Meet the Team

Craig Paulson is the founder and president of Altura Benefits. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Business Management. In addition to other employee benefits licensure, he holds an Accident, Health, and Life Insurance license. He utilizes his passion for paying attention to details in his employee benefits and insurance career, which began in 1995. During the first six years of his profession, he turned a part-time college job into a successful practice and in 2001 merged with another employee benefits firm. This opportunity allowed Craig to gain valuable knowledge related to larger employer groups, including self-funding experience. After absorbing more knowledge, growing his block of business, and seeing a need for continuing his service expectations, Craig established his own firm. Altura Benefits opened in 2005 and has grown every year since.

Craig is a member of NABIP-America’s Benefits Specialists and served as Past-President, President, President-Elect, and Vice President of NABIP’s Utah chapter. He is also a multi-year NABIP Leading Producers Round Table qualifier.*

Staying active is important to Craig. He enjoys traveling, skiing, golf and running. He completed one marathon and a number of half-marathons. He has skied in Canada, Austria, Dubai and many resorts across the U.S.; however, his favorite ski resorts lie within Utah’s Wasatch Front. He also enjoys spending time with his wonderful wife and four children.

*The Leading Producers Round Table recognizes NABIP members who meet a designated number of insurance policy sales with certain insurance products receiving a heavier weighting than others.

Krista joined Altura Benefits in August of 2017, and shortly thereafter received her Life, Health and Disability insurance license. Krista is dedicated to assisting clients with all aspects of their employee benefits and is responsible for renewals and retention. One of her strengths is developing professional relationships between the employees, clients, and carriers and her experience and personality are an asset to our company and our clients.

Krista graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2018. Krista began her career in the Third District Court of Utah before moving to California where she worked as a Human Resources Technician for Manhattan Beach School District for 9 years. After moving back to Utah she once again found herself as a Human Resources Technician for Canyons School District for 3 years before expanding her knowledge and spending 5 additional years as the Retirement and Insurance Specialist for Canyons School District.

Krista loves spending time with her husband and 2 children. Krista’s hobbies and interest include movies, music, Disneyland, attending U of U athletic events, and traveling.

Jill Christensen joined the Altura team in 2019, and shortly afterwards received her Accident, Health and Life insurance license. She has become proficient in the benefit administration system, Employee Navigator, and is well versed on employer compliance regulations. In 2021 she was promoted to the role of Account Manager, and has since enjoyed connecting with clients and improving their employee benefits experience.

In August of 2018, she received her bachelor’s degree, with a major in Human Development and Family Studies and a minor in Psychology. In 2023, Jill graduated with her Masters of Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Business Administration, Public Administration, and Leadership.

Jill enjoys spending her time with friends and family, reading, hammocking, paddle boarding, traveling, and laughing.

Allie Coats joined the Altura team in the summer of 2022. Allie received her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Utah State in 2020. She is a licensed Health and Life insurance producer. She has recently transitioned from working with individual clients to small groups, and is excited about this new role. Allie likes working closely with clients to ensure that they have a quality experience with employee benefits.

In her spare time, Allie loves to try new things and practice new hobbies. She enjoys reading and watching movies, but most of all being on the lake.

Danyelle Parry joined the Altura Benefits team in 2007 and after two years of experience, she earned her Accident, Health, and Life Insurance licenses. Her responsibilities over the years include: managing the firm’s individual book of business, client liaison, directing the RFP process for all group clients and billing reconciliation. She has an aptitude for keeping everything and everyone organized, helping the team stick to timelines and meet deadlines. Her colleagues recognize her skills, knowledge, and experience as a valuable part of the team.

Danyelle enjoys hiking with her husband, gardening, cooking, and reading.

Lauren Best joined the Altura Benefits team in the summer of 2023. She works full-time as a service coordinator, assisting account managers, as well as facilitating enrollment for members.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, which she uses to better understand people and their needs- she loves to help wherever she can!

Lauren has formerly worked in marketing and freelance copywriting and has an eye for detail. She is excited to start a career in insurance where she can provide clients and members alike with accuracy and the highest caliber of customer service.

In her free time she can be found singing karaoke, swimming, and petting every dog she comes across.

