About Us
By focusing on creating value for plan sponsors and participants, Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, Inc. (HBCG), formed in October 1999, has grown quickly to a firm that administers over 850 employee benefits plans out of our offices in the Chicago, Denver, Spokane, and Seattle-Tacoma Suburbs. HBCG offers technical guidance to plan sponsors related to qualified plan design and administration while offering plan sponsors accurate and timely reporting for reasonable and transparent fees.

Christopher Tipper
Founder and CEO
Christopher began his career in retirement benefits in 1990, founding Hunter Benefits in 1999 and quickly rising to prominence as an expert who challenges fellow plan consultants to continuously improve business practices, adapt to rapidly changing trends and provide cost-effective, meaningful services for their clients. He oversees new client development and marketing and serves as an expert speaker at major industry events. A graduate of Knox College, he enjoys cars and travel.

Katherine Tipper
President and CFO
Katherine joined Hunter Benefits in 2004 after more than a decade of helping Starbucks Coffee make its successful start in Seattle. She oversees the financial activities of the firm’s operations in Illinois, Washington and Colorado, applying her keen sense of strategy and business development to establish high standards for client service across the enterprise. Katherine is an alumna of Knox College and an active leader in the National Organization of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).
Hunter Benefits Senior Management Team

Carol Colby
Compliance Coordinator
Carol has been in the qualified plan compliance field since 1986. She has done administration and compliance in many of the different service settings, including Putnam Investments, New England Life and Laventhol & Horwath as well as Third Party Administrators in Boston and in Illinois. She has experience in teaching staff to conduct compliance and administration processes for both small employer and large regional, national and multinational corporate clients.

Kimberly Jones
Production Coordinator
Kimberly has worked in the retirement planning field since 1993. She began her career on the plan-sponsor side, helping participants plan for a secure future. Kim transferred her extensive talents to the Third-Party Administration field in 1995. She has worked serving clients at Coopers & Lybrand, Buck Consultants and Merrill Lynch. Kim is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach. Away from work Kim enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
Executive Personal Assistant
Works with the CEO and CFO. Can help set up and schedule meeting and events.
Dusty Rhodes
Implementation Coordinator
Implementation of all new clients as well as creating plan documents and amendments
Janice Davis
Document Coordinator
Raymond Hughes
Hunter Benefits Associate Administrators
Austin Tipper - Chicago
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.
Filippo Balistreri - Chicago
Filippo Balistreri entered the retirement benefits industry in 2021. Filippo brings with him many years of retail banking experience. He has his associates degree in IT/Computer Management from Rasmussen College. As part of our Palatine team, he handles internal IT for all of Hunter Benefits offices, and also assist sales in designing fee and service agreements for new clients. In his off time, he spends it with him husband and their 5 cats. His passions are in music and cooking. He is also a video game enthusiast.
Shauna Hegwer - Spokane
Hunter Benefits Administrators
Amanda Leon
Angela Handzic
Bethany Colwell
Dottie Tzumas
Elsa Silva
Gayle Goodwin
Kim Schaeffer
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 enjoys working on crafts , spending time with her family and going to concerts.
Scott Sevigny
Sheran Icard
Sue Dudzik
Sue Dudzik joined Hunter Benefits in 2020. She has over 22 years’ experience working with defined contribution plans, including profit sharing, and 401(k) plans. She is well versed in complex annual testing for new comparability plans as well as ADP/ACP testing for 401(k) plans. Her experience and diligence in staying up to date on new regulations helps Sue best serve her clients retirement plan needs. Sue holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out, volunteering, and watching sports.