2025 Trusted Advisers: Kimberlee Nevins

While her father, Ken Stephens, co-founded Employee Benefit Design LLC in 1998, Kimberlee Nevins says she started at the bottom of the agency upon graduating from Missouri State University in 2013 and has worked her way up the ladder ever since. Today, she’s a benefits adviser and office manager for the company.

Nevins’ list of clients managed grew 35% in 2024 from two years prior, and her individual annual premiums sold totaled over $15.9 million last year – a jump of over 85% from 2022.

“I spend a significant amount of time breaking down complex insurance terms and compliance requirements into clear, straightforward language so that decision-makers feel confident about the choices available to them,” she says. “As an adviser, I remain involved throughout the year, researching cost-saving strategies, reviewing claims reports, monitoring regulatory changes and negotiating with carriers and stop-loss vendors.”

Nevins says trust is built during “the messy moments.”

“When something breaks, such as an (electronic data interchange) file that won’t load, or an employee is stuck waiting for a critical preauthorization, my clients know I won’t hand them off to a 1-800 number,” she says. “I’ll step in, escalate the issue and be their advocate until it’s resolved.”

Nevins says early experiences at Employee Benefit Design gave her the mindset that small details always matter. That includes caring about the day-to-day moments that make benefits easier for people to understand and use. For example, she always brings printed wellness reimbursement forms to open enrollment meetings to ensure employees don’t miss out on supplemental benefits for which they are eligible.

Ozarks Area Community Action Corp. is among Nevins’ clients. Kimberlee Shinn-Brown, program director for OACAC Head Start, says Nevins exceeded her expectations and notes she responds to queries with clarity, depth of knowledge and remarkable responsiveness.

“She advocates strongly on our behalf during renewals and has offered practical, affordable solutions to strengthen our benefits package, all with an eye toward our mission and the needs of our workforce,” Shinn-Brown says.

Nevins also stays engaged with industry peers and her local community.

She serves nationally as vice chair of regional engagement for United Benefit Administrators, a network of over 130 independent benefit firms across the country. Locally, she’s board secretary for Dynamic Strides Therapy Inc., a nonprofit that provides children’s pediatric therapy, including physical, speech, occupational, aquatic and hippotherapy, or therapy on horseback.