Ashley Kratzsch
Ashley K. is a licensed health insurance broker and accomplished benefits leader currently serving as Director of Health & Benefits at Seltzer Group Partners. She is known for her client-centered approach to helping businesses and individuals navigate the complexities of healthcare coverage. With expertise spanning group health insurance, voluntary benefits, reimbursement accounts, and ancillary offerings such as life, dental, and vision, Ashley is dedicated to simplifying the insurance process while delivering tailored, cost-effective solutions that meet the unique needs of each client.
Ashley’s career path reflects a unique and purposeful journey between education and the employee benefits industry. She initially pursued her passion for teaching, spending six years in the classroom, including time in special education. When her role was at risk of being eliminated, she transitioned into insurance and benefits, where she built a strong foundation over five years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread changes in employer-sponsored benefits led to her position being impacted, prompting a return to teaching at a time when educators were critically needed. After several more years in education, Ashley recognized her passion for the benefits field and made the decision to return bringing her total industry experience to approximately seven years. Since rejoining the field, she has rapidly advanced at Seltzer Group Partners, progressing from Account Manager to Team Lead and now Director, a testament to her leadership, adaptability, and commitment to growth.
What distinguishes Ashley is her ability to merge her background in education with her work in benefits. She approaches her role as an educator at heart guiding employers and employees through complex healthcare decisions with clarity, transparency, and empathy. She is passionate about empowering clients to make informed choices that protect both their health and financial well-being, and she is often a trusted resource for family, friends, and clients alike when navigating benefit options. Now in a leadership and hiring position, Ashley is equally committed to mentoring others, believing that with the right training and support, individuals from diverse backgrounds can thrive in the industry. Her transition from the classroom has also enabled her to achieve a more sustainable work-life balance, further fueling her dedication to helping others succeed both professionally and personally.
• ACA
• HIPAA
• ERISA
• Special Education and Teaching
• CAA Compliance
• Insurance license in 18 states
• Centenary University - B.A Education-Elementary, Special, and English
• Sussex County Community College - AA Liberal Arts
• National Women's Business Council
• Downtown Bethlehem Association
• Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
• New York Sports Club
• Downtown Bethlehem Association community events and festivals
• Chamber of Commerce ribbon cuttings and business support
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my drive to learn, which comes from my foundation in education. I've always loved learning, and that passion has carried me through my career transitions. My foundational skills from teaching, like organization, presentation, and professionalism, have really helped me in my benefits roles. The benefits world is always changing, so staying on top of trends is important. I also think it's about finding work that's fulfilling and where I feel like I'm helping people. Whether I was teaching children or now educating adults about their benefits, both career paths have been very rewarding because I'm making a difference in people's lives.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
She can’t recall a specific piece of career advice, but she believes the best guidance is to lead everything she does with her core values. Staying true to honesty, integrity, and compassion has consistently guided her decisions and actions.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that anybody can get into the benefits field. It's an easy career to transition to, and you don't need prior experience. As long as you get in with a good company that's going to train you and invest in you, I think anybody could be successful. When I transitioned from teaching into insurance, I started at ADP, which is a huge company that really invests in their people. They start you right in a training program and get you licensed before you even get into their call center and start working your actual position. So my advice is to find a company that will support your growth and development, and you can build a successful career from there.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
This year is a very difficult year in renewals. Healthcare costs are rising, and prescription drug costs are going up. A lot of people ignored their healthcare during COVID, and now some of those issues are coming up, so renewals are coming in at 20% or higher this year, where clients are used to seeing single digits. It's a very strategic market this year, and you just have to be creative. As a broker, you have your group of clients, but every other broker in the area has their group of clients too, and any broker could be knocking on one of your client's doors. You always want to make sure that you know what's going on in the market and that you have good vendor partners and carrier partners that you can lean on, just to continue to retain your business as well as bring in new business. You want to keep your clients happy by presenting them with all their options, because you don't want someone else coming in and giving a different perspective or strategy that you haven't thought of.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I've always tried to find a job that's fulfilling and where I feel like I'm helping people. When I was teaching, I was educating children, and when benefits came up in a discussion with one of my friends, I decided to give it a try and found that it was rewarding because now I was teaching adults and helping them with one of the most important things they need in life, which is their benefits. Both career paths have been very rewarding to me. Work-life balance is also extremely important. Teaching wasn't a work-life balance type of career because I brought a lot of work home with me, working at night and on weekends with lesson plans and grading papers. With the switch and transition into benefits, I'm not bringing work home with me now, and I have a better work-life balance. It's important to be there for your family. Now I go to the gym every other day with my fiance and his two children who are 14 and 12, so it's kind of like a family thing. We go to the local YMCA together. I'm happy to get back into fitness because I think that's really important to prepare yourself as you get older. I also do different things with the kids, like going to local festivals and concerts. I'm involved in my community through the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Bethlehem Association, and the Women's Business Council, where I enjoy meeting new people and supporting local businesses.