Centene Corporation is a leading provider of high-quality health care services to the United States. Founded in 1984, it services a range of health care solutions that began in Wisconsin. Around 1997, Centene later expanded its corporate office in St. Louis, Missouri headquarters. Centene Corporation is the largest carrier in the Health Insurance Marketplace and the largest Medicaid-managed care provider with over 30 years of experience in the industry.
Centene Corporation provides services to government-subsidized health care programs. It caters to uninsured and underinsured individuals, Medicare and Medicaid members, families under the TRICARE program, and federal facilities. Learn about the Centene Corporation leaders and executives and their responsibilities here.
Who Is the Founder of Centene Corporation?
Elizabeth Brinn is the founder of Centene Corporation. The business started as a nonprofit medical plan with operations in Family Hospital’s basement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Elizabeth Brinn’s experiences during her younger years in a Milwaukee Country orphanage inspired Centene’s guiding principles of providing solutions to unique health care needs.
Through the years, it grew as a publicly traded company, earning a billion in revenue in its 20th year expanding its services to Ohio, Florida, and Massachusetts consumers.
List of Centene Corporation Leaders and Executives
This section lists the Centene executives. Four executive leadership appointments were made in March 2021, including Brent Layton, Sarah London, Shannon Bagley, and Robert Sanders.
Brent Layton, President of U.S. Health Plans, Products, and International and Chief Operating Officer
Brent Layton became the president of the U.S. Health plans, Products, and International. He has stayed at Centene Corporation for more than two decades where he acquired previous positions as a consultant for five years and later as an employee in 2016. Brent Layton managed the implementation and development of the latest health plans and global operations. He also front-lined the company’s approach with state governments in creating innovative and effective managed care programs.
Sarah London, Chief Executive Officer
Sarah London is Centene Corporation’s CEO. She was previously the company’s vice chairman. In her management roles, she managed the companies’ portfolios not under Centene Corp’s health plans, distributed services and products to third-party clients, and crafted varied platform capabilities. She was also the senior vice president of Technology Innovation and Modernization responsible for health care enterprises-wide execution and technology strategy, especially for state-of-the-art services and products.
Brian LeClaire, Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Brian LeClaire has been Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Centene since December 2022. In this role, he spearheads the information technology strategy for the company, ensuring its alignment with the broader business strategy. Brian primarily delivers secure, innovative, technology-enabled experiences to Centene’s members. Before joining Centene, he was the Director of Technology at Arsenal Capital Partners.
Brian spent much of his career at Humana, where he held various leadership positions, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Services Officer, and Chief Information Officer. During his tenure at Humana, Brian played a pivotal role in transforming the organization’s information technology function, streamlining operations, and positioning the company for remarkable growth in its mission to improve people’s well-being throughout their lives.
Alice Hm Chen, Chief Health Officer
Alice Hm Chen, MD, MPH, is the Chief Health Officer for Centene Corporation. She leads efforts to improve the health of Centene’s 28 million members through strategies, policies, and programs. She has a history of promoting better healthcare for communities with limited resources. Before joining Centene, Chen held critical positions in the State of California, where she played a crucial role in developing healthcare strategies focused on quality, fairness and transforming the delivery system.
Ashlee Knuckey, Chief Risk & Ethics Compliance Officer
Ashlee Knuckey is currently serving as the Chief Risk, Ethics, and Compliance Officer at Centene Corporation. In this position, she leads the Risk and Compliance team to ensure that Centene exceeds the expectations of the government clients, providers, and members. As the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Ms. Knuckey holds enterprise-wide responsibility for driving excellence in Centene’s ethics and compliance program, meeting the expectations of government clients, providers, and members.
With almost 13 years of experience, Ms. Knuckey has specialized in regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters within the healthcare and insurance industries. She is well-known for her expertise in government-sponsored and subsidized programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, PDP, Exchange, and specialty plans.
Chris Koster, Secretary and General Counsel
Chris Koster is currently the Secretary and General Counsel at Centene Corporation, overseeing all legal matters for the company. Before this role, he was Senior Vice President, Secretary, General Counsel, and Senior Vice President of Corporate Services.
