JOHN DUNN
Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
A huge corporate asset and contributor at BCBSM and a great friend and mentor.
Terry and I worked closely at BCBSM for nearly 10 years collaborating on many critical business strategies and analysis during this time, where Terry ran one of the most successful individual business markets in the country.
Terry is an excellent executive leader with a wealth of healthcare knowledge, especially in, but not limited to retail business. He is one of the most well rounded leaders I know, with strong financial acumen, great marketing and strategic skills and someone who practices and preaches the importance of a strong employee culture on a daily basis.
Terry was also a great mentor to many younger executives and directors at BCBSM, freely giving his time to support their career growth.
Above all, Terry was a great leader, not afraid to constructively challenge conventional business thinking for the greater good of the organization.
AARON FRIEDKIN, MD, MS
Board Certified Physician
Vice President of Market Solutions
Health Plan Business
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
It was a true honor to work with Aaron. What a talent.
I had the pleasure of working with Terry for two years at BCBSM. During that time, Terry not only demonstrated an impressive mastery of the retail health insurance business, but was also a change agent and culture champion.
I learned a tremendous amount from watching the way Terry and his team were able to get things done, and I always valued his strategic mindset and unique perspective on business and life.
There are many lessons from my time working with Terry that I’m certain will benefit me throughout my career.
MATTHEW JIENCKE
Enterprise Sales,
Blue Cross Blue Shield Market at Salesforce
Terry is the type of leader who you get to know best by working closely with the team that he leads. The culture he creates is one of trust where people are encouraged to fail fast, learn and move forward. Even as a vendor, I’ve grown to look up to Terry and view him as a mentor. In our many “chevrons off” conversations, he has taught me his philosophies on 360 degree leadership, eliminating bureaucratic waste, and life in general. Terry is not afraid to be a disruptor which is what makes him such a strong change agent and leader. One day when I look back at my career, Terry will certainly be one of the few executives that made a lasting impression on me.
Kirk Roy
Vice President of Underwriting and Trend
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Kirk and Terry worked closely together as the leaders of the Office of National Health Reform and the Individual Business Unit, respectively, to ensure the business built capabilities to serve the Michigan Individual market. Kirk and Terry were also co-authors and co-facilitators for four years of Mentoring Circles, contributing to the ongoing success of over 240 rising managers and directors.
Terry combines a unique blend of relentlessly authentic leadership with intuitive, action-oriented business savvy. It is a treat to watch him work and has been a pleasure to learn a million subtle and wise lessons from him.
Business leadership masterclass…instructor: Terry Burke.
Tom Pellathy
Executive Vice President,
Product and Healthcare Services,
Highmark Health
Tom led multiple consulting engagements across several years for Terry’s business segment while a Partner at McKinsey & Company.
Terry is an innovative retail healthcare leader, with strong expertise in retail distribution, product design, and P&L management. He is willing to drive change and create new solutions that deliver value to consumers. He has built great teams and has delivered great business results. He does not shy away from challenges, but brings drive, energy, and passion to delivering results.
Loretta Lenko
Director of Operations, Individual Business
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Loretta was a direct report to Terry at BCBSM and she rocks.
I have had the pleasure to work for Terry in various capacities for about 10 years. He is one of those rare leaders who has the ability to set a clear vision, identify and nurture the right talent, build a supportive culture, while at the same time, achieving incredible results. His ability to see what was best for the business far into the future allows him to build a clear innovative roadmap and identify roadblocks along the way. Terry thrives on results. Terry is passionate about his business. Terry has a need for speed. This combination translates into a leader that gets stuff done with a team that works with purpose and direction. I recommend Terry for any business that needs to quickly see results, he will get the job done.
Maryann Komes
Realtor Broker at Pilmer Real Estate, Inc.
Maryann reported to Terry at UniCare.
I had the honor to report to Terry Burke. He is a mentor, coach, and servant leader. He educates, encourages, and guides his teams to optimum performance and goal achievement.
Terry came in as the director of our inside sales team which had started a couple of years prior. It was a new concept at the time and we had minimal direction, learning our jobs baptism-by-fire style. When Terry joined us, and with his guidance, he developed our team, pushed us past our comfort zones, creating a high performance group, rivaling and surpassing our in-the-field counterparts.
Terry is acutely knowledgeable about the industry, but more importantly, he knows how teams tick and how to attain greatness from them.
My time with Terry Burke, as my director and mentor, changed the way I view how sales could be done, how teams should function and how leaders need to lead. If you need to bring out the best in a team and Get Stuff Done, you need Terry Burke.
Adam Dee
Director of Underwriting
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Adam worked with Terry extensively.
I had the pleasure of working alongside Terry Burke for several years during his time at BCBSM leading our Individual Business Unit. Terry is a truly inspirational leader (and humble mentor) who not only brings his own A-game to everything he does, but also brings out the A-game in others around him… Which I have both experienced and been witness to firsthand. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who combines strong business acumen, out-of-the-box strategic thinking, relentless work ethic, executive presence, and creative flair in the way that Terry can.
Michelle Fanroy
Founder & Senior Vice President
Mentoring Services
Access One Consulting, LLC
Michelle worked with Terry across four years mentoring over 250 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan managers and directors.
