Michael M. Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Michael M. Dudley is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Optima Health and Senior Vice President of Sentara Healthcare, having held this position since 1996. Under his leadership, Optima has doubled its membership to 400,000 members by expanding to new markets, introducing new products and securing new customers in large and small employer groups, including a contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia. Optima has achieved national recognition and accreditation for satisfaction, quality and financial security.
Dudley began his career with Kaiser Permanente Health Programs in California and served 18 years in a wide-range of leadership roles from medical center to health plan executive. Prior to his departure, he served as President and CEO Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company, a start-up company licensed in 16 states where he directed and oversaw all indemnity health insurance services offered by Kaiser Permanente nationally.
Dudley holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, a Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Colorado in Denver, CO, and completed the Executive Management Program at Stanford University in Stanford, CA.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Health Plan Alliance, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and is a Fellow with the American College of Health Care Executives.
John E. DeGruttola, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing
John E. DeGruttola serves as the Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing for Optima Health. In this role, he is responsible for the overall growth of Optima Health with a primary focus in strategic positioning of the organization which includes identifying, promoting, and distributing new products and services that produce overall profitable growth.
DeGruttola has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare consulting, sales, marketing, advertising, product development and health plan operations. Prior to joining Optima Health, he was the Executive Leader for a large national insurance company, responsible for the sales and retention of the small and large group markets. DeGruttola also held various healthcare management positions with an insurer, provider system, and consulting house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
DeGruttola holds a bachelor’s of science degree in biology and mathematics from Westminster College.
George Heuser, M.D., CHIE, Vice President and Senior Medical Director
George K. Heuser, MD, CHIE is the Vice President and Senior Medical Director for Optima Health. In this capacity, he is responsible for the clinical and operational functions of medical management, utilization management, credentialing, peer review, quality improvement, pharmacy services and disease management.
Heuser joined Sentara Healthcare in 1998 where he served in a variety of positions that include Medical Director of Optima and Physician Executive at Sentara Hampton General Hospital.
Heuser received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA followed by his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA. Upon completing his residency in Internal Medicine, he practiced at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Hampton, VA where he expanded his expertise in the areas of quality improvement, peer review and medical staff functions and held the position of Associate Chief of Staff for Ambulatory Care.
Andy Hilbert, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Andy Hilbert serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Optima Health. In this role, he is responsible for financial management, planning, reporting and analysis, legal, product pricing, actuarial and underwriting.
Hilbert has more than 25 years experience in financial management. Prior to his appointment, Hilbert served as CFO with Tufts Health Plan in Watertown, MA, a 700,000 member health plan that is ranked second in US News and World Report’s 2006 and 2007 rankings of all health plans in the nation. Additionally, he was CFO of two publicly held, New York Stock Exchange traded financial institutions, Liberty Financial Companies, providing investment management and retirement-oriented insurance products and Paul Revere Corporation, a leader in providing disability, life and annuity insurance products, both in the Massachusetts area. Prior to that, he was a partner in the Insurance Services Group for Price Waterhouse, serving in both the Boston, MA and Columbia, SC offices.
Hilbert holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Life Underwriter
Darleen A. Mastin, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Darleen Anderson Mastin is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Optima Health, having served in this capacity since 2004. Mastin has served in a wide-variety of roles, primarily leadership, for more than 30 years for Sentara Healthcare, Optima’s parent company. Her managerial experience has focused in critical care, trauma, nursing and hospital administration.
In her current position at Optima, Mastin oversees the strategic plan for the organization, executive direction for the goals and annual performance indicators, development of the statewide network, and manages operational performance.
Mastin holds a nursing diploma from North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and a Master of Science in Advanced Adult Nursing and Administration from Hampton University in Hampton, VA. She holds membership on the Board of Directors of the South Hampton Roads United Way and Optima Health.