Our Team
Michael Rankin
Financial Advisor
Mike Rankin is the founder and Principal of Relational Advisors, an employee benefit services firm specializing in employee benefits, retirement planning and Human Resources services. Relational Advisors has a special emphasis in providing these services to entrepreneurial service firms with 25-500 employees.
Prior to Relational Advisors, Mike was a Principal with e3 Financial, an employee benefits firm he helped manage and grow, ultimately selling to Arthur J. Gallagher. Arthur J Gallagher is the 4th largest broker in the world, and a member of the S&P 500. Mike spent five years with Arthur J Gallagher as an Area Senior Vice President in the Orange County office. In addition to his CA Life License, Mike is a Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF).
A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Mike lives in Newport Beach with his wife, Shelly, and their three children.
Vannessa Ruiz
Vannessa Ruiz is an Account Executive with Relational Advisors, bringing over 23 years of experience in the employee benefit industry. From the mailroom to the boardroom, Vannessa has worked in various areas of concentration for both advisors and insurance carriers alike. Vannessa possesses the capacity to manage large service teams as well as provide one-on-one client consulting. She most enjoys serving others by helping employers see the human in their human capital.
As an empty nester, she enjoys traveling with her husband Joe and visiting their three adult children across the country. Vannessa also volunteers at her local church in the Children’s Ministry and looks forward to one day welcoming her own grandchildren.
Amelia Trujillo
Amelia Trujillo is a Relationship Manager with Relational Advisors, with experience on the employer side of human resources. Amelia previously held the roles of HR Operations Coordinator and Associate HRIS Analyst, where she was given the opportunity to serve internal clients. She enjoys coming up with creative solutions to everyday problems.
Amelia, born and raised in Orange County, is a graduate of UC Irvine and loves to travel in her free time.
Sam Launder
Financial Advisor
Sam Launder is a Retirement Plan Analyst with Relational Advisors. Prior to joining Relational Advisors, Sam worked for a financial planning firm in San Luis Obispo. Sam is an entrepreneurial spirit who enjoys collaborating with others in this ever-changing financial landscape. While finance is his area of knowledge, Sam has a passion and focus on relationship building and sees this as a driving force in current and future success.
Sam is a graduate of Cal Poly, with a degree in finance. He is a dual citizen of the U.S. and New Zealand, and travels there often to see family.
Leti Tacata-Downhower
Leti Tacata-Downhower is a Benefit Analyst with Relational Advisors. She has more than 20 years of HR and Benefits experience coming from her work with a large national homebuilder. In her 15 years there, Leti specialized in payroll and benefits administration. She joined the employee benefit advisory team in 2016, and has enjoyed supporting clients from this side ever since.
Leti grew up in the San Fernando Valley and moved to Orange County in 2015. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband, niece and nephews.
Norma Ruiz
Norma Ruiz is a Benefit Analyst with Relational Advisors and has been in the insurance industry for over 15 years. She comes to us with a background in large group employee benefits management on the employer side and understands the needs of our clients. Norma believes that high quality customer service is one of the keys to satisfied and loyal clients. She is always prepared to provide help wherever it is needed.
Norma was born and raised in Orange County and is fluent in Spanish. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Jose, and their three children.
Bryce McLain
Bryce McLain is a Benefits Advisor with Relational Advisors. He works closely with our partnerships to ensure that each client’s specific needs are met. He assists with enhancing their benefits portfolio, improving internal administrative efficiencies, deploying employee communications, and assisting in renewal negotiations. By overseeing the entire renewal process he is able to bridge the gap between insurance carriers, third party administrators, and our clients to ensure that their plans are administered with high efficiency and accuracy.
A graduate of Pepperdine University, Bryce lives in Costa Mesa and enjoys camping and going to the beach with his wife, Avalon.
Henry Levis
Henry Levis is a Benefits Advisor with Relational Advisors. Prior to joining Relational Advisors, Henry worked for a wealth management firm in Newport Beach where he was in a client-facing role. Henry enjoys being a trusted advisor and connecting with businesses to find the best strategy for their employee benefits, retirement plans, payroll, and human resources support.
Henry is a proud graduate of Washington State University (Go Cougs) and in his free time, he enjoys cooking and spending time with family.
Raquel Hoenie
Raquel Hoenie is a Benefit Analyst with Relational Advisors. She has more than 18 years of experience in the insurance industry. She worked with two brokers prior to coming to Relational Advisors, where she primarily focused on implementation, enrollment and billing audits, online enrollment, translations, and claims resolution. She was the day-to-day contact for all plan administration issues. One of her strengths is her fluency in both spoken and written Spanish, a skill that enables effective communication and support within diverse communities.
Raquel is from Zacatecas, Mexico where she obtained a degree in Industrial Engineering. She also acquired a Certificate of Human Resources Management from the University of California.
Raquel lives in Mission Viejo with her husband Jay. Though her son Christian and daughter Tayla have ventured into their own paths, she remains deeply connected with them. Outside of work, she thrives on outdoor adventures like camping, traveling, and hiking.
Dani L’Heureux
Dani L’Heureux is the Director of Operations at Relational Advisors. With a strong background in marketing and operations from her five years at a law firm, she excels in optimizing processes and enhancing efficiency on an individual and firmwide level. She loves any opportunity to make someone’s day easier.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish), Dani lives in Fullerton and enjoys hiking, crocheting, attempting the daily NYT crossword, and playing guitar and singing in her free time.
Community
At Relational Advisors, we believe that life and work are one. In work, as in life, it is important to support our community in ways we believe to be important. We thought it important to share some of the causes that are important to us.
OC Food Bank
Our aim is to make a positive impact in people’s lives by helping them meet basic needs and strengthen their support system. The OC Food Bank works with nearly 400 local charities, soup kitchens, and community organizations to end hunger and malnutrition. The OC Food Bank provides donated food, USDA commodities, and purchased food to non-profit agencies in Orange County that serve low-income families and individuals. Annually, the OC Food Bank is able to distribute more than 20 million pounds of food.
Canstruction Orange County
IT STARTS WITH ONE CAN®.
TO FEED THE HUNGRY.
TO LIFT THE SPIRIT.
TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
Canstruction® is using one can of food as a catalyst for change.
One Can to represent the building blocks of massive sculptures.
One Can to prove that every act of kindness makes a difference.
Canstruction® Orange County Combines the fun of a design-build competition with an ingenious way to help feed hungry people. Local prominent architectural, engineering, planning, and design firms, and students mentored by these professionals, create phenomenal structures built entirely out of canned food.
A21
Our mission is to end slavery. We are a nonprofit organization fueled by radical hope that human beings everywhere will be rescued from bondage and completely restored. We are the abolitionists of the 21st century. We work with you to free slaves and disrupt the demand.
Human trafficking is destroying lives, but freedom will have the final word.