Highmark Health announces Karen Hanlon as Chief Financial Officer, Nanette DeTurk assumes executive responsibilities for strategy and transformation

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Jun 17, 2014, 12:00 ET

PITTSBURGH, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Highmark Health today announced that two of its senior executives will assume new roles as part of the company's growth strategy and mission to deliver comprehensive, affordable, high quality health care services to its customers and the communities it serves.

Karen Hanlon, who joined the company in 1997 and has served as the company's Senior Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis since 2009, has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Hanlon will oversee the Highmark Health Finance organization, working closely with her peers at Highmark Inc. and Allegheny Health Network to advance the enterprise-wide strategy. Ms. Hanlon began her career in public accounting at KPMG Peat Marwick and since joining Highmark, she has held several positions within the finance division. Ms. Hanlon has been a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants for over 15 years and sits on the boards of Leadership Pittsburgh and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest PA, where she also serves as treasurer. Ms. Hanlon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Grove City College and is a Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania.

Nanette DeTurk, a member of Highmark Health's leadership team since joining the company in 1993, will oversee the company's Strategy, Transformation, Human Resources, Corporate Development and Treasury functions as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative & Strategy Officer and Treasurer. In this capacity, Ms. DeTurk will collaborate with business leaders to develop and implement strategy and new transformational processes that lead to greater value and customer focus across all business groups. Ms. DeTurk holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from The Ohio State University, a MBA degree in finance from The Pennsylvania State University and is a licensed CPA in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Ms. DeTurk is also active in the community, having served as president of the Western Pennsylvania chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and as a member of the international board of directors for JDRF.

"These leadership changes represent initial, critical steps in implementing and accelerating Highmark Health's transformation into a nationally recognized integrated health care delivery system," commented David Holmberg, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Karen has consistently displayed exceptional professionalism and financial acumen over the past several years and I am confident she will continue to do so in her new capacity. Nan has been an invaluable steward of our strengthening financial performance and I am excited that she will be applying her enthusiasm and expertise to our transformation initiatives. It is always gratifying to see our leaders advance; I congratulate Karen and Nan and look forward to working closely with both to implement our customer-focused transformation and position Highmark Health for long-term success."

"I am honored and excited by this opportunity to serve Highmark Health and our customers and look forward to working closely with the leadership team to successfully navigate a dynamic and evolving health marketplace," stated Karen Hanlon.

These changes are effective immediately and both executives will report directly to Mr. Holmberg.

Highmark Health is comprised of Highmark Inc., which includes the Highmark Health Plan and Diversified Businesses, as well as the Allegheny Health Network. Highmark Health Plan is the ninth largest health insurance company in the U.S. with 5.2 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware. The Diversified Businesses unit is made up of HVHC Inc., including more than 620 Visionworks specialty optical retail stores as well as Davis Vision, the third largest U.S. managed vision care provider. It also includes United Concordia, the sixth largest dental insurance carrier in the U.S., and HM Insurance Group, a leading stop loss insurance provider. The Allegheny Health Network, formed in 2013, is a unified health care system comprised of eight hospitals with more than 1,000 employed physicians.

About Highmark Health
Highmark Health is a diversified health and wellness enterprise based in Pittsburgh that employs 38,000 people and serves 35 million individuals, making it the third largest integrated health care delivery and financing network in the nation. A Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation, Highmark Health is the parent company of Highmark Inc., which, directly or through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides health insurance, dental insurance, vision care and other related health products and services to customers. Highmark Health is also the parent company for an integrated health care delivery network that includes seven hospitals, physician organizations, a group purchasing organization and ambulatory surgery centers. To learn more please visit www.highmarkhealth.org.

SOURCE Highmark Health