Business Women Awards 2022
Woman to Watch Health Care Services Christina Pitney, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Combine commitment, passion, energy and humility with the ability to transform problems into opportunities, and you have a standout Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island senior executive.
As senior vice president, government programs, for the Providence-based health insurer, Christina Pitney oversees $850 million in Medicare revenue, $120 million in individual business lines and has led Blue Cross’ Medicare Advantage suite to its first five-star rating – Rhode Island’s first so-designated Medicare plan.
Pitney also spearheaded Blue Cross’ partnership with Oak Street Health, a primary care network focused on improving Blue Cross’ senior Medicare patients’ holistic health care.
And realizing women constitute more than half of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association employees, Pitney partnered with two other association leaders in 2020 to launch its first Women’s Leadership Forum.
BCBSA is a national association of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross Blue Shield companies, including Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
“Her strategic skill is paramount,” said Melissa Cummings, BCBSRI executive vice president, chief customer officer and Pitney’s supervisor.
Since joining Cummings at BCBSRI in 2014, Pitney’s tenure has included about 4.5 years heading corporate strategy as chief of staff for then-CEO and President Kim A. Keck, who is now the CEO and president of BCBSA.
Pitney and Cummings worked together previously. About 12 years ago, Cummings picked Pitney to serve on her team through Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna Inc.’s leadership development program, as she had been impressed by Pitney, who she described as “smart, driven, willing to take on anything and give things a shot.”
Pitney, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Connecticut, said her career “started to take off on a different trajectory.”
Cummings challenged Pitney to grow professionally by throwing Pitney assignments she knew nothing about. This pushed Pitney to build mutually beneficial, symbiotic work relationships and routines that helped her identify and solve problems and advance her employer’s interests.
“The big thing for me was having a leader who communicated a problem and allowed me to use my skill set to figure it out,” Pitney said. “I found it exciting, and I grew substantially.”
