Tag: UnitedHealth Group

Tricia Purdy-Messinger's interest in politics dates back to when she dragged her father to mayoral debates in Auburn. While she can't place his opponent, she remembers former Auburn Mayor Guy Cosentino was there because he won the 1992 election, and continued to be involved in her life. Purdy-Messinger said her passion for politics intersected with her passion for health care to bring her to where she is today. For more than eight years, she's worked with UnitedHealth Group and in August became the company's senior vice president and head of external affairs. Purdy-Messinger was nominated by her younger sister, Anne Marie Purdy. "I think that Tricia deserves to be recognized for a whole host of things she puts forth in the world," Purdy said. But still feeling a "pull to politics," she said, she moved to the Washington area and became a health care lobbyist. While Cosentino was one of her first teachers outside of the classroom, Purdy-Messinger said she feels "very lucky" to have had many people invested in her growth. When she moved to D.C., she said, McKeon wrote her letters. Her experience as a patient of Teitelbaum's helped fuel her passion for being involved in health care.