Share ThisSharon served her country for 20 years in the United States military. Now, she’s proud to work on behalf of service members and their families as part of United Concordia’s efforts with the TRICARE Dental Program.
My name is Sharon. I am the director of government affairs, marketing and outreach and I've been at United Concordia Dental for a little over ten years.
Before United Concordia, I spent 20 years in the United States Military. What attracted me to United Concordia was really the department of defense — the DOD — work and the contracts we have.
Although we are an international company, it's still a small town feel. So you come and you work at this company and it's a family feel. That is pretty similar to the Military where you develop relationships quickly in the military, and it's the same here at United Concordia so it was not only the job itself but also the reputation of the company and people that I get to work with.
I would tell you to choose United Concordia simply because of the population that we serve, the level of connection that we have with the military, being able to give back to that population and the feeling of pride and patriotism that our little department has is second to none.
One of the adages that I've taken from the military is if you take care of your members then they will take care of the mission. That's true. If you take care of our staff, we take care of our members, they will take care of everything else.
We are the heartbeat of health care.
Michael, a 26-year veteran, has held multiple roles between two branches of the military. Now, he’s using his leadership experience to drive HR strategy and manage employee relations, and support Highmark Health’s V.E.T.S Business Resource Group.
My name is Michael. I am a human resources business partner at Gateway Health. I have been with the company a little over six months now.
I am in the Air Force Command currently. My role there is a first Sargent. My passion for the Military stems back to my need for involvement into a greater good.
I enlisted in 1990 in the Army in support of Operation Desert Shield'Desert Storm after serving four years on active duty, I transitioned to the Army National Guard. I picked up flying. Got a commercial pilot's license and transitioned over to the Air Force reserve and then I was asked to move into a command staff role as a first Sargent.
Currently at Gateway, I'm a human resources business partner. What I like most about that is there's a lot of things I do that are closely tied to my duty as first Sargent. My coin and my motto on the Military side is "people are my business" and that carries through to my role here at Gateway.
When I look back on the number of years of service I had and the leadership experience I bring with me from the Military side and over to Gateway Health, I can't help but think of all of the people who have gotten me to where I am today.
Leadership is one of those things where there is different layers of leadership in the Military which kind of translates over into the corporate sector as well.
One of the benefits of being a veteran here within the Highmark enterprise, is the number of business resource groups, specifically the veterans Business Resource Group which I am a member of. There's community events that you get involved in and have the opportunity to get involved in.
My advice to any veteran looking to pursue a career within the Highmark enterprise, is to bring your leadership experience forward. We all have the leadership experience and that's what we are looking for and that's what I would like to see more of.
We are the heartbeat of health care.
From her service as a military police officer in the Army Reserve to her work as a behavioral health specialist, Brandy is driven to help others. She is thankful that Highmark supports her continued service with military leave and an inclusive, understanding culture.
My name is Brandy. I am a behavioral health specialist with Highmark, and I joined our team in 2016.
I commissioned with the United States Army Reserve in 2012 as Military Police office and, I currently work in our operations shop.
Highmark is incredibly supportive. They provide Military leave which no other agency I've worked for has ever done that. They advocate and they include and broadcast and they make it known that they are supportive. I am just so grateful and kind of pleasantly overwhelmed with the amount of support that I have received from Highmark.
I have been a therapist for about seven years. My department is clinical services. My individualized part of a multidisciplinary team is behavioral health. The great thing about my experience with the Military and Highmark is that in both situations, I am able to help other people and really use my personality and my skills to connect with people on a personal basis.
We are the heartbeat of health care.
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