A veteran industry leader with more than 25 years of experience, Don is frequently asked to share his insights through national media and events. He speaks often around the importance of behavioral health access, servant leadership and value-based care as the future of healthcare. 

Prior to joining Providence Health Plan in 2021, Don served as Senior Vice President of Growth at Blue Shield of California where he led membership growth and held P&L accountability for every line of business. He also served as the Chief Business Officer of 10xHealth, an advanced technology solutions company and has also held various leadership roles within other organizations in the health insurance industry nationally, making him well-versed in the U.S. payer landscape.

Don holds a master's degree in public policy analysis and administration from the State University of New York at Binghamton University, and a bachelor's degree in political science from the State University of New York at Cortland. 

Aaron’s experience in the early implementation of the Affordable Care Act both in management and as outside counsel helped Providence Health Plan become a leader in Oregon’s ACA markets. He now works to ensure compliance with applicable law across lines of business and geographies, provides strategic leadership in relation to enterprise risk, and ensures appropriate advocacy for public policy that is aligned with Providence’s mission and core values.

Prior to joining Providence Health Plan, Aaron was in private law practice in Portland, Oregon. His work focused on commercial litigation, appeals, and administrative law. He represented Providence in that capacity and provided general counsel advice with respect to health plan matters. He also served as a law clerk in the litigation section of the Oregon Department of Justice.

Aaron earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon School of Law. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in Journalism and Political Science.

Scott is an active member of the community and serves as a board member and past chair of the Children’s Cancer Association, a Portland-based nonprofit that provides at-home and in-hospital “music as medicine” for critically ill children.  

Before assuming his current role of Market President, Commercial, Scott served as Vice President of Growth Strategies. He joined Providence Health Plan in May 2022 and is based in Oregon.

Shannon works with insurance producers and community members to navigate the complexities of Medicare, Medicaid, and Individual health insurance, with the goal of seamless and easy access to care. A veteran of Medicare sales, she is known as a trusted subject matter expert in the field as well as a successful, authentic leader.

Shannon began her 20+ year career at PHP as a Medicare Customer Service Representative in 1994 and worked her way up through the ranks of customer service, marketing and sales in the insurance industry, focusing on Medicare.

Shannon is currently based in Oregon.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Regena oversees the Office of the CEO, which includes executive engagement and strategic partnerships as well as communications, regulatory compliance, risk management and government affairs (RCGA), the Medicaid program – a critical, continued area of focus for PHP – and PHP’s Mission integration team. She is also Executive Sponsor of PHP’s Caregiver Culture and Experience Committee which focuses on cultivating an inspiring employee experience that fosters career growth and workplace well-being by connecting the Providence Mission, Promise and Values to our communities.

Regena’s professional philosophy, formed through more than 25 years of experience in healthcare, is predicated on her profound desire to build trusted relationships through service to others, both within the organization and across the broader community. She sees PHP as part of an ecosystem and believes there is great strength in bringing ideas forward and forging new connections. She approaches strategic partnerships as an opportunity to engage with organizations with shared goals and advance the needs of communities we serve.

Before joining Providence Health Plan, Regena served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Medecision, a digital health and consulting company in Dallas, where she and her team achieved ambitious growth objectives that propelled the company forward in its market. Prior to that, she was Director of Public Relations and Stakeholder Communications at Cambia Health Solutions in Portland, with oversight of national strategic communications for a wide variety of healthcare companies including health plans in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Utah. Earlier in her career, for nearly 15 years, Regena led Public Relations and Corporate Communications at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, where her team repeatedly drew accolades for the impact of their business- and consumer-focused campaigns.

In keeping with her dedicated commitment to community engagement and penchant for creating partnerships to improve healthcare access, experiences and outcomes, Regena serves on the Stand for Children Oregon Advisory Board, the TASTE for Equity Steering Committee and Portland Metro Chamber board.

Regena earned her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and her bachelor’s in journalism degree from Creighton University in Omaha, NE.

Prior to his current role, Brad served as chief sales and underwriting officer as well as senior director of sales & account services, where he was responsible for sales, member retention and service of insured and self-insured groups. Brad also managed the health plan’s underwriting department for 10 years, playing a significant role in the health plan’s financial success and membership growth. Prior to his time at Providence, Brad worked for ODS Health Plans (now Moda Health), as well as a property and casualty insurance company.

Brad graduated with distinction from Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, earning an MBA. Brad also holds an MBA from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and completed his undergraduate studies at Linfield University, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business-Economics. Brad is a veteran of the U.S. Army, receiving a Meritorious Service Medal for his service during Operation Desert Storm.

Prior to joining PHP, Michael served as Chief Information Officer at Blue Shield of California where he also held the role of Executive Vice President. Throughout his nearly 10-year career with Blue Shield of California, he led the company’s technology operations, strategy, and investments while also serving as the organization’s Executive Vice President of Customer Service. Michael also spent 16 years at Aetna where he held the positions of Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer, directing the company’s technology strategy and information delivery systems. He also held a variety of roles with U.S. Health Care Inc., UBS, and Educational Testing Services.

In 2019, Michael was inducted into CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame. That same year, Michael received the CIO of the Year Award from the Bay Area CIO Leadership Association. Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Long Island University.

A thoughtful leader known to inspire others through unclouded vision and courageous authenticity, Cheryl is enthusiastic about helping others and is deeply aligned with Providence Health Plan’s dedication to compassionately providing the highest quality care to all people.

Before joining Providence Health Plan, Cheryl served as Vice President of Growth Operations for commercial and consumer markets at Blue Shield of California where she successfully reimagined and launched strategic operating models across multiple lines of business. These models served to close the gap between basic operations and the fundamental change required to drive growth, optimize functional operations, and improve the capabilities and services offered through innovative technology.

