Blog Posts

Our President Kari Niblack reflects on her first year leading Boon-Chapman through transformation while honoring our 65-year foundation

When Kari became our President in late 2024, she inherited something pretty special: our 65-year legacy built on doing things right. Mr. Boon and Mr. Chapman founded our company as consultants who genuinely understood both employer and client perspectives, and that approach earned deep respect throughout the self-funded community. But Kari saw an opportunity to take that exceptional foundation and propel it forward into something even more powerful.

“Boon-Chapman has always been known as a company that does things right,” she says. “My vision was taking that legacy and building an innovative digital platform with expanded partnerships and geographic reach, bringing us into 2025 and beyond with a real focus on innovation.”

The Unexpected Discovery

Here’s what surprised Kari most: it wasn’t the operational challenges or strategic decisions. It was the hunger, from both our employees and our clients, to learn, grow, and innovate.

“I found this incredibly passionate group of people who wanted more from their leader,” she recalls.

From her very first day, she implemented an open-door approach that goes way beyond typical executive accessibility. She launched “Coffee with Kari,” monthly sessions in which our employees nationwide can join voluntary calls with no agenda and no topic off-limits. Want to talk about your career path? Your family? Your pet cow that won a photo contest? Fair game.

That same accessibility extends to our clients. When a CFO at a county hospital challenged our team to help save every possible penny while maintaining quality care, Kari personally rolled up her sleeves to understand that facility’s specific capabilities, specialties, and gaps. The result? A highly customized approach that strategically routes care while maintaining seamless access to solutions like our Mayo Clinic affiliation for high-dollar claims.

This represents where we’re heading: moving beyond standard administration to a deeper understanding of each client’s unique business model and care-delivery ecosystem.

Elevating Expectations Across the Board

Our evolution over the past year goes far beyond new partnerships and digital tools. Kari has fundamentally shifted the expectation that everyone at Boon-Chapman becomes a student of the business.

“Fantastic TPA partners are elevated from a core consulting standpoint,” she says. “We become quasi-leaders of our clients’ companies in partnership with them to solve problems.”

And that mentality translates into real, tangible improvements. Standard industry utilization for care navigation typically sits somewhere between 8-12%. Through our partnership with ZakiPoint and our Boon Champions team, we achieve over 60% penetration, a dramatic difference driven by giving members real-time access through text, video, or calls, all through a digital platform that meets them wherever they’re at.

Balancing Heritage with Innovation

So how do you honor a 65-year legacy while driving rapid innovation? Kari’s answer is simple: never choose between them.

“You don’t ever want to lose that heritage, because then you lose your soul,” she says. “Both are equally important, and honestly, the balance is what’s fun for me.”

She implemented cross-functional ELT meetings that bring together our operational leaders, sales, and account management, making sure everyone understands not just their own domain but how their work connects to the bigger picture. This approach honors institutional knowledge while building toward the future.

“When our Chief Operating Officer knows what we’re selling, they know very clearly what the expectation is operationally and how we best meet those performance levels,” Kari explains.

Building and Broadening

Our partnership strategy reflects this whole philosophy of building on strength while expanding reach. Our Mayo Clinic affiliation provides clinical expertise that’s rare among TPAs. Our transparent PBM partnerships align with Kari’s conviction that transparency is absolutely key for clients. Our Quantify partnership enables infusion treatment at home rather than hospital settings, maintaining care continuity while reducing costs.

Even our communication channels reflect this both-and approach. Younger members can use apps with real-time customizable widgets, while those who prefer phone calls, email, or even fax still have full access to support.

“We have four generations in our member population, and we all come at solutions differently,” Kari notes. “We’ve got to be ready for that. That’s how we bridge the historical foundation and innovation, giving everybody tools that actually work for them.”

The Leadership Lesson

If there’s one insight that will shape Kari’s leadership going forward, it’s this: accessibility strengthens everything.

“The more people get to interact with me, the stronger our company is,” she says. “And that is equally important to our P&L statement. Because without that connection, the numbers aren’t going to matter.”

And she means it literally. Our employees have her cell phone number. When an employee called at 8 p.m. while she was at the grocery store, Kari called back as soon as she got home. The employee was surprised to receive a callback at 8:30 p.m., underscoring how unusual this level of access is.

The same principle applies to our clients. “Clients can call me anytime they like. Those calls don’t go to my assistant. Those calls come directly to me.”

The Three-Year Vision

Looking ahead, Kari envisions us becoming a household name, reaching clients organically nationwide while focusing on industries that traditionally struggle with healthcare solutions: education, manufacturing, and other sectors where long-term partnerships can create real, meaningful impact.

“I envision our tools giving clients the best healthcare option at the lowest cost,” she says. “I want to share our client success stories. I want every household to know who Boon-Chapman is.”

What makes this vision distinctive is our maintained independence. Unlike TPAs that force clients into predetermined boxes, we offer relationships spanning everything from direct primary care to over 100 different network solutions, customizable carve-outs, and PBM solutions that let clients pick and choose what works for them.

“We have this deck of aces in our hand, and clients have the ability to come in and tell us what they want, and we customize and build that,” Kari explains. “Then they can modify it as their needs change. That’s becoming more and more rare in our space.”

What Drives the Work

After more than 30 years in the self-funded space, what keeps Kari energized comes down to tangible impact.

“Every single day, I have the ability to positively impact clients’ bottom lines and increase member satisfaction,” she says. “Health plan costs are typically the number one cost beyond payroll. When we do our job right, that could mean the difference in a client being able to hire someone in what is a very competitive hiring landscape.”

She connects the dots that others often miss: how effective benefits administration impacts recruitment and retention, how the summary plan description our team creates becomes one of the first things a potential employee requests, how customized solutions cascade into real organizational strength.

“That tangible impact is personal to me,” Kari reflects. “There is complete satisfaction in that.”

As we close out our first year under Kari’s leadership, we stand at an intersection that few organizations achieve: deeply rooted in proven values while simultaneously reaching toward innovation-driven growth. We’re building and broadening: wider in reach, deeper in capability, and more connected to the people we serve at every level.