Staff Highlight: Benefits Team
CMU's Benefits team is dedicated to supporting faculty and staff by managing the university's benefits programs. Their duties include:
- Administering the university's health and welfare plans, voluntary benefits through MetLife, spending accounts, tuition benefits and employee assistance plan
- Managing the annual open enrollment process, including negotiating plan details, hosting information sessions to help employees select a plan, and working with HR Technology to ensure a seamless enrollment process in Workday
- Partnering with CMU Athletics to host the annual Benefits & Fitness Fair
- Presenting at weekly onboarding sessions so new employees are aware of their options
- Responding to benefits-related queries received through HR Help
- Ongoing analysis and refinement to ensure CMU is offering a comprehensive, competitive and progressive benefits package
Most recently, the team implemented significant enhancements to the tuition reimbursement benefit for eligible faculty, staff and their dependent children.
Introducing the Team
- Heather Heisel, benefits administrator
- What do you like most about working at CMU? I am fairly new to CMU and one of the things I love is my new colleagues. They have provided me with a lot of guidance, kindness and knowledge. I also love to help people achieve their tuition goals for themselves and their dependent children.
- Fun fact: I have four sons under the age of 12, a Newfoundland/Great Pyrenees dog named Rudy, and a pet gecko named Godzilla. I also love all things sports, especially football!
- Stephanie Longmire, benefits coordinator
- What do you like most about working at CMU? I've worked with a lot of great people within the HR/Benefits department, it has always been a supportive team effort. No two days are alike when it comes to assisting the CMU community, you can never get bored with the variety of questions and situations.
- Fun fact: I took a Skyride above a cruise ship a few years ago.
- Barb McCarthy, senior benefits administrator
- What do you like most about working at CMU? I could talk about my coworkers feeling like my work family or how cool CMU is or being able to make benefits feel like benefits for our employees, and that's all true. But I would be remiss if I didn't highlight the fact that there is a Millie's ice cream shop in Tepper, and I just don't know what more a person could ask for in an employer. The chocolate milkshakes are fantastic.
- Fun fact: Zubal Road in Apollo, PA is named after my mom's family. The post office wouldn't deliver mail to their house since the road didn't have a name, preventing a proper home address — and people wouldn't give the road a name since there wasn't a postal route. Somehow, my grandfather got that sorted out, and they named the road Zubal Road, Zubal being my mom's family's last name.
- Nick Piscitelli, senior benefits administrator
- What do you like most about working at CMU? The people I work with and also seeing new things and always being challenged and being able to grow.
- Fun fact: I have been playing hockey since I was 4 years old. I currently play as well as coach my son and referee games. I can eat pounds of gnocchi, yes that is correct ... pounds, usually close to two. I am also a picky eater and some may even mistake my diet for that of a child in some situations. I really enjoy watching way too much TV/sports, laying on my couch, and going to concerts, comedy shows and sporting events. I am a diehard University of Michigan and Pens fan.
- Shelby Roberts, benefits administrator
- What do you like most about working at CMU? The people. Whether it is collaborating with my team or talking to coworkers in other departments, everyone has always been so friendly and you get the sense that people care about the work that they are doing.
- Fun fact: I enjoy doing yoga and got my yoga teacher training certification in 2022.