Hari Makkala Named New VP, Head of Applications Delivery...
Delta Dental names Hari Makkala as VP, Head of Applications Delivery and Enterprise Architecture
Delta Dental of California, Delta Dental of Pennsylvania and their affiliates announced April 15, 2009 the appointment of Hari Makkala as Vice President, Enterprise IT, Head of Applications Delivery and Enterprise Architecture.
Makkala will oversee the implementation of new applications and enterprise architecture for the holding company that operates in 15 states plus the District of Columbia and covers about 23 million enrollees. Makkala brings 18 years of experience in IT, primarily in health care, insurance and financial services industries. His experience includes serving as chief technology officer and senior vice president for People’s United Financial, Inc. since 2003. Prior to People’s United, Makkala held several IT leadership roles at CIGNA Corporation. He has also held roles at AETNA and GeoTrace Technologies. He holds a Master of Science degree in computer engineering from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Osmania University in India.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Hari’s caliber and experience to oversee improvements to our IT effectiveness and replacement of key operating and processing systems — which is a top priority for our organization,” said Patrick Steele, executive vice president and CIO. “As we move into the critical stages of a multi-year project, his role will be vital in successful and timely rollout of key applications.”
Delta Dental of California, Pennsylvania and its affiliated companies within its holding company system, along with Delta Dental of New York, are all part of the Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA), based in Oak Brook, Ill. DDPA consists of 39 Delta Dental member companies licensed in all 50 states. The association collectively covers nearly 52 million of the 173 million people nationwide with private dental insurance, making it by far the largest national system of dental plans.