EAGAN, Minn., Feb. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After five years as president and chief executive officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), Michael Guyette has informed the company's Board of Trustees that he will leave in March to pursue another CEO leadership opportunity. The Board has named Kathleen Blatz, a current Blue Cross board member, to serve as interim CEO. A search for a new CEO has been initiated by the Board.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (PRNewsFoto/Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MN)

"On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I want to thank Mike for his successful leadership over the past five years," said current Board Chair Rita Heise. "During a time of unprecedented change, Mike was able to grow our overall membership and successfully navigate Blue Cross through many complexities and transformations. He launched multiple innovation efforts and new diversified businesses while simultaneously strengthening our core health insurance operations. The Board is very grateful for all of Mike's accomplishments and we wish him the very best in his new role."

Guyette will join VSP Global as CEO, where he will lead a global vision business that includes retail, manufacturing, innovation and insurance.

Guyette joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota in January 2012. In addition to his role as president and chief executive officer, he served as a member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Board of Trustees and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Board.

Guyette will closely collaborate with Blatz over the next several weeks to ensure a smooth transition.

"Kathleen Blatz is uniquely qualified to lead this organization during the search for a new CEO," added Heise. "Her vast legislative and legal expertise have brought tremendous value to the Board, and she has the full trust and confidence of the Blue Cross executive leadership team. I am confident that Kathleen will build on Mike's accomplishments as Blue Cross continues to move forward on implementing key strategies and serving our non-profit mission of making a healthy difference in people's lives. The company could not be in better hands."

About Interim CEO Kathleen Blatz

Before her 1996 gubernatorial appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court as an associate justice, Blatz practiced law at a Minneapolis law firm and later served the citizens of Hennepin County, first as an assistant county attorney and then as a district court judge. She was also elected for eight terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, serving on various committees including the Health and Human Services Committee. Blatz served as chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1998 to 2006. She joined the Blue Cross board of Trustees in 2009. In 2017, Blatz spent five months as interim chair of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Authority, which oversees the operations of U.S. Bank stadium in Minneapolis.  

Blatz holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame, a master's degree from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota's first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A nonprofit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.9 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go to bluecrossmn.com to learn more.

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SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

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