About Us

​James Barham

James incorporated Barham Benefit Group on July 1, 1997. He has been a licensed life, health, and accident insurance broker in Illinois since January 1986. James’ experience prior to establishing Barham Benefit Group– including as a Sales/Service Representative at PersonalCare – provides him the insight to understand both the carrier’s as well as the customer perspective. This deep understanding has resulted in excellent relationships with the carriers and a client retention rate of 97%.

 

When he is not serving his clients, biking or sky diving, James has maintained community focus as a priority. Having served as an elected Park District Commissioner, member of numerous boards, fundraiser, contributor and art gallery owner, his commitment to our community is well known. He has been honored to receive United Way’s Spirit of Caring Award, the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois’ Hearts of Gold Award and the Friend of the  Agency award from the Housing Authority of Champaign County. Recently he has been active with the United Way of Champaign County’s Power of the Purse, the Housing Authority of Champaign County’s Youth Build Program, and the World’s Largest Recycled Glass Christmas Tree.

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Rebecca Nix

Rebecca brings her 25 years of experience in benefits, human resources, and compliance to Barham Benefit Group as Benefit and Human Resource Consultant. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Evansville. She also holds the CEBS certification as well as the SHRM-SCP certification.

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Her extensive experience includes welfare benefits, retirement plans, risk management, compliance, consulting, and non-for-profit management. She has experience with interpreting implications of Federal, State and Local laws and regulations related to the Human Resources function including, but not limited to: ERISA, DOL, IRS, EPCRS, FLSA, ADA, HIPAA, and FMLA. Her coaching and consulting skills have benefited organization leadership and worksite employees on issues including performance, terminations, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Her industry experience is broad and includes publicly traded companies, non-for-profits, substance abuse treatment, global manufacturing, consulting, and higher-education.

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While living in the Chicagoland suburbs, Rebecca volunteered as a client and intake consultant with Poised for Success, an organization dedicated to empowering women by providing them with interview and career clothing. She also served as chairperson of the personnel committee of her local United Church of Christ parish for several years where she advised the board of trustees on a range of personnel matters. A dedicated Anglophile, she can be found reading about, or viewing documentaries and vlogs of, English history or culture. She and her husband Frank enjoy hiking, antiquing, and attending various sporting and musical events.

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Jeanne Bohlen

Jeanne is a human resources and benefits specialist with 24 years' experience, whose goal is to serve as an advocate for the insured. A continuous learner, Jeanne has attained multiple certifications throughout her career, including Certified Administrative Professional through the International Association of Administrative Professionals, the Group Benefits Associate from the Wharton School, SHRM Certified Professional certification from Society for Human Resource Management and SHIP counselor certification from the Illinois Department of Aging. She is a licensed broker.

 

Jeanne is a SHIP volunteer at the Community Resource Center at OSF in Urbana where she helps seniors navigate the scope of Medicare options. She is a member of the Central Illinois Human Resource Group (a chapter of SHRM) where she has served on the board for the past 5 years, most recently as chapter president. 

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Bob Dunker

Bob has been working with BBG since inception (1997). He is a dedicated business associate and specializes uniquely in the group ancillary benefits.  He compliments the BBG staff and clients with a depth of experience in ancillary products.

 

Bob is founding partner of BSP Group Benefits Inc., based in Chicago, Illinois and has been involved with group benefits for over 25 years. Bob studied marketing and finance at University of Illinois at Chicago earning a BA in Business Marketing. He is an active lifetime member of National Association of Health Underwriter’s.

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Bob has a long record of successfully guiding local agents and national agents with group benefit solutions for their clients. He is a go-to agent that provides exceptional services for insurance agents and clients. His specific area of expertise includes marketing and recommending a variety of new business products, savvy negotiating on new business premiums and renewals, and after sale service that is unparalleled.

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Thanks to his exceptionally loyal agent clientele, and repeat business, Bob has established a solid foundation in the benefits business, and continues to grow in the ever-changing industry.

 

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