Curtis Barton is the CEO and founding visionary behind ALKEME Insurance, a trailblazing force in the insurance industry known for its innovative approach and transformative impact. As a dynamic leader and industry disruptor, Barton has consistently demonstrated his ability to anticipate market trends and drive systemic change.

Under Barton’s visionary guidance, ALKEME has emerged as a game-changer in the insurance landscape, quickly growing to a top-35 broker with over 1,000 employees across 50+ locations. His strategic acumen was instrumental in orchestrating the complex merger of seven distinct entities to form ALKEME, a move that redefined industry standards and set new benchmarks for operational excellence.

Barton’s exceptional leadership extends beyond operational prowess. He successfully spearheaded capital-raising initiatives crucial for ALKEME’s formation and growth, securing both institutional backing and essential debt facilities. This financial acumen, combined with his ability to forge strategic partnerships, has positioned ALKEME at the forefront of insurance innovation.

Prior to ALKEME, Barton co-founded Brokkrr, a cutting-edge digital lead generation insurtech platform. This venture showcased Barton’s commitment to leveraging technology to revolutionize traditional insurance models.

Barton’s journey in the insurance sector began with the founding of Venture Pacific Insurance, a regional brokerage in Southern California. This venture, which was later acquired by ALKEME during the merger, laid the groundwork for his expansive vision of transforming the insurance landscape.

A graduate of the University of Arizona with a BA degree, Barton combines his academic foundation with hands-on industry experience to drive ALKEME’s innovative strategies and market-leading position.

Curtis Barton continues to lead ALKEME Insurance with a forward-thinking approach, constantly seeking new ways to innovate, disrupt, and improve the insurance industry for the benefit of clients and stakeholders alike.

Josh Benveniste is the President and Chief of Staff at ALKEME, where he partners closely with the CEO and executive leadership team to drive enterprise-wide strategic planning, operational excellence, and innovation. In this role, Josh leads cross-functional initiatives that align marketing, technology, and business operations with ALKEME’s long-term growth objectives.

Josh brings a strong entrepreneurial and executive background to the role. Prior to joining ALKEME, he held senior leadership positions at several high-growth companies. As Chief Marketing Officer at Paydala, he led all aspects of marketing, brand, product, sales, and business development—positioning the company as a leader in payment and compliance solutions for the sports betting industry. At AerialSphere, he directed marketing and brand strategy, launching new products that expanded the company’s presence in aerial imagery and mapping.

Josh also co-founded ZipSit, a mobile babysitting app, and Dr. Soothe, a consumer wellness brand that he successfully led to acquisition. Earlier in his career, he served as Co-Founder and COO of Resperion, overseeing global infrastructure projects including the construction of the Kabul to Kandahar highway in Afghanistan. He also spent a decade managing marketing and business development programs in the networking, telecommunications, and software sectors for Clarent, Promatory Communications, and Virata.

Josh holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Arizona.

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Troy has spent the last 27 years building books of business and managing producers building books of business. He entered the insurance industry in 2002, when he obtained his life, health & variable contracts licenses. Troy spent the first decade of his career in a B2C and B2B Producer role, where he built 2 Books of Business at Merrill Lynch/BofA on the direct side, with his largest win being a BOR from MassMutual. Troy then transitioned to wholesale distribution, where he successfully built 2 Books of Business in 2 separate channels at ING/Voya.

Following his tenure as an individual contributor, Troy went on to lead distribution, where he successfully created and grew 2 divisions at ING/Voya that grew to become over 50% of the 110MM of revenue in the Intermediary channel.

At ING/Voya, with a primary focus on driving revenue, Troy lead cross-partnership initiatives within the Intermediary & Institutional Investment Management space, and cross functionally between the Insurance, Benefits, and Retirement spaces.

In addition to his core focus of leading distribution, Troy drove multi-functional initiatives across Finance, Marketing, Operations, Legal, Product, Distribution Enablement & Intelligence.

Troy is recognized as an industry leader in distribution strategy, with a strong competency in leveraging data-driven approaches to build scalable processes.

Troy joined ALKEME as Chief Growth Officer, shortly thereafter he became the Chief Revenue Officer, focusing on creating structure to drive Organic Growth and processes to further scale ALKEME’s business model.

Troy holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Arizona.

Ryan Stradling is a finance and operations leader known for helping companies scale with clarity, discipline, and data‑driven execution. With experience across insurance, healthcare, and SaaS, he has guided organizations through rapid growth, acquisitions, and complex multi‑entity integrations.

With a background spanning PE‑backed platforms and founder‑led businesses, Ryan brings a rare combination of strategic insight and operational rigor. He builds modern finance functions, simplifies complexity, and creates systems that give leaders real visibility into performance—empowering teams to move faster and make better decisions.

