The former leader of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey started a new position atIndependence Blue Cross.
Jill Michal will be vice president of sales services and client experience at the health insurance company after resigning as president and CEO of United Way last year. Michal started the position at IBC on March 10.
“It is an organization that is trying to drive change in a larger ecosystem than just its own organization,” Michal said in an interview Monday. “The work here at Independence matters, but the vision that [President and CEO] Dan Hilferty has for change and innovation in the health care space as a whole was particularly appealing for me.”
In her role, Michal will be responsible for creating and executing the overall sales and marketing systems, processes and operational strategies to help achieve the company’s sales objectives, said spokeswoman Ruth Stoolman.
Making the transition from a leadership role was an eye-opening experience for Michal, since she realized she would not be the organization’s sole problem solver, but would be part of the leadership team.
“Sometimes you don’t get all the info you need, and you can’t have the same level of back and forth [you get] in an environment when you’re back in a peer group,” she said. “I love that push and pull. I love the kind of answers you get to and the decisions you can make.”
Michal said her relationship with the United Way team will most likely continue as part of IBC’s United Way campaign.
During her 13-year tenure, Michal led United Way through the economic recession and spearheaded the merger of United Way’s seven Philadelphia-South Jersey chapters in 2012.
Prior to joining United Way, Michal spent eight years at accounting firm Arthur Andersen in several management positions.
Jim Cawley, former Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania under former Gov. Tom Corbett,became CEO of United Way in January. Former Board member Anthony Conti served as interim president and CEO.
“All my interactions have been extremely positive. … All I can do is judge the interactions I’ve had with him,” Michal said. “He’s an incredibly nice guy who seems genuinely engaged in the mission of United Way.”
Date: March 16, 2015