Meet the team

Paul Gauthier

Paul Gauthier

FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Seeing a missing gap in the need to connect providers with their local Medicare population, Paul Gauthier founded MedicareCompareUSA in 2011 and served as the company’s guiding force and chief executive office through its first eight years of unprecedented growth. That growth led to a company reorganization in January 2020 and the creation of MCUSA Holding Company for which Paul serves as Chairman of the Board. In that role, he continues to be actively involved in the company’s strategic direction and growth. He brings with him a career spanning more than 40 years serving in leadership capacities with numerous organizations in the fields of hospital administration, healthcare consulting and Medicare insurance operations.

Paul began his career as a CPA with the firm of Ernst and Ernst, specializing in hospital consulting, bond issues and HCFA cost report appeals. Mr. Gauthier then spent more than a decade serving in hospital administration, program development and insurance management within the UniHealth Hospital System

During the next 12 years, Paul founded and served as chief executive officer of Olympic Health Management Systems. The corporate holdings of Olympic Health included multiple insurance agencies, a national hospital consulting practice, and the largest third party administrator for Medicare Supplement insurance. In 1997 Olympic Health was acquired by AON Corporation, and Paul served for five years as the chief architect of the national Medicare Advantage program known as Sterling Life.

Kerri Lenderman

Kerri Lenderman

CEO OF MEDICARECOMPAREUSA, CEO OF MCUSA COMMUNICATIONS

After serving as CEO of MCUSA Communications since its inception and as acting CEO of MedicareCompareUSA for much of 2019, Kerri Lenderman was named CEO of the agency in January 2020, concurrent with a corporate reorganization. In her role, Kerri draws upon a diverse healthcare career spanning more than twenty-five years as well as a deep understanding of the Medicare landscape and the competitive challenges facing providers striving to secure Medicare market share and meet business objectives.

Kerri is responsible for all strategic, financial and operational planning, resources and outcomes. She also oversees MCUSA’s Ambassador Agent Program. Launched in January 2020, this specialized program is designed to build a team of dedicated field agents to support hospitals and physicians and position providers for a state of readiness when payer contract terminations occur. Agents are oriented to protect the patient-provider relationship and extend hands-on assistance to support a providers’ Medicare initiatives and objectives.

Prior to joining MCUSA Communications, Kerri worked as a national health plan consultant providing operational guidance and performing data audits. She also served as the executive director for a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring healthcare access. There her responsibilities included strategic development and management of the organization’s community programs, services and initiatives.

Kerri’s career was built on health policy research, provider education, plan contracting, and Medicare insurance operations. She provided operational oversight in the development of a claims system replicating fee-for service payments for the nation’s first private fee-for-service Medicare Advantage plan.

Gerald Reilly

Gerald Reilly

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Gerald Reilly brings to MedicareCompareUSA more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. As chief financial officer, Gerald is responsible for fiscal and call center management functions of the organization.

He began his career at Sterling Life Insurance in 1996 as a market and financial analyst. Over the next two decades he was promoted to various positions including director of business analysis; director of actuarial services, vice president of business and financial analysis; and ultimately vice president of sales, marketing and product development. He left Sterling in 2016 to join MedicareCompareUSA.

Charles Chaput

Charles Chaput

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Charles Chaput has spent the past 25+ years of his career exclusively working in the Medicare insurance arena. As a healthcare consultant and project manager with Olympic Health Management Systems, Charles worked closely with leading healthcare systems throughout the country toward the development, implementation and distribution of provider-owned Medicare insurance plans. By assisting healthcare providers in this capacity, Charles acquired a diverse background in the areas of Medicare insurance plan design, health system integration, and Medicare patient communication strategy.

In 2003 Charles co-founded VibrantUSA, a Medicare-specialty agency that serves over 15,000 Medicare beneficiaries by providing access to an extensive list of Medicare insurance plans. In 2007 Charles then co-founded Primary Care Insurance Services, an organization offering Medicare consulting services for primary care and multi-specialty practices throughout the state of Washington.

At MedicareCompareUSA, Charles is focused on ensuring that we assist Medicare patients by providing clear and compliant information regarding all aspects of Medicare insurance.

Paul Kapke

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER

Paul has been in the insurance industry for 7+ years and has written business in life, annuity, indemnity, and Medicare. Aside from his own personal production, he has also recruited and trained agents to successfully incorporate annuities into their business. This experience has helped him in working with not only some of MedicareCompareUSA’s bigger producers, but in working with the producers of tomorrow that are just getting into the Medicare space.

Coming from the retail management world for over 10 years before insurance, Paul used his data-driven and collaborative management style to operate the stores in his charge and never oversaw a year over year decrease. As National Sales Manager, this is the same goal he has for himself and the agents under the MedicareCompareUSA umbrella.

Tanner Ward

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER

As National Sales Manager at MedicareCompareUSA, Tanner brings over 9 years of dynamic sales expertise to the table, skilled both outside and inside sales arenas. With a proven track record of promoting growth and expansion of small businesses, Tanner excels in client relationship management, recruiting, and strategic sales initiatives.

His journey in sales has been marked by milestones of success, including the instrumental role he played in developing and implementing an inside sales program for a franchise network, which catalyzed unprecedented growth from 5 locations to 45 locations in just three years. This achievement underscores his knack for identifying opportunities and executing strategies that drive substantial business expansion.

While relatively new to the insurance industry, his proficiency in cultivating small businesses remains unwavering. Leveraging his extensive experience and skills, he is dedicated to steering MedicareCompareUSA and our agents towards new heights of success, forging lasting relationships, and driving impactful growth initiatives.

Taryn Mott

DIRECTOR, PROVIDER REFERRAL OPERATIONS AND TRAINING

In her role as Director of Provider Referral Operations and Training, Taryn Mott is responsible for supporting agents in our provider channel, managing our Ambassador Agent (AA) and Market Producer (MP) training program, as well as supporting corporate training initiatives.

Taryn is highly experienced with providers, field agents, and carrier operations. Her role provides continued support to an impressive number of healthcare system clients, and will fast track focused markets expansions with providers, enhance agent training, and give support for all agents in the field as our industry evolves. Her credibility as a seasoned licensed insurance agent, provider liaison, and trainer of hundreds of captive and independent agents over the last twelve years will help motivated agents market themselves, maximize product offerings, and increase their bottom line.

Taryn oversaw Project Management within an Oklahoma and Texas based carrier sales model, as well as implemented and managed their internal and external community events and grassroots marketing campaigns. Taryn’s years of carrier experience and her complete understanding of the sales process including commission payout and reconciliation, client retention, and member/claim issues make her a perfect fit for supporting agents and our growing needs!