You Oughta Know
Curt Ladig has been president and CEO of Delta Dental of North Carolina since 2011. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Ladig, a CPA, was chief operating and financial officer of Delta Dental of Kentucky. Previous jobs include executive director of audit services for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Kentucky. He began his career with Ernst & Young, serving many clients in the health care industry.
Ladig has a bachelor’s degree in business administration-accounting from Indiana University Bloomington. He serves on the boards of Leadership North Carolina, where he is treasurer; the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education; and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. In Kentucky, he served on the boards of United Way, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Community Foundation of Louisville, Leadership Kentucky, Greater Louisville, Inc. and the Kentucky Employee Safety Association Inc.
What do you like best about your job? Supporting and serving my team of associates to delight our customers.
What inspires you? Making access to oral care more affordable for more North Carolinians, whether through employer group plans or through our philanthropic efforts for the underserved in our communities. When more individuals receive oral care, we are not just improving their oral health, we are improving their lives and their ability to show up ready to learn, work and be productive, healthy citizens.
Who is a role model? I try to learn as much as possible from anyone I interact with in my life journey. Certainly, I admire people with integrity, compassion, a zeal for life and a drive to make better any situation where life has placed them, be it professional or personal. That all began with my parents, Robert and Sue Ann, who were public servants in our small Indiana town: my dad as the Chief of Police and my mom as a nurse in the public schools. They taught my two younger brothers and me the importance of faith, work, family and a commitment to serve others. They treated others fairly, with respect and with an open hand — excellent models for any path I have found my life to take.
What was your biggest challenge this week? I see challenges as just events that provide moments to create opportunities. This week, I enjoyed working with my associates in Raleigh and Charlotte to craft a solution for a potential client based in Greensboro. I’m pleased to say we met the challenge presented to us and were selected over a significantly larger, out-of-state based competitor.
Favorite NC vacation spot? I moved to North Carolina six years ago and have enjoyed the varied natural beauty from Murphy to Manteo. I am a hiker, so I enjoyed hiking Hanging Rock State Park to prepare for my one day, rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon last October.
