CareFirst Recognized by Executive Alliance with Honor Roll Award for Women’s Representation
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is at the heart of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield’s (CareFirst) mission, goals and business decisions as one of the country’s largest not-for-profit healthcare organizations representing a large, diverse member population. As a core value, we promote a diverse workforce through various programs and seek out opportunities in our strategic planning to support DEI for women and employees from all backgrounds.
CareFirst is proud to be a recipient of the 2024 Honor Roll Designation by Executive Alliance. Directly reflecting our company values, this award recognizes the representation of women at the highest levels in Maryland businesses and organizations. The Honor Roll Award annually highlights public and private organizations in Maryland that employ women in at least 30% of their executive leadership roles and have women in at least 30% of their board of director seats.
We believe that DEI must be exemplified at the board and executive leadership level to create a strong culture that ties these values to all business decisions, and the board holds leadership accountable to meet these standards. Not only do we have an incredibly diverse board that covers a broad range of demographics and backgrounds, but board leadership is overwhelmingly held by women, including two chairs.
As an organization, we prioritize recruiting, retaining and promoting a diverse workforce to ensure we can best serve a diverse member population with varying identities and perspectives. Our board of directors has a DEI workgroup that elevates DEI visibility and promotes inclusive governance practices across all board committees and procedures. DEI values and expectations are articulated in every committee charter and are reviewed annually to ensure consistency and alignment in mission across all facets of the organization, as communicated to all stakeholders through our annual Mission Report. CareFirst prioritizes the hiring and promotion of women throughout the organization. Through recruitment strategies and initiatives, we’re proud to say that:
- Of our over nearly 6,000 full-time employees, 69% identify as women.
- 50% of all Directors, 61% of Supervisors and 38% of our board at the organization identify as women.
- Women hold high positions within the organization, leading with titles such as Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Digital Information Officer among others.
We are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished through our board, leadership and corporate DEI work, but we recognize there is still much to do. Our programs embody “One Company, One Team,” a CareFirst value that celebrates our diverse backgrounds and experiences to collaborate and deliver on our mission. The success of our work in DEI, due to the commitment of our board, leadership and employees, has exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to its ongoing evolution as we work to further accessible, affordable and equitable healthcare across the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