Ryan joined Trucordia in 2021, where he played a key role in strengthening the company’s financial foundation and growth strategy. In 2025, he expanded his leadership into enterprise operations, helping unify teams, streamline processes, and position the organization for scalable, long‑term success.

Beyond his operating roles, Ryan co‑founded a Prospect Management/CRM platform designed to eliminate the fragmentation and pipeline chaos that growing sales organizations experience—reflecting his passion for building tools that make teams more accountable and more effective.

Ryan holds an MBA from Utah State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Utah Valley University.

Gerald Hogan is an accomplished finance executive with over20 years of global experience across private equity, insurance, healthcare, and technology. A seasoned strategist, he specializes in acquisitions, business valuation, strategic planning, capital raising, and financial reporting.

As Chief Accounting Officer at ALKEME, Gerald leads the company’s financial strategy, planning, and business integration initiatives, driving its continued growth and long-term success. Previously, he held senior finance roles at Sweegen, Prairie Mobile Communications, and 24-7 Intouch, where he led IPO readiness, acquisitions, and capital expansion efforts. Earlier in his career, he was a key early contributor to People Corporation’s growth from a start-up insurance brokerage to a national leader, gaining rare end-to-end experience in building a company from the ground up.

He brings a passion for business, disciplined financial insight, and a proven ability to scale organizations through strategic growth.

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Victor Kumar is a seasoned technology executive with more than 30 years of hands-on leadership across applications, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, data analytics and artificial intelligence. Adept at aligning agile design and disciplined architecture with business objectives, he has consistently driven growth and mitigated risk for organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises. An expert in software-platform management, product management and operational excellence, Victor also has deep experience in business process design and reengineering. Recognized as a Computerworld Premier 100 Technology Leader, he has held C-level and senior technology roles at Upland Capital Group, RLI, Employers, Berkley, DXC and Progressive. His extensive career includes international experience spanning the USA, Canada, India, and the Far East. He earned an Executive MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Madras, and he completed an executive management program at Stanford University.

Jason Fernandez is a results-driven HR leader who serves as ALKEME’s Chief Human Resources Officer, championing an empowering culture, elevating organizational performance, and fueling sustainable growth. He leads talent strategies that align with business goals, enhance the employee experience, and deliver scalable HR solutions.

With extensive mergers and acquisitions and private equity experience, Jason has guided numerous due diligence, integration, and organizational transformation efforts, aligning HR programs while retaining top talent. Prior to joining ALKEME, he held senior HR leadership roles at Vertex Education, American Vision Partners, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, and MFS Investment Management. Jason holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

As General Counsel, Jeff Suckiel leads Alkeme’s Legal Department and provides oversight and coordination with outside agencies and counsel on all legal matters affecting the Company and its partners.  Jeff serves as an advisor to Alkeme’s Executive Leadership, Board of Directors, and business units on a range of legal, compliance and risk management functions that impact the Company. Prior to joining Alkeme, Jeff worked for a mid-sized regional law firm specializing in the firm’s business and construction law practice. He has represented and worked extensively with companies of all sizes from small privately-held companies to large international corporations in a variety of areas including complex business transactions and claims, regulatory compliance, risk management, employment and litigation matters. Jeff received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration/Finance from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law. Jeff is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and Orange County Bar Association and is licensed to practice in California State and Federal court.

Steve is the Chief Operations Officer at ALKEME, focused on advancing our operational teams. As a founding member of ALKEME, Steve has been there from the beginning formation and development of the company. At ALKEME, he has worked as an Agency leader, Western Regional President, and now COO. Adding to his overall work experience spanning over 30 years, Steve owned and operated Westlake Risk & Insurance Services, was a broker at Sullivan Curtis Monroe, and a Marketing representative at Federated Insurance.

Chad brings over 25 years of sales, distribution, and business development experience to ALKEME, with a career built on identifying growth opportunities and executing on them at scale. He began his career in offshore product sourcing and distribution, focused on international product sourcing, before moving into regional sales leadership roles managing accounts and driving revenue across multiple industries.

Chad joined ALKEME as Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions, where he played a central role in sourcing and closing acquisitions of independent insurance agencies — managing deals from first conversation through financial diligence, funds flow, and close. He later expanded into Business Development, building ALKEME's organic, direct-sourced acquisition pipeline alongside the firm's banker-led deal flow.

In his role as Chief Business Development Officer, Chad now leads ALKEME's acquisition engine end-to-end — sourcing targets, managing the pipeline, negotiating deals, and owning integration planning and 100-day handoffs. He works closely with ALKEME's CFO, General Counsel, and COO to move deals from first conversation to full integration.

Chad holds a degree in Chemistry from Loyola Marymount University, where he also played water polo. He lives in South Orange County, California.

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