Roya Hedlund joined the Altura Benefits team in 2021, stepping into the role of Enrollment & Compliance Specialist. She works alongside our Account Managers to facilitate enrollments, manage online benefit administration systems, and educate clients on their compliance responsibilities. Roya is currently licensed in Accident, Health & Life insurance in the state of Utah and is a member of the National Association of Benefit and Insurance Professionals.

She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Westminster University in 2019, where she majored in Technical Theatre with a minor in Fine Arts. She previously worked for Glover Nursery and Whole Foods Market, giving her a strong knowledge of customer service, gardening, and good food.

In her spare time, Roya can often be found making a mess in the kitchen or enjoying the outdoors, and loves spending time reading, working in the garden, or exploring local coffee shops and hiking trails with her golden retriever Matilda.

Jacque received a Bachelors Degree in Horticulture and Floral Design from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2018. Jacque’s love of learning and helping others, as well as Altura Benefits’ company values, led her to joining the team in 2019. Jacque is a licensed health, accident, and life insurance producer. As one of the Individual Plans Specialist at Altura she enjoys helping our clients find and enroll in health coverage that will meet their family’s specific need.

Before she joined the Altura Benefits Team, Jacque worked at an apartment management company assisting tenants and property managers with renter insurance. Her role at Altura Benefits allows her to delve deeper into the insurance realm as she works closely with our individual clients. Navigating the ever changing world of health insurance isn’t easy, but Jacque would love to help and guide you down the path that will work best for you.

Jacque loves singing, playing the guitar and piano, playing with her nephews, and buying way too many plants.

Kenny Lorens joined the Altura team in April of 2023, and is excited to work with Jacque as an Individual Plans Specialist. He enjoys taking time to speak with individuals and families in order to understand their needs, research and answer any questions that come up, and find the plan that best suits them. He is a licensed in Health, Life, and Accident producer in the state of Utah, and is currently working on a degree in Accounting.

In his free time, Kenny enjoys exploring the outdoors with his dog and planning game nights with friends. He also loves a good story, and can often be found reading, catching the latest movies, or writing short stories of his own.

Amy Lifferth joined Altura Benefits in 2013. For 6 years, she specialized in handling individual and family plans, working closely with both Utah’s local carriers and also with the Federal Marketplace (healthcare.gov) to help Altura Benefits clients take advantage of all their insurance options. She now focuses on Medicare, including Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans, and provides other internal support to Altura Benefits. She is licensed in Accident, Health, and Life Insurance. Amy holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Brigham Young University, with a minor in Business. Prior to entering the insurance industry, Amy worked in payroll for Nicholas & Co, in accounts payable for Generations Healthcare, and as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines.

Amy loves spending time with her husband and 3 children, and her interests include cooking, reading, traveling, and music. When she’s not learning the ins and outs of Medicare, she enjoys learning about tiaras, British royal jewelry, and European royal family history.

Ty joined the Altura team in January 2023 as a Relationship Manager. He has immediately found joy in learning the ins and outs of how Altura can accelerate financial well-being for both individual and group clients. He loves to learn and thoroughly enjoys interacting with people.

Shortly after graduating from High School, Ty had the opportunity to move to Mexico to serve as a religious missionary for his church, exposing him to a new culture and language which he learned to love.

Ty has spent the last 4 years working in the tech space facilitating strategic partner relations which gave him the ability to dissect the goals of individuals and discover the best solutions for differing situations. This also provided a channel to learn to listen and understand needs in order to pull the correct parties together to build each other up. He is currently a Senior at Utah Valley University where he is finalizing a Bachelors in Science, Business Management degree with an emphasis on Personal Finance.

Ty’s greatest joys in life come from his wife and son. He loves the outdoors including climbing, mountain biking, and boating. In his spare time, Ty likes to read and working on projects around his home.

Molly joined the Altura Benefits Team in the Fall of 2022. She works directly with and for Altura’s President Craig, and keeps the day-to-day operations of the office running smoothly. Molly oversees and supports all administrative duties in the office including scheduling group meetings, maintaining calendars, managing office supply inventory, and directing incoming calls. She is currently licensed in Accident, Health & Life insurance in the state of Utah.

Molly received her Bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University in 2017, where she majored in Marketing with a minor in Communication. She loves to travel and spend time with her dog Bluegrass. In her free time, you will find Molly and her boyfriend adventuring outdoors or working on house projects.