PAT GERAGHTY
PRESIDENT & CEO, FLORIDA BLUE AND GUIDEWELL, JACKSONVILLE
GuideWell is the parent organization for a group of health care companies that collectively employ more than 14,000 in 45 states. The largest company under the GuideWell enterprise is Florida Blue, the Blue Cross Blue Shield plan in Florida. Florida Blue insures more than 5 million people, including 1-million-plus under the Affordable Care Act. Geraghty, one of the most admired executives in the state, has been president and CEO since 2011. “We believe health care is a human right and everyone should have access to affordable care,” he says.
| EDUCATION | Colgate University (BA) |
| PROFESSIONAL EVOLUTION | I began my career in sales at Prudential and was offered an opportunity to move into the health care management side of the business — a lateral move with a pay cut. I consider it the most important career step I’ve made and encourage all of my team members to always volunteer for that risky assignment. |
| SOMETHING SURPRISING | My junior year in college, I went to Israel for a semester and lived on a kibbutz. I was assigned to planting in the fields. I spent all morning in the fields and then afternoons in class. It’s where I really learned about hard work, working as a team and the true meaning of accomplishment. |
| READING | The Code Breaker, by Walter Isaacson |