Michele Flakes
Lanett,USA
Summary
Strategic and results-driven Business Architect with 20+ years of experience aligning business and IT strategies to drive enterprise transformation in the insurance sector. Proven expertise in business capability modeling, agile delivery, value stream development, and claims process optimization. Passionate about innovation, strategic planning, and cross-functional leadership. Experienced in leading large-scale transformation initiatives that elevate customer and employee experience.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
5
5
Certification
Work History
Member / Former Co-Lead
Business Architecture Guild
01.2014 - Current
- Led a global team of business architects in developing industry reference models and capability maps for insurance.
- Contributed to the BIZBOK Guide, promoting best practices and business architecture maturity across sectors.
Solution Delivery Lead / Business Architect / Product Owner
Guardian Life Insurance Company
New York, USA
02.2021 - 10.2024
- Led Agile Release Trains (ARTs) across HR, Legal, Data, and Workplace Technologies, managing a $35M portfolio aligned with enterprise transformation goals.
- Oversaw cross-functional agile teams and delivery cadence to ensure on-time, value-driven outcomes.
- Directed enterprise-wide solution delivery across HR, Legal, Data, and Workplace Technologies, architecting value streams that improved cross-functional alignment, enhanced operational efficiency, and accelerated the delivery of high-impact business capabilities.
- Served as the Product Owner for HR and collaborated with Product Management, HR business leadership, and agile teams to define and deliver features aligned with HR’s strategic target letters.
- Prioritized capabilities through capacity planning and stated business value to ensure impactful delivery.
- Designed and revised enterprise capability models and value streams, aligning them with customer journeys and strategic priorities.
- Recommended business value stream owners to ensure ownership, measurement, and accountability across impacted areas.
- Guided portfolio strategy, defined features, and created roadmaps aligned with corporate goals.
- Spearheaded capability gap assessments and built KPIs to measure strategic impact and delivery.
- Facilitated PI Planning and agile ceremonies, coached stakeholders in agile mindset and business agility.
- Ensured compliance with relevant laws and regulations related to information security.
- Ensured compatibility between legacy systems and new software solutions being implemented.
- Developed user stories, acceptance criteria, and definition of ready for new features.
Business Architect, Core IT Operations
Aflac, Inc.
Columbus, USA
05.2018 - 12.2020
- Served in the Enterprise Architecture Office as the Customer Experience Business Architect for enterprise-wide initiatives focused on Claims and the Customer Call Center.
- Collaborated with Solution, Enterprise, and Cybersecurity Architects to ensure secure and scalable delivery.
- Revised enterprise value streams and designed baseline business architecture supporting digital and claims modernization.
- Mapped claims and customer service capabilities to streamline business operations and improve turnaround times.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to identify customer needs and develop strategies for delivering solutions that meet those needs.
Enterprise Risk Consultant
Aflac, Inc.
Columbus, USA
08.2016 - 05.2018
- Project Manager for Aflac’s Model Risk Program, ensuring stock valuation and financial models adhered to internal audit, compliance, enterprise risk, and global investment policies.
- Reported model risk outcomes to the CFO and executive team.
- Built risk registers and operational dashboards aligned to governance policies.
- Participated in meetings with external auditors and regulators regarding compliance issues and discussed ways in which they could be addressed.
- Prepared reports outlining findings from risk assessments and recommended corrective actions.
- Coordinated with various departments across the organization in order to ensure timely completion of assigned tasks while adhering quality standards set forth by governing bodies.
Business Process Consultant, Transformation Office
Aflac, Inc.
Columbus, USA
12.2014 - 08.2016
- Documented enterprise value streams and developed future-state models to improve claims and operational efficiency.
- Applied TOGAF and ACORD frameworks to support business alignment and digital optimization.
- Assisted with the core operations review of the Group business to prepare for the implementation of an end-to-end platform transformation to replace manual processes and legacy systems.
- Conducted interviews with stakeholders to identify areas for process improvement and optimization.
- Analyzed current business processes to identify inefficiencies, redundancies, and bottlenecks.
- Researched industry trends related to process improvement methodologies.
Operations Supervisor, Claims Division
Aflac, Inc.
Columbus, USA
04.2005 - 12.2014
- Managed on-site and remote teams of 20+ specialists across Short-Term Disability, Accident, Sickness, Critical Illness, and Vision claims.
- Created Claims Escalation Team; led audits and coached performance improvement, ensuring compliance and high service levels.
- Co-founded Aflac’s enterprise mentorship program for corporate employees (TEACH), driving career development and interdepartmental engagement.
- Resolved customer complaints in a timely manner to maintain customer satisfaction.
- Developed and implemented standard operating procedures to ensure efficient workflow.
- Prepared reports on operational performance metrics and presented them to management team.
- Monitored staff performance and provided feedback for improvement.
- Assisted in the hiring process by conducting interviews and making recommendations for new hires.
- Managed daily operations, including scheduling personnel, assigning tasks, and monitoring progress.
- Implemented new operational procedures, resultingin an increase in process efficiency.
- Established performance metrics to evaluate operational efficiency and guide team objectives.
Education
MBA - General Business
Troy University
Phenix City, ALB.S. - Management Information Systems
Auburn University
Auburn, ALB.S. - Health Services Administration
Auburn University
Auburn, ALSkills
- Jira/ Jira Align
- Confluence
- MagicDraw
- Tableau
- Visio
- MS Office/Teams
- SAFe
- TOGAF
- ITIL
- BIZBOK
- Stakeholder engagement
- Capability modeling
- Regulatory compliance
- Risk assessment
- Customer journey mapping
- Cross-functional collaboration
- KPI development
- Portfolio management
- Team leadership
- Performance management
- Process improvement
- Training and mentoring
Certification
- SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)
- SAFe Scrum Master
- ITIL Foundation in IT Service Management
- Certified Change Practitioner (Prosci)
- Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Professional, OCEG
- AHIP Health Care Anti-Fraud Associate (HCAFA)
Volunteer Leadership
Business Architecture Guild, Member & Former Co-Lead
Co-Founder of Aflac's Enterprise Mentorship Program
Guardian Life Consumer Advocate (Apprentice)
Guardian Life Women's Leadership Network
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Timeline
Solution Delivery Lead / Business Architect / Product Owner
Guardian Life Insurance Company
02.2021 - 10.2024
Business Architect, Core IT Operations
Aflac, Inc.
05.2018 - 12.2020
Enterprise Risk Consultant
Aflac, Inc.
08.2016 - 05.2018
Business Process Consultant, Transformation Office
Aflac, Inc.
12.2014 - 08.2016
Member / Former Co-Lead
Business Architecture Guild
01.2014 - Current
Operations Supervisor, Claims Division
Aflac, Inc.
04.2005 - 12.2014
MBA - General Business
Troy University
B.S. - Management Information Systems
Auburn University
B.S. - Health Services Administration
Auburn University
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