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Executive Biographies
 

Gerald A. Sydell, D.D.S. - Chairman
Walter VanBrunt - President and Chief Executive Officer

Douglas G. Sanborn, Esq. - Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Bruce D. Silverman - Senior Vice President

James Suleski - Senior Vice President

Diane Belle - Vice President, Corporate Communications

Vincent Farinella - Vice President, Flagship Dental Plans

Kathleen Fennell - Vice President, Human Resources

Thomas C. Kahler - Vice President, Underwriting and Actuarial Services

Mark Nadeau - Vice President, Marketing

D. Scott Navarro, D.D.S. - Vice President, Professional Services & Dental Director

Stephen J. Stoll - Vice President, Information Services



GERALD A. SYDELL, D.D.S.
Chairman

Gerald A. Sydell served as vice chairman of Delta Dental's Board of Trustees in 1998 and has been a member of the Delta Dental Board since 1980. He has served as chairman of the Dental Advisory and Policy Committee as well as a member of the Executive Committee and the Nominating Committee. Dr. Sydell also serves as vice chairman of the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, Inc. Prior to opening his private practice in Cranford, New Jersey, where he practiced for more than 40 years, Dr. Sydell served as an officer in the United States Air Force.

Dr. Sydell attended Southern Methodist University. He received his doctorate in dental surgery from Temple University, College of Dentistry, and graduate education in orthodontics from New York University. He is a past president of the Union County Dental Society and has served as trustee of the New Jersey Dental Association as well as a delegate to the American Dental Association. In addition, Dr. Sydell served as a member of the New Jersey Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Board. He received the Union County Dental Society's President's Award and the New Jersey Dental Association Service Award. In 2001 he was recognized by the UMDNJ New Jersey Dental College for outstanding contributions to the college and dentistry. He has been elected to Fellowship in the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.

Dr. Sydell currently serves on the Professional Advisory Board of Matheny School and Hospital. He is a trustee of the New Jersey Foundation of Dentistry for Persons with Disabilities and is a member of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School Feasibility Study Committee.

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WALTER VAN BRUNT
President and CEO

Walter VanBrunt joined Delta Dental of New Jersey as senior vice president in January 1993. He became executive vice president in November 1993, and president of Flagship Dental Plans. He became president and CEO of Delta Dental of New Jersey in January 1998. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation.

Prior to joining Delta Dental, VanBrunt served as second vice president of Lincoln National Insurance Company, where he directed its Eastern Region Group Operations Center.

VanBrunt graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor of science degree in business administration and management. From 2002-2004 he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delta Dental Plans Association and currently serves on its Board of Directors. He is a member and past Chairman of the Board of Directors of DeltaUSA. He is a member of the Board of Advisors for the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School.

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JAMES SULESKI
Senior Vice President and CFO

James Suleski joined Delta Dental of New Jersey as senior vice president in November 2005. He became chief financial officer in January 2006. Prior to joining Delta Dental, he held various management positions with several insurance companies, most recently as vice president-financial reporting with Crum & Forster.

Suleski received his bachelor of science degree in accounting from Rutgers University. He is a certified public accountant in the state of New Jersey and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants.

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DOUGLAS G. SANBORN, ESQ.
Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Douglas G. Sanborn began serving Delta Dental of New Jersey in 1980 as an attorney with Jamieson, Moore, Peskin & Spicer. After serving Delta Dental in that capacity for 14 years, he joined the company in 1994, becoming Delta Dental’s first general counsel.

Sanborn is a member of the American Corporate Counsel Association, the American Bar Association, and the New Jersey Bar Association.

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BRUCE D. SILVERMAN
Senior Vice President

Bruce Silverman joined Delta Dental of New Jersey as vice president of Claims in September 1989. Prior to joining Delta Dental, he served as director of Dental Claims Operations for Group Health Incorporated in New York.

Silverman graduated from Bernard Baruch College, City University of New York, with an M.B.A. in business administration and policy and from Harpur College, State University of New York, with a B.A. in psychology. Silverman is a member of the American Society for Quality, the American Management Association, Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) and Accredited Standards Committee (ASCX12). He also represents the Delta Dental Plans Association at the government level on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance. He is a past president of the Garden State chapter of the International Customer Service Association.

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DIANE BELLE
Vice President, Corporate Communications

Diane Belle joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in 1989 as manager of Corporate Communications and has subsequently held positions of director and assistant vice president.

