About Us

Mark Kelsey, CEO of Kelsey National Corporation, has over three decades experience in brokerage and association marketing for America's top insurance carriers for medical, dental + vision, disability, and life insurance coverage. Mark was the Founder of HealthInsurance.com and DentalInsurance.com. He holds a B.A. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley - which bestowed on Mark the Order of the Golden Bear, one of U.C. Berkeley's highest accolades - and an MBA from Harvard University. He is also an active member of the Young President's Organization (YPO) Gold. Mr. Kelsey has also held various officer positions, including President, and board membership with PIMA, the Professional Insurance Marketing Association, the leading association for the $60 billion affinity marketplace.

On a personal note, Mark is an LA Opera season ticket holder, an avid yoga practitioner and a hiker. He has his yoga teaching certificate from Sacred Movement and has trekked both the Milford and Routeburn Tracks in New Zealand.

The President of Kelsey National Organization since 2014, Avery Smith has many years of experience in business development with the leading commercial health insurance companies of the United States. He has been with Kelsey National since 2004 in a variety of roles.

Through his decades of industry experience and leadership, Avery has helped Kelsey National become one of the leading insurance brokers in the nation while providing an environment for employees to grow and become successful.

A proud alum of the University of California, Irvine, and a member of Young Presidents Association, Avery has a proven track record of building new partnerships. In addition, he has devoted many hours to volunteer work, such as helping New Orleans rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Nayri Horvat is the Chief Operating Officer and former Director of Operations for Kelsey National Corporation. With close to 20 years of experience managing third party administrators (TPAs) across the country, Nayri directs the financial and key operational aspects of the company’s business, including technology development, project management, and website operations.

In 2003, as Project Manager for www.DentalInsurance.com, Nayri worked diligently with partners, insurance carriers, and vendors to grow it into one of the leading sites for individuals and families to purchase dental coverage. She also played a lead role in building the infrastructure behind  HealthInsurance.com and, more recently, RetireeDentalExchange.com.

Nayri has been with KNC since 2002 and has served as COO since April of 2015. During her tenure at KNC, she and her team have successfully implemented projects for several Fortune 500 partners. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from University of California, Los Angeles.

Brian Buhler consulted for Kelsey National Corporation beginning in 1998 and joined Kelsey National as Controller in 1999. After earning his BA in Economics at California State University, Long Beach, in 1986, Brian began his career as an accountant at the insurance brokerage firm of Bayly Martin & Fay.

Later, Brian earned an MBA at Pepperdine University in 1997, became an insurance broker, and was placed in charge of small and medium size accounts managing in excess of $2 million in premium. He joined KNC following seven years at PWS Investments, where he worked as a business broker and, eventually, Assistant Controller.

Shawn Patrick has over twenty years experience in design, marketing, website development and product management. He oversaw the development and deployment of HealthInsurance.com and DentalInsurance.com, working with multiple carriers and programming teams to create intuitive customer portals for a myriad of insurance related products.

Shawn's focus on front-end usability and back-end integration strategies have helped launch fluid websites that meet the ever changing needs of this marketplace both from the customer side and the administrative side.