Bernard Tyson Named Chair of The Executive Leadership Council

OAKLAND. Calif., Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bernard Tyson, president and chief operating officer of Kaiser Permanente, has been named chair of The Executive Leadership Council– a preeminent organization composed of African-American senior executives from the nation's Fortune 500 corporations that recognizes the strengths, success, contributions and impact of African-American business leaders. His term as chair runs through December 31, 2013.

"As chair, my role is to harness the collective energy and intellect of the ELC for the benefit of corporate America," Tyson said. "We must continue our focus on increasing the presence of highly qualified, capable and competent African-Americans at the CEO level or one to two levels below and on the boards of publicly-traded companies."

Tyson succeeds Jessica Isaacs of Marsh, Inc., who chaired the organization from 2009-2011. "Under Jessica's watch, the ELC entered a new era of visibility. She helped increase membership by more than 125 new members and spearheaded the enhancements to our overall board governance, member value proposition and was instrumental in the hiring of the ELC's new CEO, Arnold W. Donald, among other successes," said Tyson. "Her efforts have had a profound impact on the future of the organization and I am proud to continue the momentum."

As president and COO of Kaiser Permanente, Tyson is responsible for the organization's operations, and, working with his team of senior executives, oversees all health plan and hospital functions. Under his leadership is a workforce of 167,000 employees. Tyson and his team partner with the Permanente Medical Groups, which contract exclusively with Kaiser Permanente, to deliver on the mission of providing high-quality, affordable health care for 8.9 million members and to improve the health of those members and the communities served.

"Bernard is an extremely effective leader with a demonstrated track record of achievement through collaboration, inclusion, and acceptance," said George C. Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. "His methods have produced very powerful outcomes within Kaiser Permanente. I am certain he will bring the same spirit to the ELC."

Tyson has been recognized for his work both within and outside of health care. In 2010 he was named one of the 25 most influential African-Americans in health care by Black Health magazine, and one of the top 25 minority executives in the nation by Modern Healthcare. In 2007 Golden Gate University in San Francisco recognized him as "Alumnus of the Year." In 2001 he received the NAACP's Freedom Fund Award.

Tyson serves on the board of the American Heart Association and Occidental College in Los Angeles. He is actively engaged in many philanthropic and community-based events and supports numerous charitable activities.

"We welcome Bernard's energy, enthusiasm and leadership as chair of The Executive Leadership Council's Board of Directors," said Arnold W. Donald, president and CEO of The Council. "Bernard has been a very active member for many years, and we look forward to benefiting from his knowledge, creativity and guidance as we advance our efforts to increase African-American leadership at the most senior levels and on the boards of America's largest corporations."

About The Executive Leadership Council
The Executive Leadership Council is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(6) corporation founded in 1986, providing African- American executives of major U.S. companies with a professional network and forum to offer perspective and direction on national and international business and public policy issues. Our programs develop future business leaders, filling the pipeline from the classroom to the boardroom. It is the preeminent organization that recognizes the strengths, success, contributions, and impact of African-American corporate business leaders. Council members – more than 450 executives, more than one-third of them women – represent more than 280 Fortune 500 corporations. For more information, please visit http://www.elcinfo.com.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We serve approximately 8.9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

For more information
Farra Levin, [email protected], 510-267-7364
Michael Dutton, [email protected], 202-246-7188

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente