Our Name Is What We Do.

From the Benefit Advocates Winston-Salem, NC headquarters, our staff guides organizations and their employees through the maze of today’s healthcare system. From working with clients who have had a health insurance claim denied, to helping retirement age workers transition to Medicare, we are advocates for our clients’ rights.

Mary Kesel, a 35+ year veteran in healthcare benefits and a former adjunct professor of Human Resources Management at the Wake Forest University School of Business, founded Benefit Advocates in 2001.


Our mission is to be the most respected provider of innovative and supportive solutions regarding health care benefits in the industry.

Mary Kesel
Mary Kesel

Our CORE values are:

Commitment
We keep our word.

Originality
We provide unique, customized solutions that meet our clients’ needs.

Respect
We show it to our clients, their employees, and to each other.

Excellence
Our clients are loyal because we deliver more than they expect.

In the past 18 years, Benefit Advocates has worked with large and small organizations, including companies like Wake Forest University, Deere-Hitachi, DENSO, Park Sterling and

Benefit Advocate job fair

Our own Susan Hanner at an employee benefits fair for one of our clients. If you sign with us, we’ll be sure your employees take full advantage of the Benefit Advocates benefit!many others.

In 2007, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled and operated by women in the United States, certified Benefit Advocates.

Today, with a combined 150 years of plan benefits experience among its management team, Benefit Advocates offers an array of benefit administration outsourcing solutions to small and large employers.