Michael Cole

President of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon

As market president, Michael Cole oversees strategy and growth for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, which serves nearly 1 million Oregonians. Cole has over two decades of executive health care leadership experience in a variety of industries, including payer, payment integrity and health care diagnostics.

Throughout his career, he has built strong, collaborative and results-driven cultures. Before joining Regence, Cole served as Aetna’s president of the North Atlantic territory and president of the Aetna Keystone Market overseeing the commercial, Medicare and individual lines of business.

In addition to his strong business leadership, Cole also has a record of significant community work, serving as a long-time board member at Erie Family Health Centers, a federally qualified health center providing safety-net care for the underserved. He also participates as a mentor to the health care startup community through a venture-backed health care incubator and has served as a diversity mentor throughout his career. Cole also serves on the strategic issues committee for the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).

Cole earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration in finance and marketing from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.