150 Flood Rd ILONA BARBER

Marlborough, CT 06447 IBarber@comcast.net 860-573-7455

SUMMARY

Proven leader in compliance, project management, quality, team dynamics, and contract issues.
Results oriented, with focus on relationships, negotiations, risk management, and systems. Refreshing
ability to see “out of the box,” in difficult situations and come up with an acceptable, workable
solution. Excellent communication, interpersonal and problem solving skills. Expertise in research to
evaluate and provide guidance on state and federal laws and regulations, in association with products,
the organization, and industry.

CORE COMPETENCIES
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Project Management, Excel, Access

Negotiations/Communications Research: Lexis, Westlaw/Serff

Team Building PC: Microsoft Office & Outlook; Serff

Excellent written and verbal skills Metrics: Tracker/Database/ Lexis, Westlaw/Serff

Subject Matter Expert for products. Leadership: Established reputation for getting
Consistently sought out to solve complex issues. tough jobs done, well, and strong work ethic that
radiates to others that work with her

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
AETNA, Hartford CT
Product & Regulatory Consultant, Aetna Law Department, Hartford, CT 2005 – 12/27/2008
Responsible for promoting and enforcing compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Coordinated
document project filings process with state insurance departments, and responsible for seeking approval of
filings, licensing, audit reports, and exam approval from those departments, while enforcing company policies
and exceeding department’s metric goals.

• Regional lead Legislative Contact (LC), for high-level assessment of all new legislation, assessing impact
on products, and determining what product area is responsible for. Collaborated across functional lines,
and organized action steps, and documented project progress to end for upper management. Managed
small teams for Legislative Implementation Unit for project management purposes.
• Development of relationships and communications with Department of Insurance reviewers a key goal,
which enabled quality products to be delivered within each product area’s expectations. For example,
instrumental in achieving approval of unpopular initiative, Aexcel Network, in Kentucky.
• Consistently met product and business area’s expectations, and state guidelines. For example, successfully
implemented critical regional projects (e.g. Disability Refresh 2008, Strategic Resource Company Update,
and Student Blanket Accident) that ensured quality, compliance, and market competitiveness.
• Using effective negotiations in conjunction with state visits, expedited approvals of business products and
form filings.
1
 • Ensured continual process improvements by building checks and balances into database reporting.
• Organized reports to ensure compliance with state insurance code and regulations with respect to rating,
underwriting, and claim practices. Exams based on special requests or at regular intervals.
• Prepared instructional manual for compliance professional training at Aetna. Prepared manual with focus
on consistent adherence to internal procedure, with instructions for documentation, and tracking
instructions for reporting purposes.
• Applied intricate knowledge of law and language in documents to assure appropriate support for claim
payment. For example, prepared specialized policies for Individual market for Kentucky and Kansas
Department of Insurance.

Senior Benefit Administrator Consultant-Aetna National Accounts, Middletown CT 1994 – 2005

Leader in every day focused effort to retain business and provided consistent high quality problem solving for
constituents through evaluation and performance of data integrity, in conjunction with production of quality plan
sponsor documents in support of auto adjudication, enrollment imaging error correction, plan sponsor reporting,
and compliance, as well as other initiative projects for Aetna’s top 50 National Accounts customers and TPA’s.
• Became the go to person for problem solving, critical thinking skills, and strong interpersonal skills in
working with sensitive and difficult customers.
• Noted by senior management for ability to collaborate and negotiate effectively across the organization
and facilitated execution team strategies in processing new business and negotiation of financial
agreements, with risk management, in order to ensure accurate benefits administration.
• Known for ability to do whatever was required to retain key accounts. For example, prepared audit
reports PepsiCo, served as subject matter expert for Ingersoll-Rand retiree benefit plans, managed
seamless transition from prior carrier for Sanofi employees, and visit corporate headquarters for meetings
with Merck to successfully avoid loss of business.
• Selected to be benefits manager for Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation retiree account, the largest
manufacturer of containers in the northern hemisphere with factories in most states.
• Noted for strong understanding of the healthcare industry, including in-depth knowledge of products,
services, and administrative procedures in support of sales team.
• Appointed as Quality Point Representative, a network of peers dedicated to reduce waste, ideas for best
practices, and process improvement.

• Responsible for compliance filings and audit reports.

Benefit Consultant, Middle Market Accounts, Policy Data Issue Middletown, CT 1986 – 1994
Provided quality plan documentation to support underwriting, claims, product, and sales for commercial Middle
Market accounts.

EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND-ONLINE
MBA Program, completed half of the credits for Master's of Business Administration

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT HEALTH CENTER, FARMINGTON, CT

Graduate work in Environmental Health

2
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS, CT
BA degree (Liberal Arts: Major: Anthropology/Minor: Marketing)