Board Profiles
The board of directors of
Primary Health, Inc. is comprised of the following individuals:
Elwood I. Kleaver, Jr., is
an insurance executive and management consultant with over 30 years executive leadership
experience in the managed care industry, specializing in turnaround activities and
strategic direction. Mr. Kleaver began his career in health care in Washington,
DC, with the national health care association, American Association of Health Plans
(formerly known as Group Health Association of America) as its chief financial officer.
He continued to advance his career and became the chief executive officer of several
for-profit private and public companies as well as county health care organizations.
He serves on several board of directors and advises venture capital firms on health
care matters. In addition to his board responsibilities at Primary Health, Mr. Kleaver
has assumed the role of chief executive officer of Primary Health, Inc. Mr. Kleaver
holds a Master of Commercial Science in Financial Management degree from Benjamin
Franklin University.
Walter C. Minnick is the Chairman
and CEO of SummerWinds Garden Centers, Inc., a privately owned group of 16 high-end
retail nurseries located in the western United States and Canada. He is the former
President and Chief Executive Officer of TJ International, Inc., a $600 million
NASDAQ public corporation. Mr. Minnick was associated with the firm of Davies, Biggs,
Strayer, Stoel & Boley, Portland, Oregon, from 1969 to 1970 in the private practice
of law. He served as 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and then joined the Nixon White
House staff as a Staff Assistant to the President, Domestic Council, Washington
D.C., from 1971 to 1972. He was appointed a Deputy Assistant Director of the Office
of Management and Budget from 1972 to 1973. In 1974 he joined Trus Joist Corporation.
During his 21-year tenure with that company, he successively held the positions
of corporate secretary; Boise plant manager; national manufacturing manager; and
vice president, division operations. He was elected president, chief operating officer
and director in 1979. In 1986 he assumed the additional responsibility of Chief
Executive Officer. The company changed its name to TJ International in 1988. He
resigned as president and CEO in 1995. He became chairman and CEO of SummerWinds
Garden Centers in March 1998. Mr. Minnick has a B.A. degree from Whitman College,
an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a J.D., magna cum laude from Harvard
Law School.
Rich Nelson has strong ties
and a long history in Idaho. Nelson began his career in Boise as a life insurance
agent with Mutual of New York. In 1982, he joined Blue Cross of Idaho as a Sales
Manager, and in 1986, moved to BlueShield of Idaho as Vice President of Marketing.
In 1991, Nelson became president & CEO of BlueShield of Idaho, and in 1995 was a
co-founder of The Regence Group. Nelson has also served as President and CEO of
Pierce County Medical BlueShield and Regence BlueShield of Washington. A strong
advocate for education, Nelson earned his designation as a Registered Health Underwriter
and Certified Health Consultant. A graduate of Boise State University with a B.A.
in Business, Nelson serves on the BSU Foundation Board and has been recognized as
a Distinguished Alumni. Nelson is currently president & CEO of Combined Benefits
Insurance Company, a subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of Montana, Inc., and lives
in Helena, Montana.
Barbara Santry was named Chairperson
of the Board in November, 2002. Ms. Santry co-founded Capstone Ventures in 1996
where she concentrates on investments in the health care industry. She has been
a venture capitalist since 1991 and a professional investor since 1983. Barbara
entered the venture capital industry in 1991 as a general partner at Pathfinder
Ventures. Prior to that, she was a nationally recognized securities analyst specializing
in health care stocks as a Senior Vice President at Dain Bosworth and a Vice President
at Alex. Brown & Sons. Prior to this, she saw service in the hospital management
industry and in the federal government, where she launched the Medicaid Fraud and
Abuse Surveillance Effort. She also served in the United States Navy, where she
was a Nurse Corps Officer. She holds a B.S.N. from Georgetown University and a M.B.A.
from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
Ryan Schwarz focuses on health
care investments for Carlyle Venture Partners, a major venture capital firm based
in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Carlyle in 1997, Mr. Schwarz was a Vice President
in Robertson Stephens & Company’s health care investment banking group. Prior to
joining Robertson Stephens, Mr. Schwarz was with the Mergers and Acquisitions department
of Morgan Stanley & Co. Mr. Schwarz is a magna cum laude graduate of Duke University,
received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and received his M.B.A.,
with distinction, from Harvard Business School.