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Masters, Mates & Pilots PlansAdministrator’s Column: September – October 2006Stability Through TransitionValerie VerrecchioAs some of you reading this column already know, I’mmarried to John Schaeffner, the MM&P branch agent forPortland, Oregon. John knew when we got married that Iloved my job as administrator and that I wasn’t ready to leaveMaryland or MM&P Plans. Since our wedding, we’ve traveledback and forth from coast to coast, juggled vacation and workschedules to spend time together and coordinated the EastCoast–West Coast time difference in such a way that we’vebeen able to talk on the phone every day. Despite the lengthy“commute” and a lot of lonely weekends, for two and a halfyears, the arrangement has worked.This summer however, a friend ofours who works as senior vice presidentat Aon, a Portland-based firm that offersinsurance, consulting and actuarial servicesto unions and corporations, told John thatthe company was looking for an energeticperson with extensive experience in unionhealth and welfare plans. He said I seemedlike a perfect fit for the job. After giving thematter a lot of thought, I ultimately decidedI could not pass up the opportunity to livein the same city as my husband and embarkon a new career challenge as Aon’s assistantvice president for welfare plan consulting.The decision to leave MM&P Plans was extremelydifficult for me because I love everything about my job. Onefactor that made it easier was the knowledge that throughJohn and his work, I would still be connected with MM&P.More importantly, an ideal successor administrator, PatrickMcCullough, was already here in Linthicum Heights andready to take over the leadership of Plans.As everyone who knows him is well aware, Patrick is aknowledgeable, competent and experienced manager. Hehas worked with Plans since 1974, when he was hired in theNew York office while attending college. Since then, Patrickhas held a number of positions at Plans. His current job is asdeputy director. During my years on the job, Patrick has beennot a subordinate but rather a co-administrator. He is theinstitutional memory for every Plan change since 1974. He hasthe respect of everyone on the Plans staff and all the membersValerie VerrecchioPlans Administratorof the Board of Trustees. When I announced my resignation,the Board unanimously approved Patrick as my replacement. Iwill sleep better at night knowing that when Patrick takes overthe reins, our membership will be well served.On a personal level, I must say that it has been anincredibly positive experience getting to know the membersof MM&P’s Offshore Group, Pilot Group and United InlandGroup. In none of my previous jobs have I had occasion to beso personally involved with my constituents. Many of you willbe in my thoughts in the years to come. Besides the membersof the Masters, Mates & Pilots, I will missthe Plans staff and the members of theBoard of Trustees.When I started at MM&P in 2000, Ihad already been involved with employeebenefit plans in one form or anotherfor over 20 years. Yet it was immediatelyapparent to me that in a number of ways,MM&P Plans was unlike the organizationsI had worked for in the past. My first bigsurprise was the generosity of the healthand retirement benefits that MM&P Plansprovides to members. The second surprisewas to observe the close relationshipsthat the Plans staff had developed with the membershipand the positive impact that resulted in terms of benefitutilization. Although I had worked with union benefitplans before, MM&P was my first experience with “inhouse”administration, where staff works directly with themembership rather than through a third party administrator.At MM&P, every member’s problem or concern is handledon an individual basis rather than on a “one-size fits-all”basis because in many cases, the staff is already familiar,from past interactions, with the member’s health history.At MM&P, it’s not unusual for us to receive pictures of newbabies or a thank-you note for help in handling a health crisis.And because Plans staffers are friendly and accessible, ourmembers are never afraid to ask questions. As a result of thequality of their relationship with Plans staff, our members areable to use their benefits more wisely.I have also learned more than I ever imagined possible- 16 - September – October 2006 The Master, Mate & Pilot