In my business, I work with leaders around the world in every function and industry in pursuit of strategic corporate mentoring for the key talent populations. Very rarely do you run across a leader who “walks their talk”. Terry Burke is that leader. Terry leads with authenticity, honesty, experience, compassion and from a finely honed values-based perspective. Over the past few years, he embraced the notion of corporate mentoring by participating as a mentor and subsequently became one of our most exciting and sought after mentors in the program within Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He shares his perspective in an honest and forthright manner while remaining sensitive to the issues that emerging leaders are facing. He brought not only his understanding of the company’s culture but also his experience in other blue chip organizations for the benefit of those new leaders. I cannot say enough positive comments about the leadership style of this individual. I would imagine that in every company where he has left his mark, he leaves a void. There just aren’t many leaders where their presence looms so large yet they are so approachable and accessible. I wholeheartedly support and recommend Terry Burke for any and all leadership opportunities.
Trish Morton, MBA, CLTC
Regional Sales Director
Brokerage at OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc.
Trish worked directly for Terry at both GE Financial Assurance and Genworth Financial in the Long Term Care Career Agency Division.
Terry Burke is a uniquely gifted leader that I had the good fortune to report to and learn from while at Genworth Financial.
Terry elevates those around him, inspiring them to achieve exceptional goals and accomplishments. His leadership style is creative, motivational, entrepreneurial and mentor driven. Terry focuses on your talents, helps you hone those talents, and before you know it, you’ve accomplished more than you ever thought possible.
During Terry’s tenure as Director of the Indiana region for Genworth Financial, he earned national recognition by developing his agency to one of the highest producing in the country. I was a member of that agency and team. Speaking personally, we all had so much respect and admiration for Terry, we wanted to do our part to achieve as best we could not only for ourselves, but for him.
I have tremendous respect for Terry as a leader, mentor and friend. He lives his life with the highest of standards and refreshing integrity. Terry leads by example. No matter how big or small the endeavor or project is, he always gives it his best as evidenced by his successful career and stellar accomplishments.
Dareen Zaiat
Sales & Marketing strategy professional focused on leadership, relationship building and client success.
Dareen worked in Terry’s business segment but was not a direct report to Terry.
Terry is a rare kind of leader in that he leads by uplifting those around him. Nothing exemplifies this more than his diligent commitment to his team and his dedication to the business. His role within the Individual Business Department was truly transformative. His focus on team communication and innovation led to a spike in overall team performance. Under his leadership, our team became the pioneering example for the enterprise to emulate.
In the four years that I spent in Terry’s mentorship, he contributed to both my personal and professional development by founding a book club that sought to offer an array of perspectives in approaching business matters. The work environment under Terry’s tutelage was truly empowering as it allowed creativity to flourish and character growth to occur. I am grateful for my time spent on his team and I have no doubt that I will continually apply what he has taught me in my future endeavors.
Frank Maslowski
Program Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Frank was a direct report to Terry and his most trusted advisor.
Terry’s leadership style embodies the drive to effectively build a successful culture for his teams with strategic leadership to drive top business results. Terry’s utilizes important business tenants combined with strategic decision making to move ahead of the competition. His vast business experience allows him to use competitive intelligence combined with innovative thinking to remain in a virtual sweet spot with the competition. Terry has developed a unique business leadership style combining traditional leadership traits learned and developed through his experiences with current thinking for today’s business world. I have personally grown exponentially due to my experiences and time with Terry as my leader. Terry is simply a “best in class” leader for any business driven to be successful and sustainable.
Sondra Pedigo
Marketplace Regulatory Operations & Data Governance
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM)
Sondra was a peer and close collaborator at BCBSM;
Sondra remains a friend, advisor and ray of sunshine for Terry.
Terry is a skilled business strategist, business development leader, and market segment owner that I have had the good fortune to work with and learn from. Terry brings qualities and abilities of a driven invested leader who understands intelligent risk taking, entrepreneurial spirit, consumer centric programming, and investment in developing others. Terry is a seasoned executive with rich experience in strategic thinking, marketing, and execution approaches. Terry and his team have been able to achieve results that had historically not been possible in his area of the business. Terry is able to push teams out of comfort zones and into thinking differently in order to reach business goals while ensuring the team understands the foundational “why” of the goal.
Yvonne McLeod
Operations Manager, Individual Business Unit
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Yvonne worked in Terry’s business segment and she has tremendous project management and organizational skills.
In my career I have been lucky to work with a few truly inspiring leaders. Terry Burke is one of those leaders for me. Over 25 years and across varied industries, I have never met an executive more committed to organizational health while continuously striving for and achieving performance excellence in a P&L. He consistently proved to possess a keen ability to lay out strategic actions and follow all items assuring results above and beyond the original goals. It is extremely important for every employee to feel a clear message from their executive leadership and Terry is unparalleled when it comes to putting together data to tell a story that allows every employee, at every level, to understand the strategy as well as the results. His vision and workplace courage are unrivaled.
Thom Monahan
Executive & Leadership Coach
The Life Purpose Center of Montgomery
Thom worked with Terry at Shelby & Shane Marketing Communications as well as developing a Sports Marketing Division from scratch.
Everyday Terry would ask Thom, “how’s it going?”
Everyday Thom would reply, “best day of my life.” And, he means it.
There are some recommendations that you can’t wait to submit because there is an abundance of positive things that you can reference about your subject. This is one of those recommendations and Terry Burke is one of those subjects. I had the great fortune to witness Terry’s genius at work and the good sense to learn from his brilliance. Terry possesses exceptional management skills and the leadership quality that bonds people together. I have seen first hand Terry’s creative quality that reaches outside of traditional applications, his intuitive gift that minimizes risk and a limitless joy for the endeavors that he accepts. I have worked side by side with Terry in order to meet deadlines only to discover that the sun never sets on his professional commitment. On so many projects that we attacked together, I can remember most the creativity, laughter and sense of pride in a job well done. I miss working with Terry Burke… I envy those that work along side him today.