| Angela Braly (née Fick) | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1961 Dallas, Texas |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Texas Tech University, Southern Methodist University |
| Occupation | President & CEO, WellPoint, Inc. |
Angela F. Braly (born July 1, 1961 in Dallas, Texas) is president and chief executive officer for WellPoint, Inc., a large US-based health care company, and is a member of the company's board of directors. She assumed those responsibilities on June 1, 2007, following several high-profile roles for the company.
Prior to her current position, Braly served as executive vice president, general counsel and chief public affairs officer for WellPoint. In that role, she was responsible for public policy development, government relations, legal affairs, corporate communications, marketing, and social responsibility initiatives. She also had operational responsibility for the nation's largest Medicare claims processing business and the federal employee health benefits business. Braly was also a key strategist during WellPoint's acquisition of New-York based WellChoice in 2005.
In January 1999, Braly joined the company as general counsel for RightCHOICE (currently Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri). She also oversaw the Missouri plan's government relations efforts. During that time, she managed the legal strategy resulting in the creation of The Missouri Foundation for Health, which serves the health care needs of underinsured and uninsured people in Missouri. She later became president and CEO of the Missouri plan, managing all aspects of the business and setting strategies to meet customer needs.
Prior to that, Braly was a partner in the St. Louis law firm of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C.
Braly received her undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University in 1982 and her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law.[1] She graduated from Richardson High School in 1979.
On February 24, 2010, Braly gave testimony to Congress defending Wellpoint's insurance premium increases."Health Insurance Executive Defends Higher Premiums". New York Times. February 24, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/health/policy/25health.html?partner=rss&emc=rss. Retrieved 2010-02-24. Braly became chairwoman of the Wellpoint board on March 1, 2010.[2]
She was recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business for 2000 and was named one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women in Healthcare in 2007. Forbes listed Braly as the sixteenth most powerful woman in the world in 2007,[3] fourth most powerful in 2008,[4] and eighth most powerful in 2009.[5] Fortune ranked Braly the fourth most powerful woman in business in America in 2007,[6] fifth most powerful in 2008.,[7] and fourth most powerful in 2009.[8]
As of April 2009, Braly had the 306th highest compensation for a US CEO, having earned $4.07 million,[9] which is 74th among females.[10] She owns $4.6 million worth of WellPoint stock, or .02% of the company.[9] In 2007, Braly earned $14.86 million, mostly in stock options.[11] Total compensation was $8.7 million in 2008 and $13.1 million in 2009.[12]
She generally supports Republican political candidates with campaign contributions.[13]