HARRISBURG, Pa., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital BlueCross, the leading health insurer in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, has named Anita M. Smith to be its next president & CEO.
Smith, 46, who now is executive vice president and COO, will assume her new responsibilities July 1, succeeding James M. Mead. Mead announced his pending retirement last December. He has been president and CEO of Capital BlueCross for 19 years, making him the longest-serving Blue plan CEO in the nation.
"Three years ago, almost to the day, this board identified an individual to oversee this company's historic transformation from a hospital plan to a full-service health insurance company," said Clinton J. Najarian, chairman of the Capital BlueCross Board of Directors.
"We chose Anita M. Smith. And, under her strategic leadership, Capital BlueCross' business transformation exceeded both our expectations and our hopes.
"Today, this board once again is charged with identifying an individual to lead this great company at a pivotal time - someone who can navigate a course for Capital BlueCross through increasingly challenging and complex market conditions.
"Three years later, the choice once again is clear: It is Anita M. Smith. I am pleased to announce that the Capital BlueCross Board of Directors has voted unanimously to appoint Anita Smith as this company's next president and chief executive officer."
"Leading this company is a privilege, and I am honored by the board's confidence in me," said Smith. "Capital BlueCross has a remarkable legacy of strong and stable leadership, and I will do everything in my power to continue that tradition.
"We are keen competitors here at Capital BlueCross, and my first focus always will be on serving our customers. We will work collaboratively with our health care providers, to find innovative and responsive solutions to meet the health care needs of the members we serve.
"Our commitment to our customers and communities is what makes Capital BlueCross such a special company. We make a difference every day in the communities we serve. Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians count on us to be there in some of the most difficult hours life offers. We cannot ever let them down. We will be mindful of that responsibility each and every day," Smith said.
Vice Chairman William Lehr Jr. said the board conducted a national search for Mead's successor.
"The health care environment never has been more complex than it is today, and the challenges and competition never have been greater," said Lehr, who chaired the board's Search Committee. "Thanks in significant part to Jim Mead's leadership, Capital BlueCross is seen as a leader in the national health insurance industry, and we attracted top-level candidates from across the nation to lead our company forward. But in the end, the best candidate was right here all along -- Anita Smith.
"Anita Smith has the savvy and fortitude to take the risks that will be necessary for this company to successfully navigate the market challenges that lie ahead. This committee recommended her to the board with both confidence and certainty."
"The board of directors' Search Committee very appropriately conducted this search thoroughly, independently and without my direct participation," said Mead. "However, I am very pleased with their choice. Anita Smith is the right person to lead this company into what is certain to be an increasingly challenging health insurance marketplace. She possesses a truly remarkable combination of drive, business tenacity, and genuine compassion for our customers and their health. She will succeed in extraordinary ways."
Capital BlueCross is one of the largest businesses headquartered in central Pennsylvania, with annual revenues of more than $2 billion. The Capital BlueCross organization became a full-service health insurance company on April 1, 2002, after its longtime former business partner severed their long-standing collaboration.
Smith, of Carlisle, has been with Capital BlueCross since 1986, when she joined the company as a health benefits consultant. She has served as the director of several functions within sales and marketing, as well as director and vice president, managed care programs. On April 26, 2001, she was tapped by the board to spearhead the company's business transformation to a full- service health insurance provider. The board of directors appointed her to be Capital BlueCross' first chief operating officer on Aug. 9, 2002. A graduate of St. Joseph's University, she is married with two children.
Also today, the board of directors elected Lehr to be its next chairman, effective April 27. Lehr will succeed Najarian, who has served as chairman since 1993. Najarian remains on the board and its Executive Committee.
Lehr is retired from the Hershey Foods Corporation, where he had been senior vice president, secretary and treasurer of the corporation. He is chair of the board of trustees of Lebanon Valley College and chairman of the board of the Greater Harrisburg Foundation.
The board also elected Mead to serve as its vice chairman.
Mead has been with Capital BlueCross since 1974. He was appointed chief executive officer in 1984. He is a past chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and is a member of the board of directors of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Both Lehr and Mead were elected to their positions for one-year terms. Smith also will be a member of the board of directors.
Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., Capital BlueCross also has offices in Allentown, Pa. and Lemoyne, Pa. Its 21-county service area consists of Adams, Berks, Centre, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Mifflin, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union, and York counties.
Capital BlueCross is committed to making health insurance simple, offering easy-to-use health care and personal service at competitive prices.
Capital BlueCross has been serving its customers for more than 65 years and employs about 2,400 people, including employees working for its wholly owned subsidiary, Keystone Health Plan Central.
Capital BlueCross and Keystone Health Plan Central are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
More information about the company can be found at http://www.capbluecross.com/.
Capital BlueCrossCONTACT: Joseph Butera, Capital BlueCross, +1-717-541-6139,Joe.Butera@capbluecross.com
Web site: http://www.capbluecross.com/