Keck to step down as CEO and president of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of R.I. at end of year

PROVIDENCE – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island CEO and President Kim A. Keck will be leaving the local health insurer at the end of this year and she will become the CEO and president of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association on Jan. 4, 2021, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island announced Tuesday.

Keck has been with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island since 2016 and she will become Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s first female CEO and president since the association was established 40 years ago, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island said. The association, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, said, is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross & Blue Shield companies that provide health care coverage for one out of three U.S. citizens.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected as the new leader of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association,” Keck said in a statement Tuesday. “The 36 Blue Cross & Blue Shield companies represent the largest and most trusted brand in health insurance, and there is nothing more important than continuing to earn and preserve that trust.”

Keck also said the last seven months, with the state gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic and inequities created by systematic racism, showed her what kind of “extraordinary company” Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is and how it pivoted multiple times to meet the health needs of Rhode Islanders.

- Advertisement -

Among the several achievements Keck accomplished with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island was leading policy efforts to fortify elements of the Affordable Care Act to ensure all Rhode Islanders have access to affordable, quality care, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island said. She also spearheaded the organization’s partnership with the Brown University School of Public Health to create the RI Life Index, which Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island said is a new data resource providing insights into Rhode Islanders’ perceptions about social factors that can create barriers to health and well-being.

Keck also serves on multiple community boards, including the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Oak Street Health, Prime Therapeutics and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. Keck was also recently announced as Providence Business News’ winner of the Corporate Citizenship award for the upcoming 2020 Business Excellence Awards.

“We’re grateful to Kim for her leadership during the past four and a half years, and we wish her only the best as she steps into this new role,” said John Langenus, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island board chairman, said in a statement.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island said a national search will be conducted by its board of directors for Keck’s successor.

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.