Her Story
About Pam
Pam Burkle serves as supervisor for health insurance at Priority Health, the insurance portion of Corwell Health in Grand Rapids. She has been with the company for 9 years and in her current role for 5 years, where she leads a team delivering white glove concierge customer service to plan members. Burkle emphasizes high team retention, coaching on work-life balance and psychological safety, and operational improvements to ensure the right person is in the right role. With well over 20 years of experience in customer service, she draws on her background to connect members with needed services and support positive career growth. She earned a dual BBA in marketing and management and an associate's in advertising from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, graduating magna cum laude after balancing significant personal responsibilities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Pam
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to great mentors and the hard lessons from the School of Hard Knocks. My dad taught me early on that you are not better than anybody else and to treat everyone the same, from the janitor to the CEO. Mentors have reined me in and helped shape my ideas when I've gone a little rogue.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be patient and know that sometimes being silent is not a weakness, sometimes it's a strength. When you stop and listen, you can breathe, push down emotion, and respond. Not everything needs an answer. When facing bias or uncomfortable times, take a step back, refocus on neutral ground, and respond without emotion. I helped facilitate 50 Ways to Cite Bias to address this.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Putting the needs of others in front of my own, thinking about the ripple effect in the pond. Embracing the five C's: being courageous to ask questions, curiosity to keep asking, practicing the pause, and ethics. I won't ask someone to do something I'm not willing to do myself.
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