PITTSBURGH—The board of directors of insurance giant Highmark Inc. announced today that it has appointed William Winkenwerder, Jr., MD, MBA, as the company’s new president and chief executive officer. Highmark is the parent company of Highmark Vision Group (HVHC), which operates Davis Vision, Viva International Group and Visionworks, Inc. — the third largest U.S. optical retailer, according to Vision Monday’s annual report.

Dr. Winkenwerder is a leading national health care executive with significant experience in medical care delivery, health insurance operations and national health policy. Among his accomplishments was his tenure as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs in the U.S. Department of Defense from October 2001 through April 2007, where he led the Military Health System's 132,000 personnel and served as the principal medical advisor to Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates.

The Military Health System provides care for 9.5 million people through its extensive network of private physicians and hospitals known as TRICARE and through more than 70 military hospitals worldwide.

“I'm looking forward to joining a great company that has been a leader in the Blue Cross Blue Shield system for many years,” Dr. Winkenwerder said. “While there are many challenges ahead, I'm excited about the many opportunities we have in front of us—including our plans to create a new, integrated delivery system.”

Dr. Winkenwerder, 58, is a graduate of Davidson College, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1976, and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in 1981. He also received a graduate degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1986. He is board certified in internal medicine and practiced primary care for several years.

Highmark’s former president and CEO, Kenneth R. Melani, MD, was terminated for cause on April 1, 2012, for an incident on March 25 that resulted in Melani being arrested for defiant trespass and simple assault.

Highmark Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, and serves 4.9 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware through the company's health care benefits business and is one of the largest Blue plans in the nation. Highmark has 20,000 employees across the country and provides a broad range of health and wellness related services through subsidiary and affiliate companies.