Belle graduated summa cum laude from Montclair State University with a B.A. in English and from Fairleigh Dickinson University with an M.A. in English. She is vice president and trustee of the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation and has served on the Corporate Communications, Healthcare Reform, and Internet Committees for Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA). Belle also served on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics New Jersey for six years. In 2005, Belle was a recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award from County College of Morris.

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VINCENT FARINELLA
Vice President, Flagship Dental Plans

Vincent Farinella joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in 1988. Since that time he was promoted to supervisor, Customer Service; manager, Professional Relations; manager, Product Development, assistant vice president, Flagship Dental Plans; and vice president, Flagship Dental Plans. He also serves as vice president of Corporate Planning for Delta Dental of New Jersey. Farinella has served on committees and task forces for the Delta Dental Plans Association and DeltaUSA, including the Professional Relations Committee, Task Force on Quality and Outcomes, and National PPO Development Task Force. He was the co-chair of the DeltaCare USA Committee, and now he co-chairs the DDPA National Provider Identifier Task Force-Provider Communications Group.

Farinella holds a B.S. from William Paterson University and earned the designation of Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS). He also holds an M.A. in Healthcare Administration from Seton Hall University where he is an adjunct professor in the Graduate Department of Public & Healthcare Administration.

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KATHLEEN FENNELL
Vice President, Human Resources

Kathleen Fennell joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in 1979 as personnel manager. In January 1985, she was promoted to director, Human Resources; in 1986 she was promoted to assistant vice president, Human Resources; in 1991, Ms. Fennell was promoted to vice president, Human Resources.

Fennell is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, a trustee for BET (Business and Education Together) and serves on the Education and Program Planning Committee of the Delta Dental Plans Association.

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THOMAS C. KAHLER
Vice President, Underwriting and Actuarial Services

Thomas Kahler joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in 1978 as a management trainee for the Actuarial and Research Department. Since that time, he was promoted to manager, Actuarial and Research; assistant vice president, Actuarial Services; and in 1984, vice president, Underwriting and Actuarial Services.

Kahler graduated magna cum laude from Seton Hall University with a degree in mathematics. He is a member of the Delta Dental Plans Association Actuarial Committee, serving as chairperson from 1989 through 1991.

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MARK NADEAU
Vice President, Marketing

As Vice President of Marketing for Delta Dental of New Jersey. Mark Nadeau oversees Delta Dental's marketing and sales efforts in both New Jersey and Connecticut. In addition to his duties in New Jersey, Nadeau chairs Delta Dental's National Marketing Advisory Group. He serves on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics New Jersey.

Nadeau received his bachelors degree in communications/education from the University of Hartford.

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D. SCOTT NAVARRO, D.D.S.
Vice President, Professional Services and Dental Director

Scott Navarro joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in 1997 as vice president, Professional Services and Dental Director. Prior to joining Delta Dental, he held the positions of Dental Director at United Concordia Companies, Inc. and Associate Medical Director at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan. Dr. Navarro is a member of the Delta Dental Plans Association Dental Policy Committee. As an oral health advisor for Delta Dental Plans Association, as well as Delta Dental of New Jersey, Dr. Navarro has made numerous appearances on television, radio, and in print media on various topics related to oral health.

Dr. Navarro received his D.D.S. degree at the University of Michigan, as well as a master's degree in Health Services Administration at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He is a member of the International College of Dentists, American College of Dentists, and Pierre Fauchard Dental Honorary Societies, and is past president of the American Association of Dental Consultants (AADC). Dr. Navarro also served as editor the The Beacon, the journal of the AADC, from 2003-2006.

In 2003, Dr. Navarro received the Dr. Israel Shulman Award for Meritorious Service from the AADC for outstanding contributions to the organization, and for exhibiting behavior for being a mentor.

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STEPHEN J. STOLL
Vice President, Information Services

Stephen Stoll joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in November 1986. Over the next five years, he received several promotions, including Vice President of Information Services. He directs Delta Dental's computer operations and programming staff. He is also active within the national Delta Dental Plans Association. He is a past chairperson of DeltaUSA's National Provider Task Force, and has served on the Information Technology Committee of the Delta Dental Plans Association.

Stoll graduated from Seton Hall University with an M.B.A. in computer administration and from Ohio State University with a bachelor of science degree in computer information systems.

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