Lora Wilkinson brings more than 39 years’ experience in business development, marketing, strategic planning, and project management to the Board of Directors of CHIP of the Roanoke Valley. A passionate advocate for healthy living, she has dedicated her career to improving access to quality health and dental care for all Virginians.
Currently, Lora serves as Vice President of Project and Portfolio Management for Delta Dental of Virginia where she is responsible for directing corporate strategic planning and governance, as well as project management activities and system configuration. In addition, Lora provides leadership, governance and prioritization for DDVA’s primary SaaS vendor. Prior to joining DDVA, Lora led Individual Marketing efforts for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. With a strong background in strategic planning, marketing, and communications, she is committed to leveraging her skills to further the mission of CHIP of the Roanoke Valley.
In addition to her role at Delta Dental of Virginia, Lora is married to Dale Wilkinson, proud mom of four and unabashedly doting grandmother of two perfect grandsons. Lora and Dale live in Botetourt County and enjoy traveling when not spending time with their beautiful family.
Why CHIP?
At the young and naive age of twenty-five, my first-born son, Andrew, was diagnosed with Coarctation of the Aorta. My husband and I were suddenly thrown into an overwhelming healthcare ecosystem unlike anything either of us had ever experienced as we accompanied our infant through heart surgery and subsequent recovery. Despite having good health insurance as well as an amazing and loving support network, I felt unprepared, uninformed, unqualified, quite frankly dumb and sometimes alone. Understanding how that desperation felt for me, I can only imagine what that must feel like for moms and young families that don’t have the advantages that I had.
The work that Rachel and her team do here at CHIP is so critical to our community. Any assistance or perspective I can offer to help further their efforts to provide access to quality health and dental care is the least that I can do.
