Don George, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) and The Vermont Health Plan (TVHP), BCBSVT’s HMO.  Mr. George joined BCBSVT in 1993 and has held various and increasing levels of responsibility during his career with the plan. Pior to becoming CEO in March 2010, he was Vice President of the company's Managed Health Systems division and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of TVHP.  As Vice President of the Plan’s Managed Health Systems division, he led the development of medical management and quality programs which resulted in BCBSVT and TVHP being named among America’s Top 50 Health Plans by U.S. News and World Report.  He also oversaw performance improvement programs at the Plan that were recognized by the Vermont Council for Quality with the Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence.

In addition to his responsibilities at BCBSVT, he is the chair of the board of directors for Vermont Information Technology Leaders Inc., a member of the board of directors for the Vermont Business Roundtable, a member of the executive committee for the Vermont Blueprint for Health, and chair of the board of directors for The Vermont Caring for Children Foundation.   Prior to joining BCBSVT, he worked at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont.  He has Bachelor’s degrees in business and political science from the University of Vermont and a Master’s degree in management and administration from St. Michael’s College. A Barre native and lifelong Vermonter, he now resides with his family in Richmond.

Kevin Goddard, Vice President of External Affairs and Sales, is responsible for the legislative, regulatory, sales and account management functions of the Plan, as well as its  communications, advertising, and public and community relations programs. Following a successful career as an award-winning wire service reporter, State House correspondent and daily newspaper editor, Mr. Goddard joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont in 1990 as its first director of external affairs. He was appointed as an officer of the company in 1996. In addition to his work in the health policy and regulatory arenas, where BCBSVT helped create Vermont’s pioneering guarantee issue and community rating laws and supported the development of the BluePrint for Health, the Vermont Information Technology Leaders and Catamount Health, Mr. Goddard helped construct BCBSVT’s nationally recognized community health improvement programs, including four, locally-based Community Advisory Boards. Additionally, he created the Vermont Caring for Children Foundation and serves on its Board of Directors, and has had continuous executive accountability for management of the lines of business through which many of the Plan’s largest customer purchase health benefits for their employees. Mr. Goddard, who is an alumnus of St. Michael’s College and a number of executive-level professional development programs, also has been active in community affairs. In the past he has served as the chairman of the board of directors of the Green Mountain United Way, as well as on the Boards of Directors of the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce; The Elmhill School; the  March of Dimes, and the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He has served as an adviser to the St. Michael’s College student newspaper, and as an adjunct professor, teaching journalism, at Vermont Technical College in Randolph. 

Catherine Hamilton, Ph.D., Vice President of Planning at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, is responsible for the development and monitoring of the strategic business plan, general management of the individual and senior markets, and oversees federal health care reform, the retail initiative and customer service. Before assuming her current position, Dr. Hamilton served as director of quality improvement. Before joining the Plan in 1997, she worked for the Mayor’s Offi ce of Medicaid Managed Care and in the Offi ce of Public Aff airs in New York City. Dr. Hamilton completed her undergraduate work at Bowdoin College. She has a Ph.D. in Public Administration at New York University’s Health Services Research Center. Dr. Hamilton is an adjunct professor at the University of Vermont Graduate Business School and has served on a variety of nonprofit boards in Chittenden county including the Community Health Center of Burlington and Women Helping Battered Women. She is a graduate of the Vermont leadership Institute. She was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Vermont Health Resources Allocation Planning Commission. She serves on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Health Services Research Alliance. She sponsored an initiative that won a Best of Blue award in the area of Patient Safety.

Christopher R. Gannon, Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer, is the Plan's chief legal counsel and he manages the Plan's human resources department, organizational development and training department, internal audit and business consulting department and oversees the facilities department. He also serves as the Company’s Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer. Mr. Gannon joined BCBSVT on January 2, 2006. For the eight-year period prior to that, Mr. Gannon was a partner in the Burlington, Vermont law firm Sheehey Furlong & Behm P.C. Previously, he served as Vice President and General Counsel of G.S. Blodgett Corporation, a foodservice equipment manufacturer based in Burlington, Vermont. He is a member of the bar in Vermont and Massachusetts (inactive). Mr. Gannon received his law degree from the Boston University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Tufts University. He serves as a director and treasurer of the nonprofit Stern Center for Language and Learning and he has served as a volunteer for the United Way of Chittenden County for the past several years.

