2022 C-Suite Awards: Nonprofit/Social Service Agency | Michele Lederberg, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island executive vice president, chief legal officer and chief administrative officer
There is something unusual about Michele Lederberg’s resume.
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The executive vice president, chief legal officer and chief administrative officer of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has worked for the Providence-based health organization for virtually her entire career. No job hopper, Lederberg has not only stayed in health care law but also with the same organization for more than 20 years.
Having grown up in New York, she earned an undergraduate degree in sociology at Brown University.
“I knew I wanted to be in health care,” she said. “But when I began passing out at the sight of blood, I realized that medicine was not for me.”
Lederberg got a health law degree from Boston University, followed by a doctorate, also at BU, in the same discipline in 1993.
From there, Lederberg spent about six years at a law firm – her only other job – and did some legal work for doctors and hospitals, finding an opportunity to come to Blue Cross, a move, she says, that has provided inspiration, motivation and engagement ever since.
“There is so much need for this kind of work in health care,” she said. “I’m always learning and there is really an opportunity to have an impact.”
For 23 years, Lederberg’s work has included leading more than 750 employees, improving engagement and successfully creating culture transformation, as well as overseeing legal services, special investigations, corporate compliance and ethics, privacy and information security, and more.
Her role also involves heading up public affairs and serving as secretary and counsel to the Blue Cross board of directors.
These myriad responsibilities were in tandem with managing the uncertainty of the spread of COVID-19. Blue Cross CEO and President Martha L. Wofford says Lederberg’s steady leadership during the pandemic was significant – not only to the team but also to her personally.
“Michele has been a terrific partner to me in my first year as president and CEO, helping me navigate the troubled waters of the pandemic and continuing to help me lead through a changing landscape,” Wofford said. “I deeply appreciate her thoughtful perspective and passionate energy for our community mission.”
The work done at Blue Cross is often regarded by those outside of the industry as dealing with insurance and member services, Lederberg said.
“We’re dedicated to improving the state of health care in Rhode Island, where we live and work,” she said. “It’s not all about processing claims or working to pay hospitals and answering the phones.”
It is no easy fix. It’s why her work remains fascinating, challenging, necessary and rewarding. It’s more than a matter of affordability.
“Health care is so expensive, and so our focus is on how to improve or maintain its high quality, access to services that are needed, in a culturally sensitive way and that is better for everybody. We don’t need dollars to do that,” she said. “We need to make sure we pay hospitals and doctors, make sure there are not duplications, make sure care is delivered in the right setting – it’s so much more than cost. It’s complex and complicated.”
Lederberg says the system is not designed to be user friendly for a standard patient. Add in a patient who doesn’t speak English, who isn’t educated, who isn’t accustomed to advocating for themselves, and further complications arise, muddying the outcome even further.
In a small state such as Rhode Island, entities can work together on solutions, Lederberg said.
The Recess Rocks in Rhode Island partnership between Blue Cross, Playworks New England and the Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition is one such example. Its goal is to help school professionals incorporate safe, healthy play into the school day.
Lederberg is involved in groups such as United Way of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Rhode Island Free Clinic.
“She is an authentic leader who is committed to addressing health equity at work and in her personal time,” Wofford said.
