About Us

Dusty Rhodes is the anchor of Hunter Benefits administrative team, able to put clients in touch with Christopher and Katherine Tipper at any moment of the day or night and serving as a trusted resource for all. He attended the University of Minnesota, moving his talents to the retirement benefits field in 2014. When out of the office he can be found spending time with his family.

Implementation of all new clients as well as creating plan documents and amendments

Heidi Wade entered the retirement benefits field in 2003. She is valued for her in-depth skills in plan administration, reporting, documentation and compliance, with specialization in onboarding new plans with minimum stress for her clients. Heidi earned her master’s degree in human resources management from Roosevelt University and is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR), a Qualified 401(d) Administrator (QKA) and a Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant (TGPC). On her down time Heidi enjoys going to the gym and spending time with her family.

Complete Distributions, Loans, Customer support, and can answer most client questions.

Andrea Gist joined the retirement benefits field in 2017 after earning her degree in Digital Technology from Washington State University. As a valued member of the Hunter Benefits team in Seattle, she skillfully manages a wide range of tasks, including fee proposals, service agreements, research and development, marketing, customer service, loans and distributions. Andrea enjoys playing in a saxophone quartet, watching Mandalorian, and playing board game with her husband.

Austin Tipper entered the retirement benefits industry in 2018, following his graduation from the University of Minnesota with duel degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies. Working as part of our team in Palatine, Illinois, he manages plan proposals, loans and distributions and contributes to the defined benefit team review process. In his spare time Austin enjoys doing conservation work and playing tabletop games.

Avery Mardis originally hails from Indiana, but now works as a trusted member of the Hunter Benefits team in Colorado. She manages the extensive details of plan intake, also overseeing plan loans and distributions. Avery is currently working on a degree in Information Technology, while also mastering her skills in glassblowing and hiking the trails of Colorado.

Makinzie McCoy hails from Iowa, and we are proud to have her as a trusted member of the Hunter Benefits team in Palatine, where she assists with billing, distributions, loans, customer support, and assisting the CFO with bookkeeping.  On Makinzie’s off time she relaxes baking goodies in the kitchen, listening to music and gearing up to go to school to study Business Finance and Accounting.

Shauna Hegwer joined the retirement benefits industry in 2010, serving clients at Randall & Hurley and AmeriBen before becoming a key member of our Spokane team. As a seasoned pension associate, she manages distributions, loans and reconciliations, constantly expanding her knowledge base. Shauna earned her degree in business finance and economics from Eastern Washington University. She enjoys walking, movies, comedy and attending her daughter’s sporting events.

Completes testing, Safe Harbor calculations, compliance, compliance issues, completes the Form 5500, and creates final Valuation Packet as well as handles Customer Support.

Amanda Leon began her career in retirement benefits in 2011, working at John Hancock before joining the Hunter Benefits team. She is a member of our Colorado office, overseeing plan distributions and loans and training her colleagues in the smooth handling of QDROs and hardship cases, preparing all related IRS documents as well as annual valuation reports for plans. She has received her ASPPA Retirement Plan Fundamentals Certificate and she is working hard at completing her NIPA course on being an APA.  Amanda is a graduate of Illinois State University who enjoys hiking, CrossFit, slack-lining and live concerts.

Angela Handzic is an Illinois native who has worked in the retirement benefits field since 2001. Throughout her career she has developed extensive knowledge of plan design, documentation and the intricate details of ERISA compliance. As a skilled plan administrator, she creates and services defined-contribution plans and provides outstanding service for Hunter Benefits clients. Angela earned her APA and NIPA accreditations in 2008 and is a graduate from the College of DuPage. When she is not in the office you can find planning her next trip to a theme park with her kids so they can check off another one of the craziest roller-coaster ever made.

Bethany Colwell joined the qualified retirement field in 2004 after graduating with degrees in Marketing and Management. She began her career in Washington State and moved to Colorado the following year. With extensive experience in retirement and wealth management, she has worked closely with plan sponsors and participants to help them meet their business and personal objectives. Bethany is a Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) who enjoys snowboarding, world travel and origami.

Dottie Tzumas has served clients in the retirement benefits industry since 1978, gathering a wealth of experience in plan conversions, installation, compliance, contribution calculations, asset reconciliation, audit assistance and much more. She has earned the Qualified 401(k) Administrator designation as well as completing ASSPA courses, thus making her greatly valued by Hunter clients for her knowledge and expertise. In her down time, you can find Dottie hiking and traveling with her family.

Elsa Silva has worked in the retirement benefits field since 2008. Her strong background in contract administration makes her a valued resource for our clients, who trust her ability to manage plan administration and compliance tasks with precision. Elsa earned her business degree from the University of Maryland and enjoys working as a member of our Spokane team. Away from work, she loves cooking, reading and watching scary movies.

Gayle Goodwin specializes in defined benefit and cash balance plans. She has worked in the qualified plan compliance field since 2006, helping companies of all sizes to establish and maintain well-designed plans. Gayle enjoys the challenge of keeping abreast of ever-changing IRS and Department of Labor regulations, sharing continuous updates with Hunter clients. A California native, she is a graduate of San Diego State University. In her spare time, you can find her reading a book and planning her next travel adventure.  

Kim Schaeffer entered the retirement planning field in 2015, shortly after graduating from Northern Illinois University. She is a valued member of the Hunter Benefits team in Palatine, where she manages plan administration, loans and distributions with care and expertise. Kim is a native of New York state, and when she is not in the office, she is working on crafts with her 2 daughters and going to concerts.

Scott Sevigny graduated from Gonzaga University in 1994 with a BA in Business Administration with emphasis in Finance. He entered the retirement benefits field in 1997, earning his Accredited Pension Administrator designation soon afterward. In 2004 he co-founded Carlson & Sevigny TPA Services, which became part of Hunter Benefits in 2018. Scott is an expert pension consultant in our Spokane, Washington office, offering special expertise in new comparability (cross-tested) contribution allocation for defined contribution plans. He enjoys fishing, golfing and Gonzaga University basketball.

Sheran Icard Joined the retirement planning field in 2012, after graduating from Washington State University. She began her career as a retirement plan consultant, then moving into plan administration in 2019. With a strong background in accounting and office management, she enjoys the compliance and financial aspects of her role. She specializes in administering cross-tested (new comparability) plans and Safe Harbor 401(k) plans. Sheran is a native of Washington State and a valued member of our Spokane team who loves spending time with her four daughters.