RELEASE
Members elect 11 to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Board of Directors
Meghan O'Brien
| 3 min read
Sudderth elected as chairman; Johnson as vice chairman
DETROIT, June 1, 2016 – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan members have elected a slate of 11 individuals to the company’s board of directors. They are part of a 35-member board. “The board is comprised of our members,” said Daniel J. Loepp, BCBSM president and CEO. “Having members elect the board is vital to who we are and how we act as a company,” The 11 board members elected to the first of a three year term and the segments they represent are:
- James Agee – At-Large
- Peter Ajluni, D.O. – Provider
- Renee Axt – Individual
- Terry Burns – Medium and Large Groups Management
- Patrick Devlin – Medium and Large Groups Labor
- Linda Forte – Medium and Large Groups Management
- James Grant, M.D. – Provider
- Melvin Larsen–Individual
- Amy Loasching – Medium and Large Groups Labor
- Remington Sprague, M.D. – Provider
- Gary Torgow – Medium and Large Groups Management
Gregory A. Sudderth of Gladstone in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will continue as board chairman, and Spencer C. Johnson of Okemos will serve as board vice chairman. Sudderth is president of Executive Labor–Management Services Inc., a company specializing in addressing the needs of private and public sector employees and their respective local unions. The company has offices in Gladstone and Farmington Hills. “Greg Sudderth understands the demands and complexities of a company the size of Blue Cross,” said Loepp. “His expertise has been extremely valuable over the years, and is even more valuable now with all the changes taking place in health care.” Johnson is president emeritus of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. The MHA is the principal statewide advocate for hospitals, health systems and other health care providers committed to improving community health status. “Spencer Johnson plays a key role in as an advocate for the medical community and in building and maintaining the strong partnerships we have with providers in Michigan,” said Loepp. “Those partnerships are improving health and health care not only for our members but for people all across the state.” The 2016-2017 Blue Cross board seats 35 directors. Eight seats are filled by medical professionals, six seats are filled by individual subscribers and small groups, and four seats are at-large. A nonvoting seat is filled by the company’s chief executive officer. The remaining 16 seats are filled by Blues customers from large and medium groups -- management and labor. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.4 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com.
