Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson of New York Life

New York Life has received perfect scores of 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Equality Index, evidencing this life insurance company’s strong policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The company even has an LGBT section prominently featured at its website for the San Francisco office. Here, top agents Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson share more about New York Life—the largest mutual life insurance company and the third largest life insurance company in the U.S.—and their future work plans.

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GGBA: Please help us understand what your team at New York Life does.

Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson: Our team focuses on advanced business planning and financial strategy for business owners. We are part of New York Life’s top team. To make a complicated answer a bit simpler, we focus on supporting business owners in the areas they might not want to handle. Our hope is to make running a business a little less stressful, a little more lucrative, and a lot more passionate!

GGBA: We heard that you are looking to branch out?

Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson: We are in the works of creating our own firm, which would partner with New York Life. However, until then, we are still a part of New York Life. The reason we have worked so hard to create our own team and to have us perform at the highest level is to prove that we can both be successful advisors and support the communities and businesses we came from. We’ve seen lots of smaller businesses be overlooked in the upper world of finance and that didn’t sit right with us. We hope to set an example in the finance industry that not only can we help communities and business owners who need it most, but we can also be top performers while we do it. 

GGBA: Who are some of your role models, and especially those who helped to influence your work?

Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson: Our families have heavily influenced our practice and the way we run our team. Both of us have families who own businesses. Seeing the rise of a small business to more established businesses within our own families, we saw how difficult the job is. It really gave us a lot of perspective on the struggles our clients face and the passion behind it all.

GGBA: Why did you decide to join the GGBA, and how long have you been a member?

Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson: We decided to join the GGBA because the LGBTQ+ community is a big part of what brought us to San Francisco. We are both transplants to The City and wanted to find ways to involve our personal and professional communities. The GGBA is exactly that! We have been members for almost a year!

GGBA: How has being a member of GGBA helped your networking so far?

Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson: The GGBA has given us great opportunities to connect with the community in a much quicker and more targeted way. It has given us a safe space to meet likeminded people who aren’t just focused on the bottom line. We have both been able to take major steps towards our goals as a team while also learning and growing with the GGBA and its members.

GGBA: Do you go to the GGBA monthly Make Contact networking events? Have they benefited you and your work, and would you recommend them to others?

Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson: We do attend these meetings. It has been very helpful and, honestly, a breath of fresh air. They are wonderful ways to connect with the community in a much less tense and stressful setting. We’d love to see more people there and to see new faces!

GGBA: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business?

Kristabelle Kmeid and Christopher Rion Alverson: Starting a business is hard. Taxes, finance, legal, business structure, retirement, compliance, oh my! There is so much business work to running a business. But we don’t think most business owners open their business to handle the “business work.” The passion, the impact, the legacy, the community … that’s what we feel is the core of a business. All the other responsibilities are often what weighs in on business owners. It’s not necessary to take on those responsibilities purely on your own as a business owner. Our team, the GGBA, and the members of the GGBA are all here to help keep business owners focused on the important things!

https://www.newyorklife.com/

GGBA Member Spotlight
Published on July 31, 2025