Susan Mullaney is executive vice president of strategic initiatives at Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan with $25 billion in annual revenue serving 4.8 million members in the state's commercial, individual and government markets.
With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Mullaney has developed a deep commitment and connection to health care. She has worked globally and nationally with government agencies, health plans, health systems and pharmaceutical companies on strategy, value-based care, payer-provider innovation and collaboration, health system transformation, operational excellence, digital health and growth acceleration, as well as leadership development, people strategy and change management.
Prior to joining Blue Shield, Mullaney served on the national executive team and later as president of Kaiser Permanente Washington for 14 years. She led a team that developed the most comprehensive virtual healthcare platform nationally, providing members 24/7 on-demand access to care, which then served as the basis for one of the nation’s first virtual health plan products in 2021. She was also a member of Kaiser Permanente’s national Precision Medicine and Genomics committee, as well as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. She most recently worked as a senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group.
Mullaney has also made an impact through her board service with Seattle Children’s Hospital and Saltchuk, a $4 billion, privately held logistics company in accelerated growth mode. In addition, she mentors early-stage, science-based healthcare technology companies through Creative Destruction Lab, a healthcare accelerator that works with leading universities across the globe. Mullaney played an integral role in positioning the greater Seattle area as one of the most vibrant, innovative and globally responsive regions in the world through her work as chair of Challenge Seattle, where she championed regional goals for racial equity and worked with the governor’s office on a comprehensive public-private response to COVID-19.
Mullaney received a master’s in health care policy and management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a bachelor’s from Eastern Connecticut State University.