BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc. has announced that Mark T. Bertolini has joined its Board of Directors. Mr. Bertolini is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Aetna, a Fortune 100 diversified health care benefits company with more than $34 billion in 2010 revenue, a workforce of approximately 33,000 and operations in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
“It is with great pride and anticipation that we welcome Mark to the Fidelco family,” said Eliot D. Russman, CEO and Executive Director of Fidelco. “Adding Mark’s level of business expertise and strategic vision to Fidelco’s board, combined with his keen sensitivity to the life-challenging issues facing people with disabilities, is a coup for Fidelco’s clients around the country. Of course, Mark’s love of dogs is a plus. I’m confident that he will be instrumental in helping shape the future of Fidelco.”
“I’m very pleased to join Fidelco’s board,” said Mr. Bertolini. “Fidelco is an organization doing truly honorable work and making a difference in people’s lives every day. While I am hoping to help Fidelco continue to grow and prosper into the future, I also know that the experience will enrich my life as well.”
Recognized as an accessible, forward-thinking and solutions-oriented leader, Mr. Bertolini is actively engaged in the national dialogue on health care reform, meeting regularly with state and federal policymakers to advocate for measures that increase access, lower costs and improve quality of health care. He is a strong advocate of market-based solutions, the expansion and use of health information technology, and the sustainability of the employer-based system.
Mr. Bertolini serves on the board of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, an organization founded by Paul Newman that serves children with cancer and other serious illnesses. He was elected the first straight ally board member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. He also has been honored for his leadership by numerous universities and organizations, including the National Italian American Foundation, Outward Bound, the National Kidney Registry, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the Quinnipiac University Business School, and Wayne State University School of Business.
Mr. Bertolini is a spinal cord injury survivor and is partially disabled as the result of an accident in 2004.
The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Bloomfield, Conn., breeds, trains and places its own, unique type of German shepherd guide dogs with people who have visual disabilities. It pioneered In-community Placement in the United States; a process that allows guide dog users to be trained in the communities where they live and work. Now in its 50th year of service, Fidelco relies solely on the gifts and the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and civic organizations that partner with us to “Share the Vision.”
Aetna (NYSE: AET) is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.5 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.
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