Kaiser Permanente Leaders Named to Diversity MBA Magazine's Top 100 Under 50 List

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Four Kaiser Permanente leaders have been named to Diversity MBA Magazine's Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders list. Margaret Lapiz, vice president, Strategy and Integration, The Permanente Medical Group;  Rich Smith, vice president, Human Resources, Northwest Region; Julie Stoss, vice president, Government Relations; and Todd Trotter, senior director, National Human Resources, Compliance, and Enterprise Risk Management, were recognized by the publication for their outstanding leadership.

"Kaiser Permanente is proud to have four of our leaders recognized for their exceptional achievements and commitment to diversity and inclusion," said Ronald L. Copeland, MD, FACS, senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer for Kaiser Permanente. "Our communities, consumers and workforce are increasingly multicultural, making it imperative for leaders to value diversity of thought, culture, experience and talent to achieve optimal individual and team results. These four leaders leverage diversity as a strength to drive the highest levels of performance and innovation."

Diversity MBA Magazine, a quarterly publication that aims to serve the needs of multicultural professionals in corporate America as well as business students and entrepreneurs, will honor the Top 100 leaders in the publication's fall 2014 issue. The honorees were selected from a highly competitive list of 300 applicants.

"In our eighth year celebrating the top 100 executives and emerging leaders, organizations continue to share their brightest talents with the marketplace," says Pam McElvane, CEO and publisher. "These leaders value excellence not only in their work, but also they value continuous learning as demonstrated by their pursuit of higher education."

Awardees were honored at The Diversity MBA 2014 Awards Gala on September 18.

More information about Kaiser Permanente's honorees:

Margaret Lapiz
Margaret Lapiz is vice president of Strategy and Integration at The Permanente Medical Group, based in Oakland, California. As a member of The Permanente Medical Group's executive leadership team, she provides strategic leadership in multiple areas including finance, operations, capital, communications, human resources and technology adoption. Lapiz's responsibilities include overseeing a $200 million annual operating budget. She also plays a critical role in determining how the medical group's annual revenue are allocated cross the care delivery system. Lapiz received an MBA and MPA from the University of California at Berkeley.

Rich Smith 
Rich Smith is vice president of Human Resources for Kaiser Permanente's Northwest Region in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, he held various human resource positions with organizations such as Pfizer, Inc., Mobil Corporation, and Union Carbide Corporation. He received an MBA from the University of Oklahoma and a juris doctorate from Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut. He serves on the boards of Albertina Kerr Centers, Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest, and serves as chair of the Black Parent Initiative board.

Julie Stoss 
Julie Stoss is vice president of Government Relations for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., based in Oakland, California. She focuses on providing strategic counsel and legislative and analytical support to Kaiser Permanente's legislative representatives in Washington, D.C., and its state capitols. She also represents Kaiser Permanente before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Stoss is a board member and past chair of Californians Allied for Patient Protection and is a board member for the Civil Justice Association of California.

Todd Trotter
Todd Trotter is the senior director of National Human Resources, Compliance, and Enterprise Risk Management at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. He is a seasoned human resources professional with experience spanning labor relations, workforce planning, operations, consulting and compliance. Trotter's primary focus is supporting Kaiser Permanente's commitment to affirmative action and equal employment opportunities. He is leading efforts to create more employment opportunities for veterans and active service members, as well as ensuring that Kaiser Permanente's medical facilities are supporting the needs of members and patients who are veterans.

For more information about these awards, please visit Diversity MBA's website www.diversitymbamagazine.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 currently serve approximately 9.5 million members in eight 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 kp.org/share.

For More Information
Caitlin Cobb, (510) 271-5955, [email protected]
Ron Rogers, (510) 271-6030, [email protected]

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente