Cleve L. Killingsworth, Jr.
Boston, MA
President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Cleve L. Killingsworth is a nationally-recognized leader in health care management as well as a thoughtful advocate for intelligent reform within the health care system. During his 30 years in the health care industry, Mr. Killingsworth has earned a reputation as an innovative manager, dynamic teacher and insightful analyst.

Mr. Killingsworth serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, one of the largest independent, not for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the country. In this position, he leads the company's efforts to elevate the quality of services and care delivered to its 2.8 million members as he simultaneously works collaboratively with a variety of health care stakeholders to reform and improve the health care delivery system.

Prior to coming to Massachusetts, Mr. Killingsworth was President and CEO of Health Alliance Plan (HAP) in Detroit, one of Michigan's largest, most experienced managed care companies. Under Mr. Killingsworth's leadership, HAP provided value to its more than 500,000 members by fostering patient-centered relationships between health care delivery systems, practitioners and health plans to improve quality. In addition to his HAP leadership, Mr. Killingsworth also served as the Senior Vice President of Insurance and Managed Care for Henry Ford Health System.

Prior to joining HAP, Mr. Killingsworth served as President of Kaiser Permanente's Central East Division, which included the Mid-Atlantic States and Ohio. In each position, Mr. Killingsworth developed overarching performance strategies to achieve significant improvements and identified growth opportunities.

Cleve Killingsworth formerly served as Senior Vice President of health care operations for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rochester where he oversaw medical affairs, utilization analysis, network development and provider contracting for the health care operations group. While with Blue Cross, he was also President of the Genesee Valley Group Health Association.

He obtained a broad industry overview as Executive Director of health information and data services with the American Hospital Association, where he saw firsthand the challenges confronting providers throughout the country. Prior to that position, Mr. Killingsworth gained hands on hospital administration experience as Associate Administrator of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

For many years, Mr. Killingsworth has devoted time each year to participating in a variety of industry conferences where he has emerged as an articulate voice for reform, particularly concerning more efficient management practices and the need to improve the safety of care. He has demonstrated a deep interest in the theoretical side of health care as well as the practical side. He was an assistant professor at the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester Medical Center and an adjunct professor in health services administration at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Cleve Killingsworth holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Public Health degree from Yale University.

He is a founding member of the Executive Leadership Council—an independent, non partisan, nonprofit corporation in Washington, DC established to provide African-American executives with a leadership advisory forum on business, economic and public policy issues. He serves on the boards of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, Carroll School of Management at Boston College, Jobs for Massachusetts, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, and The United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Mr. Killingsworth is a Trustee of Northwood University and an overseer of The Museum of Fine Arts.

In 2002, Northwood University honored Mr. Killingsworth as one of America's "Outstanding Business Leaders." In 2003, Mr. Killingsworth received an honorary doctorate (doctor of laws, honoris causa) from Northwood.

Mr. Killingsworth was born and raised in Chicago. He currently lives in Boston with his wife, Daren Chentow. They have a blended family of four children.

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