Health care and the new green economy are my two great passions.
I spent 17 years at UnitedHealth Group, primarily focused on serving older and low-income Americans. I was responsible for forming a relationship with AARP to provide health insurance to its' members, spearheaded UnitedHealth’s entrance into the Medicare Part D pharmacy program, strengthened the company’s clinical and care management capabilities and oversaw the formation of Ovations, a business segment devoted to serving the health needs of people over age 50. I was eventually named President and CEO of the company’s $30 billion Public and Senior Markets Segment, overseeing Medicare and Medicaid-based businesses serving more than 10 million older and low income Americans.
I also had the honor of serving as a senior advisor on rural health issues to First Lady Hillary Clinton from 1993 to 1994. Prior to that, I chaired the Minnesota Health Care Access Commission, which led to the creation of MinnesotaCare, the health plan that covers thousands of low-income Minnesotans.
I left UnitedHealth in 2007 to lead the clean technology initiatives at Piper Jaffray. I became very interested in global climate change after accompanying Will Steger on trip to Norway and the Arctic Circle. There, I saw firsthand the changes occurring in polar ice masses and how this is affecting wildlife. I also saw how successfully Norway – a country with major oil interests – is immersing itself in new energy technologies like wind and biomass. We can do the same and stem the destructive tide of climate change.
In April of 2009, I left Piper Jaffray to become the founder and chief executive officer of Tysvar, LLC, a privately held, Minnesota-based strategic advisory firm focused on clean technology and health care. I founded Tysvar as a continuation of my journey to bring the New Green Economy to scale, and also to actively advocate for universal health care reform, especially in rural and under served areas.
Specialties: Clean energy and technology, health care