The WCWI Leaderboard: 2019 Champion

Julie Ortman (Financial, Oshkosh)

Current Organization: Verve, a Credit Union

Job Title: Wellness Director

Industry: Finance

Years in the Field: 30

Organization size: 250

"Anything worth doing is worth doing right!"

What does this nomination and selection mean to you?

To me, the nomination means that Verve’s leadership recognizes the passion I have in creating a culture of wellness for our team. I’m so grateful for this recognition! The selection means that the program we’ve worked so hard to build has achieved our goals of changing lives for the better and being known as a top wellness employer in the state. But we’re not done yet!

What is one long term goal you have for your organization’s employee wellbeing strategy, or those of the employers you serve?

One goal I have is to increase program participation by offering more entry-level activities to meet people where they’re at. I want to remove barriers by offering easy opportunities for Verve Team Members to take their first step towards a healthier life.

What is your vision for the future of employee wellbeing?

I believe the wellbeing movement is moving in the right direction of recognizing the needs of the whole person – physical, mental, financial, even spiritual and social. The goal of our program is to provide activities and lifestyle enhancements to meet those needs. Additionally, we believe in building a culture of wellness. If culture is commonly understood as “what we do here”, we want Team Members to have an expectation that, from recruitment to retirement, wellness is what we do here; that wellness activities are a natural and habitual part of their daily lives at work.

How does your work contribute to transforming Wisconsin’s workforce?

Being a visible leader in the corporate wellness community gives other organizations a realistic look as to what a robust employee wellness program can be. As Verve’s wellness program earns recognition, we are hopeful that other organizations are inspired by our efforts and become confident they can do it too. Opportunities to collaborate at WCWI events in the past has been a huge part of the development of Verve’s program and we are grateful for the opportunity to share our latest ideas with our peers. We are truly better together.

If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would the slogan be?

Anything worth doing is worth doing right! This phrase has been with me my whole life and it drives me to do my best every day.

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