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.

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.

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.

Emily Elsmore joined Altura Benefits in February 2025 as an Account Manager. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications from the University of Utah and is currently pursuing her Health and Life Insurance License. Emily’s background includes experience in account management, and she is excited to build and maintain relationships while expanding her knowledge of the health and life insurance industry.

Outside of work, Emily enjoys being a mom of four, traveling, listening to both music and podcasts, skiing, trying new restaurants, attending concerts, spending time with friends and escaping to her family cabin. She is passionate about helping clients feel comfortable and confident in their benefit plans.

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.

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.

Ali recently joined the Altura Benefits team in September of 2024 as an Account Specialist, and is currently licensed in Accident, Health & Life insurance in the state of Utah. Ali’s job encompasses responsibilities including quoting and preparing client presentations in a timely manner. She is very excited to discover more about the insurance industry and the opportunities it may bring. Ali has a passion for learning and creating a positive outcome with whatever comes her way.

In 2020, Ali graduated from Utah State University Eastern with an Associates of Theatre, and then went on to achieve a Nail Technicians License from Davis Technical College in 2022. With the starting of a small nail business, she also achieved a Business Certification from Ogden-Weber Technical College in 2024.

In her free time Ali enjoys doing nails, spending time with friends and family, and making and sending out cards to seniors. She has also been on a huge health journey and loves to stay active and healthy.

Gwen joined the Altura Benefits team in August 2024. She assists and supports our leadership team and office operations. Gwen’s role is enhancing organizational efficiency, facilitating effective communication, and streamlining operations. Currently, Gwen is working on her Utah Accident, Health and Life insurance licenses and cannot be more thrilled to excel her career in the benefits industry as the administrative assistant. Her mission is to uphold our team’s values, aligning her daily responsibilities with Altura’s goals, and focuses on operational excellence and employee well-being.

You can catch Gwen at either the tennis court, golf course, or spin studio. She enjoys trips to the record store and plant shop, and her hobbies include thrifting and creating delicious meals with her boyfriend.

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.

Andrew Riley joined the Altura team in June of 2024. His primary role is to help individuals and families find the best insurance options for them. While at work his favorite activity is to help individuals and families navigate the insurance world while making connections with them. He is licensed in health, life, and accident insurance in the state of Utah, and is currently working on a degree in Computer Science.

While away from work, Andrew’s favorite activity is participating in and watching all types of sports. His favorite is college football to watch, and golf is his favorite to play. You can always find him at a family gathering, outdoors, or spending time with his beautiful fiancée.

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.

Spencer Montoya joined Altura Benefits in April of 2024 as a Medicare Specialist, with a focus on Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans. Spencer enjoys working closely with the Medicare community, and explaining the products and process to ensure each client feels empowered and confident that their needs are met. He is a licensed Health, Life, and Accident producer in the state of Utah. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, gardening, being around friends and family, and taking long walks with his dog, Ashe.

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.