Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation Welcomes New Members to Its Board of Directors; Awards Additional COVID-19 Responsive Grants
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. (December 14, 2020) — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation welcomes Dr. Rachel Hardeman, Maria Regan Gonzalez and Nash Shaikh to its board of directors. Dr. Hardeman is an associate professor and Blue Cross endowed professor of health and racial equity at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Regan Gonzalez is the mayor of Richfield and a principal sustainability design consultant at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross). Shaikh is a director of human resources technology and operations at Blue Cross.
With these additions, the board totals eight members including four community representatives and four leaders of Blue Cross, with fifty percent of board members identifying as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).
“We are thrilled to welcome these leaders to our board,” said Dr. Mark Steffen, chair of the Blue Cross Foundation board and chief medical officer of Blue Cross. “It is critical that the Foundation’s board of directors be representative of the communities we serve throughout Minnesota. This representation takes many forms including racial and ethnic identities, diverse lived experiences, physical geography and connection to communities experiencing health inequities.”
Carolyn Link, president of the Foundation, added, “The insights and vision of our new board members will be vital as we move forward in deepening our commitment to racial and health equity across Minnesota.”
Dr. Rachel Hardeman is a reproductive health equity researcher who uses population health science and health services research to explain how racism is a critical and complex determinant of health inequity. Dr. Hardeman leverages critical race theory and reproductive justice to inform her equity-centered work, which aims to build the empirical evidence of racism’s impact on health. In 2020, she was named the first Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Endowed Professor of Health and Racial Equity.
Maria Regan Gonzalez is a principal sustainability design consultant on Blue Cross’ Population Health team, where she focuses on building partnerships and collaboration at the intersection of business and community health needs. She is also the first Latina mayor in Minnesota, serving the city of Richfield, where she is focused on building a healthy and thriving community where people have a strong sense of belonging.
Nash Shaikh is a director of human resources technology and operations at Blue Cross and is a leader in diversity and inclusion within the organization. She is also the former president and current board member of the India Association of Minnesota, which aims to build a strong and cohesive community of over 50,000-strong Asian Indians in the state of Minnesota.
In addition to announcing its new board members, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation has also granted an additional $300,000 to 16 grantee partners. These grants will support efforts to address ongoing community needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic including food security, housing stability, economic relief and anti-xenophobia efforts. These grants are the most recent way in which the Foundation has delivered on its commitment of being responsive and supportive in these unprecedented times.