Prior to Blue Shield of California, Cheryl served as the Vice President of Client Growth Strategy at UnitedHealth Group – OptumRx where she was accountable for developing and driving initiatives which supported growth and retention functions across all medical and Rx integrated commercial business. She has also held several roles with Medco.

Cheryl resides in Granite Bay, California with her two children. In her own time, she actively mentors and develops others, is a founding member of the women’s only executive leadership group, Chief of San Francisco, and volunteers as a Youth Girl soccer coach.

Kristin’s 20+ years of experience in setting strategy, driving growth and empowering organizations to transform has prepared her to guide PHP’s large-scale growth strategies and corporate development initiatives, including geographic expansion and strategic partnerships.

A trusted advisor and thought partner, Kristin leverages cross-functional collaboration to drive strong relationships. She works tirelessly to build consensus across all organizational levels. Her diverse background working for health insurers (Blue Shield of California), consulting firms (HealthScape and Accenture), and pharmaceutical companies (Abbott and Elli Lilly), bring an unmatched breadth of expertise and inform Kristin’s insight into emerging trends and opportunities in the health care industry.

Kristin was drawn to PHP for its Mission, culture and talent. She is known as a “dot connector” with an “art of the possible” mindset. She connects strategy to execution and inspires leaders to innovate and act. She is an avid people leader who builds high-performing teams and fosters a culture of excellence.

Kristin earned her MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her Bachelor of Arts in pre-med and psychology from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Lina is instrumental in growing Providence Health Plan’s multi-state footprint, helping expand access to high-quality, compassionate care for Members and our communities.

Lina joins Providence Health Plan following a 23-year career with Blue Shield of California, where she led a multitude of service lines including financial planning, Medicare, strategy, and corporate development. Her most recent roles include Vice President and General Manager for Medicare and Vice President of Corporate Strategic Integration. She also served as Vice President of Healthcare Quality and Affordability Finance, where she was responsible for initiatives in lowering care costs.

Lina was honored as one 2017’s most influential women in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times. She holds a Master of Business Administration and information technology degree from Golden Gate University and a bachelor’s degree in finance from San Francisco State University’s Lam Family College of Business.

She is focused on delivering on the Providence Health Plan Mission though exceptional product innovation and purpose-driven initiatives that bring value, support organizational growth and improve the lives of the people and communities that Providence Health Plan serves.

With more than 20 years’ experience, Caresse has dedicated her career to building and transforming brand and marketing operations at consumer-centered organizations. Before joining Providence Health Plan, she developed and led marketing strategies and teams at several different organizations including Regence BlueCross & BlueShield, Pacific Sun Industries and Johnson & Johnson. Drawing from her previous experience working with global brands and packaged goods, Caresse brings a unique perspective and exceptional insight to the Providence Health Plan Executive Leadership Team.

A relentless advocate for the most vulnerable populations, Caresse is passionate about giving a voice to the disenfranchised and works to remove barriers and reduce hardships through actively engaging in her community. She currently serves on the board of Central City Concern, a non-profit dedicated to ending homelessness through a holistic, person-first approach. Caresse has also worked closely with the Oregon Department of Corrections and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to bring support and caring to incarcerated and paroled youth, among several other volunteer activities.

Caresse earned her MBA from the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business, specializing in statistics. She was also awarded the graduate teaching fellow position for new product marketing and marketing strategies courses. Additionally, Caresse was the research analyst for the NYU marketing department where she applied statistical tools, marketing models and data analysis techniques for the purposes of market segmentation, user profiling and product positioning strategies. Caresse earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Southern Oregon University.

Caresse is an Oregon native, with family roots in Hawaii. She enjoys being a mother, volunteering, golfing, snowboarding, backpacking and most of all spending time with family.

Dr. Soot has nearly 30 years’ experience at Providence, including seven years overseeing medical management at PHP. Her broad clinical expertise guides PHP’s development of clinically appropriate policies and supports evidence-based decision making.

She brings a visionary leadership style and true passion about health care delivery reform as it relates to social determinants of health, population health management and payment models. Actively involved with advocacy and health care reform locally and at the state and the national level, Dr. Soot is recognized for helping to implement innovative healthcare delivery solutions, using data analytics to drive strategic growth and actively addressing health equity while improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Soot has served in leadership positions within the American College of Surgeons, The Oregon Clinic, and the Providence St. Joseph Health system. She currently chairs the PHP Medical Policy Committee and is a member of the Oregon Health Leadership Council Evidence-Based Best Practice Committee.

Dr. Soot earned her medical degree from University of Washington, Seattle, and completed her surgical residency at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland.

A purpose-driven, visionary leader, Timshel brings her experience and passion to champion equity and health for all.

Throughout her career, Timshel has been instrumental in leading business excellence, DEI strategy, growth strategies, and strengthening corporate culture and diversity. Timshel joined Providence Health Plan in June 2023 from SCAN Health Plan. Prior to that, she held leadership roles at Cambia Health Solutions in both compensation and performance strategy, and as a human resources partner. She served our country and built her professional foundation as a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force.

Timshel actively supports her community and has served as a board member for Catholic Charities, president of the Board for Candlelighters for Children with Cancer, and community board member for the Clackamas County Compensation Committee. She is a respected thought leader on business excellence, DEI, and culture-building, presenting at national events and conferences including HLTH 2022, The Impact Summit, and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. Timshel holds a Master of Business Administration and bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix, as well as numerous certifications in compensation, risk management, and strategy.