KINGSTON, R.I. — March 26, 2015 — Denise L. Fletcher, vice president and chief innovation officer for Healthcare Payer, Pharma and Life Sciences at Xerox, is the guest speaker at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business Administration’s 8th Annual Vangermeersch Lecture.

Well recognized for her original and innovative thinking, Fletcher’s address, “Is there an App for that?,” will describe ways technology is and can be used to improve people’s health and wellness. Free and open to the public, the lecture will be held on Tuesday, April 7, at 5:30 p.m., at the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, 120 Flagg Road, Kingston campus.

Fletcher is responsible for fueling thought leadership, engaging Xerox healthcare payer, pharmacy and life sciences customers in innovation strategies, and driving innovation through a robust research and development pipeline to serve customer and industry needs. She has six pending U.S. patents in healthcare.

Fletcher is a key strategist and influencer within the Xerox Healthcare Council and a member of Xerox’s University Affairs Council, which seeds innovation grants to colleges and universities throughout the world. Last year Fletcher was recognized by Front End Innovation as one of the top 40 women in innovation, and in 2012 she received the National Diversity Council Award for most powerful and influential woman in Connecticut.

Fletcher’s career focus has been on all aspects of healthcare and financial infrastructure, serving corporations, healthcare organizations and hospitals. Previously she was vice president for Xerox’s Government Solutions Group. She also owned a private consulting firm and earlier held several positions of increasing responsibility in the Retirement and Healthcare group at CIGNA Corporation.

Fletcher received a B.S. in Accounting from Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn.

The Vangermeersch Endowed Lecture was established in 2008 with a gift from Deborah Ciolfi ’80 in honor of her former accounting professor, Richard Vangermeersch, who retired in 2004 after 34 years of teaching at URI.