Thomas Vankirk Email & Phone Number

Thomas L. VanKirk is executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary for Highmark Health.Previously, he served as chairman and chief executive officer of the law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, where he provided visionary strategic leadership, including client relationship development and the recruiting of attorneys and groups of attorneys to the firm. He served as chief executive officer from 2003 until 2009, and he was chief operating officer for more than 18 years.While at Buchanan, Mr. VanKirk was a practicing litigator and served as a corporate adviser to many Fortune 1,000 companies. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2006-2012 editions of The Best Lawyers in America®.At Highmark Health, Mr. VanKirk supervises the legal affairs of the company, manages the legal department and serves on the company’s leadership team. In addition, he is secretary of the board of directors of Highmark Health and Highmark Inc. and as such, participates in all board and board committee meetings.Mr. VanKirk also serves in a variety of high-profile civic and community leadership roles. He serves on the executive committees of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and the Pennsylvania State Economy League; on the boards of trustees for the University of Pittsburgh, the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, and the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh; on the boards of the United Way of Allegheny County, and Jefferson Regional Medical Center; and Chairs the board of visitors for the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.Mr. VanKirk and his wife were co-chairs of the capital fundraising campaign for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, for which he is also a council member, and they also co-chaired the capital fundraising committee for the Pittsburgh African American Cultural Center.Mr. VanKirk is a graduate of Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, and he received his juris doctorate degree, cum laude, from Penn State's Dickinson School of Law.