Leadership

Mark Churella, Sr.

Mark entered the industry in 1984 as an insurance agent in Financial Designs, Inc., a family-owned agency founded by his father, Robert G. Churella, Sr., in 1970. Mark was appointed President and CEO of Financial Designs, Inc. in 1988. Under his leadership, the FDI Group was established in 1991 to serve as the controlling entity of a growing number of companies. Today, nine affiliates are thriving under the FDI Group umbrella, which exemplifies his commitment to creative business development – bringing the best solutions, people, and customer service to the marketplace.

Overseeing the strategic direction, development, and implementation of the enterprise investment strategy, Mark provides direction to leadership functions and business organizations to meet the enduring needs of our customers. He earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1979 and is a licensed Property & Casualty, Life & Health Insurance Producer.

Ryan Churella

Ryan started his career in 2010 as an account executive for CompOne Administrators. In his current role, he shares in the day-to-day oversight and support of AbsencePlus, CompOne, ManageAbility, MAI IME, Rizikon, and Startech business affiliates. Ryan focuses on specific growth enablers, including performance metrics, important strategic partnerships, and leadership initiatives. As a leadership team member, Ryan manages several organization-wide processes and activities, driving seamless strategies and execution across the enterprise.

Ryan is a member of the FDI Group executive board and has played a leadership role in expanding technology engagement and was instrumental in the successful implementation of numerous corporate initiatives to ensure stability and continuity of service to our customers. He earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan and is a licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Producer.

Bruce Stubbs

Bruce began his career with the FDI Group of companies as vice president of sales in 2005. He led sales and business development efforts and was an integral member of the claims management companies’ financial planning, pricing, and cost management activities. In 2006, Bruce was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of AbsencePlus, CompOne, ManageAbility, and Startech Software. He holds the same title for two FDI Group companies: MAI IME and Rizikon, which were formed in 2015.

Jayne Schefke

Jayne is the Executive Vice President of Finance for the FDI Group. Jayne is responsible for corporate financial planning, analysis, forecasting, capital commitment planning, and competitive analysis.

Before joining FDI Group on an executive level, Jayne worked with the GBF agency. There, she processed group enrollments for life insurance, performed accounting responsibilities, and was later promoted to office manager. She worked for the GBF Agency from 1983 to 1991 when FDI Group acquired them.

Today, she leads a team of professionals specializing in accounting and finance. Jayne was named to this position in 2003. During her tenure with the FDI Group for over 40 years, Jayne has been an integral part of the growth and development of the FDI Group family of companies.

Jitender Sunke

Jitender oversees all aspects of information technology, information security, data, and analytics. He also supports the growth of the FDI Group’s business by partnering with internal teams and business units on I.T. and analytics-related, revenue-generating programs.

Before joining the FDI Group, Jitender spent over 15 years at ITC Holdings Inc. as an enterprise resource planning applications manager. Before this position, he worked in various industries, including healthcare, utilities, electronics, and automotive.

Jitender first joined the FDI Group as a director of applications and infrastructure, overseeing client services, product development, cyber security, and operations support.

He completed a bachelor’s degree in electronics and a master’s in computer applications at Osmania University in Hyderabad, India. Jitender is a PMI Certified Project Management Professional.

Robert Dewey, MBA, AIC, CIC

Rob brings over 25 years of experience to the team, leading and growing third-party administration claims companies from startup to national prominence. A licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Producer and an Associate in Claims (AIC) Insurance Designation holder, Rob also has achieved the executive MBA from the prestigious Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University.

Having been involved with third-party administration from startups to large regional to national level services, Rob finds that while the size and complexity of the client may differ, the needs and problems are similar. It’s about delivering on promises made and being a partner during all business cycle phases. IME and NCM services.

