Lewis is a Director and lead Global Consultant at Benefits Advisory Services Ltd. He has over 10 years' experience working within the global employee benefits space, most of which have been spent advising US multinationals on all aspects of their global benefits, from their first overseas hire's benefit program in a new country to managing 30+ countries with merger & acquisition heritage.

Lewis grew up playing soccer in the UK for a professional team before switching to semi-professional alongside his work in financial services. In more recent years he enjoys spending his time rock climbing (both indoor and outdoor) as well as spending time with his wife and two children.

Lewis, being from the UK, boasts the best accent on the HBS team.

Rico Piatelli

Senior 401k & Financial Advisor

Rico guides individuals, families and business owners through all aspects of financial planning, retirement and corporate benefit needs. With over 10 years of experience as a financial advisor, Rico believes that building strong, authentic, long-lasting relationships is imperative in developing the best financial roadmap for his clients. Rico specializes in the full integration of personal business and estate planning services. He is also recognized for his corporate work, specifically in the group retirement plan space. Rico is a Veteran and has been awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman's badge for Combat Operations in Afghanistan.

When not helping clients Rico volunteers with Special Olympics, enjoys playing hockey, golf, and fishing.

Tony Leonardo

Legal & Wealth Management Advisor

Tony's focus is to provide comprehensive investment management, personal retirement planning, and retirement income strategies to high net worth individuals and business owners. He is also active in the corporate marketplace providing corporate retirement plan services such as retirement plan design, installation, and service, 401K fee benchmarking, provider searches, and employee education.

In his spare time Tony enjoys playing hockey, golf and spending time with his wife, children, and granddaughter.

Ryan Kent

Property Casualty & Workers Compensation Advisor

Ryan is the team HBS team leader in property casualty, workers comp, overall commercial insurance. Ryan has a deep understanding of risk management and business growth, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Ironside Insurance into one of the most successful insurance agencies in the US.

Ryan began his career at Liberty Mutual Group, where he was consistently ranked among the top producers nationwide. Leveraging his expertise and entrepreneurial mindset, he co-founded Ironside with a vision to modernize the insurance experience and provide businesses with proactive, tailored risk management solutions.

Recognized for his commitment to excellence, Ryan has helped hundreds of businesses protect their assets and navigate complex risks with confidence.

Matt Donovan

Senior Advisor

Matt is a financial partner with Havern Benefits Strategies and with more than 18 years of experience as a leader in the financial services industry has guided a wide range of clients through times of economic volatility. Matt understands the importance of a solid, customized financial plan utilizing academic research and advancements in technology to provide clients with suitable solutions. He has a niche practice that specializes in helping high net worth families and business owners navigate the complexities of multi-generational financial, tax, estate planning and corporate benefit planning.

When Matt is not helping clients, Matt enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding and spending time with his wife and three boys around their hometown of Norwell.