Okemos, Michigan—Laura Czelada, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, will retire in December after successfully leading one of the largest dental benefit companies in the United States for six years.
Chief Operating Officer Goran Jurkovic was selected by the board of directors as Czelada’s successor, effective January 1, 2019. Jurkovic has been COO since 2016 and is responsible for business operations, administration and marketing.
“Today, our organization covers more than 8.5 million people and is well-positioned for the future,” Czelada said. “We will continue to build on strong core business, improve oral and overall health, and remain focused on our strategic goals and initiatives.”
During Czelada’s tenure as president and CEO, the organization grew by 2.2 million subscribers—an 83 percent increase. Czelada also strengthened the Delta Dental Foundation, which will spend nearly $4 million in 2018 to improve oral health and enhanced corporate citizenship and employee volunteer efforts.
She served as executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief information officer over her 25-year career at Delta Dental. She has also held posts in the corporate audit, quality assurance and accounting departments.
Jurkovic has a strong record in leadership positions at Delta Dental as well.
In addition to his duties as COO, he served for several years as chief financial officer and was responsible for the financial operations of Delta Dental of Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina and Ohio. He held the position of chief risk officer and was instrumental in the development of a comprehensive enterprise risk management program.
Among his community activities, Jurkovic is a member of the board of directors of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), the mid-Michigan economic development organization representing Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties. He also has been an active fundraiser for the Sparrow Foundation and its Women Working Wonders Committee in Lansing through participation in the Dapper Dads Challenge supporting initiatives to advance women’s health.
###
About Delta Dental of Michigan
Delta Dental of Michigan and its affiliates in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee collectively are among the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2016, the enterprise paid out $3.6 billion for dental care for 12.8 million members. Offices are located in Okemos and Farmington Hills, Michigan; Sherwood and Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dublin, Ohio; and Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, Tennessee.
