ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 13, 2004-- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced key management appointments in support of its growing business.
Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Centene Corporation, stated, "These new appointments reflect our ongoing commitment to growing Centene and to executing on our strategic plan of building a multi-line Medicaid managed care company that is the leading low-cost provider in the industry."
James D. Donovan, Jr., has been named Senior Vice President of Product Development. He will be responsible for developing and rolling out new products in Centene's current markets and leading the expansion into new states.
Donovan, the former President and Chief Executive Officer of AMERIGROUP Texas, has more than 30 years of experience in the managed care industry. At AMERIGROUP, he built and managed a multi-market, multi-product Health Maintenance Organization with revenues of $600 million and serving 340,000 members, achieving profitable results each year. While there, he also won multiple competitive bids for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Mr. Donovan has also designed and implemented long-term care risk products for SSI dual and non-dual eligibles.
Previously he was with Kaiser Permanente for 22 years, where he held increasingly responsible positions in a number of different areas, including Human Resources, Public Relations and Labor Relations, ultimately becoming the Regional Operations Manager of the organization. Among his many contributions is that he achieved a three-year NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance) accreditation in 1995. He began his career as a case analyst with the Economic Stabilization Program -- Pay Board. Mr. Donovan has a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California at Los Angeles, and he received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.
Patricia J. Darnley has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of University Health Plans (UHP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene, based in Newark, New Jersey, and assumes the position held by Alex McLean, who has been named Chairman of the Board. Mr. McLean had served as UHP's President and CEO for the past three years. In this new capacity, Mr. McLean will focus on government and regulatory affairs, and with Mr. Donovan on new product development.
Ms. Darnley has over 20 years of health plan experience and most recently served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health Plan (UPMCHP), the second-largest health insurer in western Pennsylvania, and a subsidiary of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, serving over 400,000 members. She was part of the initial start-up team that developed the plan seven years ago and was responsible for all financial management including formulation and control of the UPMCHP's annual budget, underwriting and actuarial services, and the implementation of all operational components of the health plan (including IS, claims processing, and member and provider services). Ms. Darnley also developed and implemented a strategic provider/payor initiative that resulted in lower health plan administrative costs and greater provider discounts. She holds an M.B.A. from Duquesne University, and received a B.S. in Accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Samuel A. Donaldson, Ph.D., has been named Chief Executive Officer of Cenpatico Behavioral Health, based in Austin, Texas, which provides comprehensive behavioral health products and services to serve children, adolescents and adults. Centene Corporation acquired the wholly-owned subsidiary in 2003. He will report to John D. Tadich, Centene's Senior Vice President, Specialty Companies.
Dr. Donaldson has built an extensive career in behavioral health services and most recently served as a General Manager with Magellan Health Services, a leading behavioral health and employee assistance company, where he managed the Western Pennsylvania's Service Center's customer contracts covering 2.9 million lives, and played a key role in Magellan's corporate product development. He also established a care management resource team which supported various Magellan care management centers, and designed and implemented an innovative intensive care management program for the region, which included predictive models for assessing risk of re-admission. Previously, Dr. Donaldson co-founded Vista Behavioral Health Associates, the largest multi-specialty behavioral health practice in western Pennsylvania.
A licensed psychologist, Dr. Donaldson received a Doctorate in Philosophy from Duquesne University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southern Methodist University.
Mr. Neidorff concluded, "These individuals bring an increased breadth and depth of experience to our organization, and we look forward to their contributions to our business initiatives."
About Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation provides multi-line managed care programs and related services to individuals receiving benefits under Medicaid, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Company operates health plans in Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin. In addition, the Company contracts with other healthcare organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health, nurse triage and pharmacy compliance. Information regarding Centene is available via the Internet at www.centene.com.
CONTACT: Centene Corporation Lisa Wilson, 212-759-3929 or Robert Schenk, 314-725-4477
SOURCE: Centene Corporation