Ellis will partner with employers across the western region on benefits strategy and total rewards program design. Before joining Alliant, Ellis spent more than five years as vice president at Aon, serving the Mountain States region. Prior to that, she held senior consultant roles at Mercer, including work on its global employee benefits marketplace. She also served as human resources director at Denver Health, the city's public safety-net hospital system, giving her direct operational exposure to how integrated health systems manage workforce costs.
Ellis holds an MBA from Idaho State University, a master's-level healthcare administration qualification from Westminster University in Salt Lake City, and a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from the University of Utah.
The hire is part of a sustained build-out of Alliant's Rocky Mountain employee benefits practice. The firm added Chris Mast as senior vice president and Rachel McCarter as vice president in Denver in 2024 and 2025.
"Rebecca's extensive background in benefits consulting and healthcare leadership provides a perspective for clients navigating today's benefits environment," said Kevin Overbey, president of Alliant Employee Benefits. "She is known for delivering practical, actionable solutions that improve program efficiency while maintaining a positive employee experience."
The hire arrives as national brokers compete for consultants with operational healthcare backgrounds. Employers project health cost increases of between 6.7% and 9% in 2026, according to estimates from Mercer and Aon. Advisors who understand how health systems price and deliver care are in demand across the market. A consultant who has worked inside a hospital system brings a vantage point most brokerage hires do not.
Alliant reported $5.72 billion in brokerage revenue in 2025 and has made a series of similar additions to its employee benefits group throughout the year. The Ellis appointment extends that run in the Mountain West.
Benefits talent with healthcare operational experience is harder to find as employee benefits books have become the most sought-after brokerage acquisition target in 2026, trading at 9-12x EBITDA according to CT Acquisitions data. That premium applies to experienced practitioners as much as to the firms themselves.
