Denise J. Kurtz, MHA SPHR CCWP is the Benefits and Wellness Director for Hog Slat, Inc. She joined Hog Slat in 2008 after ten years with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. During her tenure, Ms. Kurtz launched the self-funded Hog Slat health plan, coupling it with a comprehensive Wellness Program. Her program has won awards for its innovation and success for managing healthcare costs and improving the health of the Hog Slat employee population. As part of the health and wellness program, Ms. Kurtz implemented free onsite employee health clinics, annual onsite biometric screenings and vaccinations, onsite employee gyms and national gym membership discounts, tobacco cessation program, and various quarterly health education and participation activities. Ms. Kurtz’ passion is working with blue collar employee populations to make health insurance and healthcare more understandable, accessible, and equitable.  

Denise J. Kurtz, MHA CCWS SPHR is a health insurance, training, and certified employee wellness expert with over 15 years of experience creating effective, data driven corporate wellness programs. She is the President of Inside Employee Wellness and Consulting, LLC, a corporate wellness consulting firm specializing in wellness programs for medium to large manufacturing firms. Some of her current and former clients include the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Hog Slat, Inc., Goldsboro Milling, and The Noel Group. She was the recipient of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's National Best of Blue Award for Quality in Health Innovation, the Wellness Leadership Award from the Corporate Health and Wellness Association and has had her health interventions published in the International Journal of Men's Health.  She is on the faculty of the Corporate Health and Wellness Association, helping with the development of the Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist (CCWS) certification and helping train and mentor the next generation of Corporate Wellness professionals.