Erica Healander

Erica joined the FDI Group of companies in 2021 as the Vice President of People Operations and Enterprise Risk Management and was promoted to Chief People Officer in 2023. Erica’s roots in the risk management and insurance industry run deep with over 25 years of experience. She started her career as a student assistant in the Risk Management & Workers’ Compensation department at Eastern Michigan University where she was promoted to Manager of Risk Management. She later served as the Director of Risk Management at the University of California where she implemented the campus’ enterprise risk management program. Erica also has experience in client services with national third party administrators, specializing in self-insured public entities.

Erica has over 20 years of experience in risk management and insurance functions and holds a master’s degree in human resource management and organizational development from Eastern Michigan University. Erica has held various leadership roles at public universities, and national third-party administrators, including the University of California and Eastern Michigan University.

Michelle Hibbard

Michelle started her career with The FDI Group of companies in 2010, joining the CompOne team as a claims specialist. In 2013, Michelle was appointed to the position of Claims Manager and later promoted to Vice President of Claims in 2016.

Joining the insurance industry in 1988 as a claim services data-entry clerk for Citizens Insurance, she had the intent to seek out a profession that would provide stability and afford opportunities for growth. She also worked at Gallagher-Basset as a Senior Claims Representative for six years. Throughout her tenure she has continued to learn various aspects of the insurance, sales and customer service industry.

Michelle attended Lansing Community College with studies in psychology and business. She is a licensed adjuster in the State of Michigan.

Eric Waidelich

Eric was named to the position of Business Development in June 2017, due to his professional knowledge of the field, and his acumen in recognizing the best solutions, for our clients. He is
responsible for project deployment while still making himself available for special projects requiring his unique expertise.

Waidelich joined the FDI Group of companies in 2014, serving as a risk management consultant. In this position, he provided assessments, training and consultation to all levels of government, tribal nations, healthcare systems, petrochemical and manufacturing.

Prior to joining the FDI Group, Eric served in various local government administrations. Duties included working closely with policymakers, policyholders, brokers, agents and internal partners. Before that, Eric held an executive position with MERC International, a risk management and regulatory compliance consulting company. He had overall responsibility for managing projects and implementing client driven objectives performed throughout the Unites States, West Africa, Eastern Europe, South America and the Caribbean.

Waidelich earned a bachelors degree in public safety administration from Siena Heights University and currently pursuing his masters’ in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Rackham School of Graduate Studies. He holds more than thirty industry related certifications in the fields of risk management, occupational safety, and emergency management.

Natalie Petrovski

Natalie has over 25 years of experience in the insurance, risk management, and customer service industry. She has an undergraduate degree in human resource management from Oakland University and an MBA with a minor in marketing from Wayne State University.

Natalie started with AbsencePlus/CompOne Administrators in January 2016 as an account executive and is responsible for account maintenance service, KPI and stewardship reports, contract negotiations, account retention, service pricing, and strategic project management. She works with self-insured groups and individually self-insured entities that include governmental, manufacturing, and educational entities. Natalie provides a high level of customized service to her clients.

Gloria Peterson

Gloria has over 14 years of experience in the insurance and technology industries. She has experience in program management, client implementations, system enhancements, and disability and leave administration through her work with insurance carriers, employer groups, and technology companies. Gloria is a Certified Professional in Disability Management (CPDM) and Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS). She holds a master of business administration from the University of Southern Maine and a B.S. in business management from the University of Maine. Gloria is the client implementation manager responsible for Absence Management, client onboarding, requirements gathering, and completing the system setup.

Kate Gant

Kate Gant is the National Sales Consultant at AbsencePlus. She has more than a decade of experience in sales, marketing, and customer service. Her primary responsibility is to manage new business sales by creating and fostering relationships and assisting with the sales process for Absence Management Solutions. These solutions include FMLA, Disability (STD and LTD), and ADA Accommodation for clients. Kate has a proven track record of exceeding targets and building strong client relationships. With a background in B2B sales, she is particularly proud of her communication skills and strategic approaches, which have helped her excel in highly competitive markets such as SaaS sales.

In her free time, Kate enjoys spending time with her son Hayes, playing golfing (although she won’t share her score), and gardening.