Robert R. Wheeler, M.D., is Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont. Dr. Wheeler received his M.D. degree from the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, with clinical training at San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California at San Francisco Hospitals and Clinics. His practice experience includes twelve years in Cottage Grove, Oregon, where he developed a group practice, directed the hospital intensive care unit, and served as Chief of Staff and as a member of the Hospital Board of Directors. He served as Medical Director and as Chief Medical Officer for physician organizations and health plans in Oregon and served as Executive Medical Director for Regence BlueCross BlueShield based in Utah before joining BCBSVT.

Prior to becoming CEO in March, 2010, he was Vice President of the company’s Managed Health Systems division and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of TVHP. With a special interest in health care system improvement, Dr. Wheeler was a founding Board member of the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation and served on the Steering Committee of the Utah Partnership for Value-Driven Health Care. He conducted a randomized trial of ways to improve asthma care, founded the not for profit Health Policy Research Northwest, chaired the Oregon Health Plan Medical Directors Committee, led development of a data warehouse, and piloted use of electronic medical records and electronic prescribing systems.

Ruth K. Greene, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, manages Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont's finance departments, including underwriting, auditing and treasury. Ms. Greene joined the Plan in 2012 after a 26-year career at the Unum Corporation. A Fortune 500 company, Unum is a market leader in employer based long term disability, group life and worksite voluntary programs. Ms. Greene has held a number of positions at Unum, both at its corporate headquarters in Maine and its locations abroad. While in Maine, Ms. Greene worked as vice president of global business technology, vice president of corporate strategic, capital and investment planning and vice president of planning and forecasting. For six years, Ms. Greene held several positions for UNUM Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UNUM located in England. While there, she held several leadership positions in the actuarial, underwriting and finance departments before achieving the position of vice president, director and chief financial officer. She also served as a non-executive director on the Unum Limited board for four years after returning to the U.S.

Ms. Greene grew up in Vermont and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Vermont with a degree in Business Administration. She also earned the certified public accountant designation from Maine.

Daniel Galdenzi, Vice President of Business Technology and Chief Information Officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, oversees all day-to-day operations and strategy for Information Technology and Claim departments. He manages many important aspects of the Plan, including project management organization, infrastructure, application development, enterprise data management, architecture, security, claims operations and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  Mr. Galdenzi served as the Plan’s Corporate Director of IT before taking on his current role.

Prior to joining BCBSVT in March 2010, Mr. Galdenzi help several senior IT management positions in health care, most recently as the Vice President of IT for WellCare, a Medicare and Medicaid plan located in Tampa Florida. He has a Bachelor’s degree in geography and cartography/GIS from Central Connecticut State University.

Ellen Yakubik, Chief Marketing Officer is responsible for all aspects of corporate marketing, product development and wellness strategies, and drives innovative, forward-thinking approaches that leverage organizational strengths and aligns with local and national industry changes brought about by health care reform. She has an in-depth knowledge of health insurance best practices, relevant state and federal regulations and represents the company in interactions with client and regulatory entities. Ms. Yakubik serves her role well as evidenced by a career of successful health and wellness product launches in private and public markets.
Ms. Yakubik joined BCBSVT in January 2006 after 13 years with a regional health plan in the Northeast. Her expertise is as an innovator and conduit for change with a comprehensive marketing, financial, business management, operations and regulatory background.

Ms. Yakubik is a 2004 graduate of the AHIP Certified Managed Care Executive Program and holds an Executive Degree in Managed Care from the University of Missouri. She graduated summa cum laude with a Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Early in her career, Ms. Yakubik had the opportunity to graduate from financial and business development rotation programs at two Fortune 500 companies. She is an avid volunteer for The National Kidney Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.