During his time at Centene, the company has successfully acquired several other companies, including WellCare Health Plans, in a significant $17.3 billion deal. His extensive experience in legal services, both in the private and public sectors, has been invaluable to Centene’s growth and development during this period.
Drew Asher, Chief Financial Officer
Drew Asher has been the chief financial officer for Centene Corporation since May 2021, a diversified healthcare enterprise providing a wide range of services to government-sponsored healthcare programs, especially for uninsured American citizens.
Mr. Asher joined Centene in conjunction with the closing of the WellCare acquisition in January 2020 where he served as executive vice president. He joined WellCare in August 2014 as senior vice president. Also, he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of WellCare Health Plans beginning in October 2014.
List of Centene Corporation Board of Directors
Here are the Centene Corporation board members.
- Frederick H. Eppinger, Chairman of the Board
- Jessica L. Blume, Retired Vice Chairman of Deloitte
- Kenneth A. Burdick, Former Executive Vice President of Products and Markets of Centene Corporation; Former Chief Executive Officer of WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
- H. James Dallas, Former Senior Vice President, Quality and Operations, Medtronic
- Christopher J. Coughlin, Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tyco International, Ltd.
- Monte E. Ford, Principal Partner for the Chief Information Officer Strategy Exchange (CIOSE)
- Wayne S. DeVeydt, Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Anthem, Inc.
- Sarah M. London, Chief Executive Officer, Centene\
- Theodore R. Samuels, Retired President of Capital Guardian Trust Company
- Lori J. Robinson, Retired United States Air Force General
What Are Centene Corporation’s Products and Services?
Global Solutions
Most health systems are under pressure to adapt to the increasing needs of the population, refine care delivery models, and solve the emerging prevalence of chronic diseases. With more than 35 years of experience in health care, Centene Corporation is doing its best to leverage its technologies, expertise, analytics, and systems to come up with innovative solutions worldwide.
Centene is one of the few selected World Economic Forum Strategic Partners participating in the global initiative in the industry that can help them better understand opportunities outside of the country. Centene aims to extend its global presence in Europe by partnering with Ribera Salud to provide high-quality and efficient health care to professionals, citizens, and institutions. Centene also extends its primary care services to the United Kingdom through its subsidiary, Operose Health.
Whole Health Solutions
Centene Corporation’s whole health solutions aim to provide comprehensive treatment to every individual.
- Dental: Affordable yet high-quality dental care solutions from dental service providers.
- Specialty pharmacy: Provides special drug management services to improve outcomes and care for patients with special conditions.
- Vision: Provides budget-friendly eye exams, frames, contacts, prescription lenses, and eyewear to members.
- Pharmacy benefit management: Special, cost-effective, and comprehensive pharmacy solutions for every person’s health.
- Nurse advice line and after-hours care: Provides on-call nurses and all-day clinical support for patients and partners for institutions looking for alternatives to emergency room visits.
State and National Solutions
- Medicaid: Centene Corporation collaborates with state governments to distribute health coverage to millions of Americans that are qualified low-income pregnant women, children, and adults.
- Medicare: Centene Corporation’s Medicare-Medicaid plans and Medicare Advantage open access to personal care and promote independence and health.
- Military and veterans: The Department of Defense has chosen, Health Net Federal Services, a Centene corporation subsidiary, as a partner for administering managed healthcare programs to ensure that the nation’s military groups are in good health and prepared for the mission.
- Health insurance marketplace: Centene is one of the many companies to successfully navigate the Affordable Care Act. It currently serves more than two million members with Ambetter products and offerings. These insurance plans are specially designed for those ineligible for Medicaid and other government coverages. Services included are the following but not limited to pediatric services, substance abuse services, wellness, and preventive care.
About Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation is a fast-growing company offering affordable best-in-class health options for millions of members in the country. Being the leading health care company, it is committed to improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses and health challenges.
Centene’s vision is a world where all individuals have access to affordable health care services regardless of their circumstances. It does this by providing a wide range of services across multiple channels while collaborating with other organizations to make everything possible. With all these efforts, Centene Corporation leaders and executives are are there to support its cause.