Patricia A. Howard

Patricia is an executive with more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She possesses strong payer, provider, hospital, care management, IT, administrative and global operations expertise. Her product portfolio experience spans the healthcare ecosystem and business operations, including behavioral health, dental, medical, M&A, strategy, risk management, organizational design, and cost containment across all market segments. Patricia served as Senior Vice President for Highmark Health Plan Options, United Health Group Optum360, Magellan Behavioral Health, and Horizon BCBSNJ as Senior Director. In each assignment, Patricia directed and optimized business operations that are designed to deliver solutions that support sustainable and diversified growth as well as to create a differentiated experience for customers. She worked closely with leadership to identify and set the vision and goals of the Health Plan, Hospital System, and Diversified Businesses operations. This included the design of an integrated payer/provider operating model. Patricia was also accountable for enterprise E2E processes, system migrations, and transformational strategies with targeted business, financial and operational outcomes, leveraging the talents of the 6,000 employees for which she was accountable and a budget of more than $1B. As an entrepreneur, Patricia leverages her experience to support C-Suite leaders as they grow and transform their organizations.

Patricia’s professional journey began during a walk downtown with her then 8th-grade teacher turned dear friend of 43 years.

Patricia served on the Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas/Monmouth Medical Center Board. She serves on the advisory board for two startups. Patricia served as executive sponsor for the Black Network Business Resource Group during her assignment at Highmark and co-chairs the DEI committee for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

Patricia attended Upsala College and has participated in many leadership development programs, such as the Darden School of Business and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Patricia resides in NJ with her husband, Carl Howard, former NFL Player for Dallas Cowboys & NY Jets turned IT executive. They have three children; Courtney, Colby & Connor and they are the center of their lives.