Keith to become first female CEO in the
85-year-old company's history
DETROIT, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Michigan's Board of
Directors today appointed Tricia A.
Keith as president and CEO-Elect. Ms. Keith, 53, will
succeed Daniel J. Loepp as president
and CEO following his retirement on January
1, 2025. She will become the company's first female chief
executive and only the third president and CEO to lead the Blue
Cross enterprise in the last 40 years. Ms. Keith currently serves
as executive vice president, chief operating officer and president
of Emerging Markets for BCBSM. She has been with the company,
holding several senior executive roles, since 2006.
"After a six-month search, and thoughtful consideration of
highly qualified candidates, the Board is proud to
appoint Tricia Keith to serve as our company's next president
and CEO," said Gregory A. Sudderth,
chairman of the BCBSM Board. "No one is more ready to lead our
great company into the future. Tricia
Keith is a Michigan native,
whose depth of knowledge and experience, her broad and accomplished
track record of executive leadership, and abiding commitment to
Blue Cross' mission make her the clear choice to take our company
forward in service to our members and communities."
Daniel J. Loepp, president and
CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan until January
1, 2025, will retire as the longest-serving chief executive
in the company's history. Among his many achievements during his
more than two decades of leadership at BCBSM, Mr. Loepp transformed
the company from a large single-state health insurance plan to a
diversified multi-company enterprise of national scale.
"Transformational is the word that best describes
Dan Loepp's legacy of leadership over more than 20 years," Mr.
Sudderth said. "We have had two great leaders in the last 40 years
– and now we are adding a third. Dick
Whitmer restored our company's financial strength and
integrity during a time of trouble. Dan
Loepp transformed the company to succeed in this century.
Now, Tricia Keith will provide the
energy and vision to accelerate our success into the future."
"There are powerful forces of change impacting health care at
this moment – technology, drug and medical cost growth, industry
consolidation and others," Ms. Keith said. "The role that Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
plays as a champion of our members' health, and the affordability
of their coverage and care, puts enormous responsibility on the
shoulders of our company's CEO. I am humbled by the Board's
confidence, and I'm excited and honored to assume this
responsibility in January."
"Our company, our thousands of employees and our millions of
health insurance members in Michigan and around the nation will be in the
best of hands with Tricia Keith," Mr. Loepp said. "She has the
energy, experience, and innovative spirit our company needs as
health care continues to change. She is the right leader at the
right time for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan."
About Tricia A. Keith
- A Michigan native and lifelong
resident, she earned her Bachelor of Arts from Central Michigan University in 1993 and her M.B.A.
from Michigan State University in
2009.
- As executive vice president and president of Emerging Markets
since 2020, she leads a $22 billion
division of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan that includes AF Group, a workers
compensation and specialty insurance company based in Lansing, Mich.; Blue Cross Complete, the
company's Medicaid managed care subsidiary; and the company's
Medicare business, including its subsidiary, Emergient, which
maintains Medicare Advantage joint venture agreements with Blue
Cross and Blue Shield licensed health plans in five other
states.
- Her steadily progressive executive career at BCBSM began in
2006. She has served as vice president, Corporate Secretary and
Services (2006-2012); senior vice president, Corporate Secretary
and Services (2012-2016); executive vice president, Chief of Staff,
Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary (2016-2020);
and executive vice president, president of Emerging Markets since
2020. She added her chief operating officer responsibilities in
2022.
- She has served as chair of Central
Michigan University's board; chair of the Michigan Economic
Development Foundation board; chair of the Detroit Business
Improvement Zone board; and has served on the boards of the Detroit
Regional Chamber, the Parade Company, and Downtown Detroit
Partnership.
- In 2012, she became the first woman in the 40-year history of
the National Management Association to be recognized with the
organization's Executive of the Year award.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance
company, provides health benefits to nearly 5.2 million members.
The company is committed to delivering affordable health care
products through a broad variety of plans for businesses and
individuals. Based in Detroit
since 1939, BCBSM supports impactful community initiatives and
provides leadership in improving health care across Michigan. BCBSM is an independent licensee of
the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information,
visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tricia-a-keith-to-succeed-daniel-j-loepp-as-president-and-ceo-of-blue-cross-blue-shield-of-michigan-on-january-1-2025-302146961.html
SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan