Category: Talent
Photo by Richard Hurd
WPS selects Wendy Perkins as its next President and CEO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com
WPS selects Wendy Perkins as its next President and CEO
She will be the first female to lead in 76 years
MADISON, Wis.—March 15, 2023—Following a nationwide search, WPS Health Solutions has hired Wendy Perkins, its current Chief Management Officer, as its next President and CEO. Current President and CEO Mike Hamerlik announced his impending retirement last year after more than 10 years of service.
Perkins joined WPS in 2016 and has held varied positions of increasing responsibility, preparing her to seamlessly transition to her new role as President and CEO. She has extensive experience in driving strategic growth and in leading high-performing teams to achieve key results. Her experience at WPS and with other major industry players makes her an expert at understanding how to successfully compete and perform in the health care and government sectors. Perkins is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She also completed the Strategic Leadership Program at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Prior to WPS she held leadership positions at Anthem and at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wisconsin.
“The search and evaluation process over the past few months was extensive; we had many highly qualified and impressive candidates from across the nation,” Kristine Euclide, Chair of the WPS Board of Directors, said. “Wendy stood out as the right choice to lead WPS and move the company forward at this time.”
“I’m honored to be selected as President and CEO and value the trust the WPS Board and Transition Committee has placed in me,” Perkins said. “WPS is in a growth phase with rich opportunities on the horizon. WPS employees are driven to succeed, so I have no doubt we will achieve great things together.”
Perkins will take the reins on April 1, 2023. She will be the company’s fifth President and CEO since the company incorporated in 1977 and the first female to lead the company in its 76-year history.
Hamerlik said, “During my time at WPS, we’ve accomplished many things, from modernizing our systems and forging new partnerships to changing how we work and finding new ways to make health care easier for the people we serve. I know Wendy will continue to lead and support our employees as the company enters its next growth phase. Our customers, beneficiaries, business partners, and communities are in trusted hands.”
About WPS Health Solutions®
Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 2,600 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.
###
Photo by Richard Hurd
Tracy Brooks Joins Capitol Bank as Director of Marketing
Madison, WI (February 2023): Justin Hart, President of Capitol Bank, is pleased to announce that
Tracy Brooks has joined Capitol Bank as the Director of Marketing.
Photo by Richard Hurd
New Board Chair elected for WPS Health Solutions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com
New Board Chair elected for WPS Health Solutions
Steve Skoronski to succeed Kristine Euclide
MADISON, Wis.—Feb. 28, 2023—At its February meeting, the WPS Board of Directors voted to approve Steve Skoronski as the new WPS Board Chair for a one-year term that will begin after the WPS Board meeting on April 27.
Skoronski is a retired entrepreneur and health care supply chain consultant in Madison, Wis. He was elected to the WPS Board of Directors in 2012. He was Chief Executive Officer of Associated Medical Products and Medical Systems Corporation, which distributed medical products and rented medical equipment. It also processed Medicare Part B and Medicaid claims for reimbursement.
“This will be a transformative year at WPS,” Skoronski said. “I’m proud to be elected as Board Chair as we work together to usher in a new CEO, refine our strategy, and move the entire leadership team and employees at WPS forward to a successful future.”
Current Board Chair Kristine Euclide has led the Board since 2019 and guided the organization through a historic pandemic, challenging financial times, as well as the selection process to find a new CEO to lead the company following Mike Hamerlik’s planned retirement. She was elected to the WPS Board of Directors in 2007 and became Board Chair in March 2019.
Euclide, a regulatory attorney and veteran business and community leader in Madison, said, “I am honored to have served WPS in the Board Chair role for the past four years. In particular, I enjoyed interacting with and getting to know many dedicated WPS employees more closely. My commitment to WPS will continue, as I plan to remain active on the WPS Board as well as several nonprofit boards in the Madison area.”
To learn more about the WPS Board of Directors, visit: https://www.wpshealthsolutions.com/about/board-of-directors.shtml
About WPS Health Solutions®
Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 2,600 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.
###
Photo by Richard Hurd
The QTI Group: Oakwood Village Seeking Chief Human Resources Officer
Photo by Richard Hurd
Wisconsin Union: Acclaimed Primatologist and Conservationist Jane Goodall Will Reflect on Time in Tanzania and Climate Future at Free Event at Memorial Union
MADISON – Esteemed primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, who was the first scientist to observe the human-like behaviors of chimpanzees, will share her story and hope for the environmental future at a free Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) Committee-hosted talk on March 26 at 7 p.m. in Shannon Hall at Memorial Union.
The event, titled “An Evening with Dr. Jane Goodall: Inspiring Hope Through Action,” will include a 90-minute speech and Q&A with Goodall. The event is free, but tickets are required. Current University of Wisconsin–Madison students may register for tickets on March 6 at 10 a.m. Students will require a promo code, which they will receive via email, to acquire their ticket. Any remaining tickets will become available to the general public on March 8 at 10 a.m., with a limit of two tickets per person. Starting March 8 at 10 a.m., all are welcome to register for the virtual livestream. Ticket registration for the in-person event and the livestream is available here.
Goodall was the first primatologist to see the animals fashioning tools and eating meat. Her findings challenged conventional notions about primates and provided evidence for the evolutionary relationship between humans and chimpanzees.
An involved activist since 1986, Goodall is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit organization that preserves wildlife by protecting chimpanzees and restoring damaged habitats, as well as Roots and Shoots, an organization giving young students in more than 60 countries resources to tackle environmental and social issues in their communities.
Goodall is the author of “My Friends, the Wild Chimpanzees,” which describes her behavioral findings on chimpanzees. In 2021, Goodall released her latest book “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” which chronicles her life’s work and her optimism that humankind will come together to protect the environment.
In addition to receiving many prestigious awards – including the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, the Kyoto Prize and the Gandhi-King Award for Nonviolence – Goodall is a Dame of the British Empire and a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
“This planet – it doesn’t have infinite natural resources,” Goodall said in an interview with CBS News. “The key important thing is to give people hope that we can get through because if you don’t have hope, why bother?”
The WUD DLS Committee brings engaging and influential people to the UW–Madison campus to encourage thought-provoking conversations. WUD includes 11 committees and six Wisconsin Hoofers clubs that program thousands of events each year.
This event is made possible, in part, with support from the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies, the UW–Madison College of Letters & Science, the UW–Madison Office of Sustainability, the UW–Madison Environmental Awareness Fund, UW–Madison Division of Facilities Planning & Management; Carleton Holstrom, Mary Beth Kineke and the Holstrom Kineke Environmental Studies Fund.
Patrons can learn more about the upcoming free talk featuring Goodall here.
-###-
About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee
The Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee contributes to the educational experience of University of Wisconsin–Madison students, Wisconsin Union members and community members by bringing engaging and influential people to campus. Founded in 1987, the series aims to expose the campus community to a diverse and vibrant array of people, backgrounds, and ideas. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/dls.