On Monday, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) Board unanimously named current Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jim Crawford as Exchange’s interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective June 10, 2022, when current CEO Pam MacEwan retires.
Exchange Board Chair Ron Sims issued the following statement regarding Crawford’s appointment:
“The Exchange Board is pleased to announce Jim Crawford as interim CEO. Jim has done an excellent job overseeing budget strategy and finances as CFO for Exchange over the past three years and understands the organization’s culture and the foundation on which it was built. We know he will work closely with Pam during this transition and continue our critical work in bringing health coverage opportunities to all Washingtonians.
“The board was extremely fortunate to have a highly qualified leadership team from which to choose an interim CEO. We thank them for their dedication, advice, and support during this process. I would like to also thank my fellow board members for their due diligence and guidance to arrive at this timely decision.”
During his more than two decades of public service, Crawford has held several senior level positions in state and local government. This includes managing the public finance and state budgeting process as Assistant Director of the Budget Division of Office of Financial Management. He also served as Senior Budget Assistant to the Governor and worked as Assistant Superintendent for Fiscal and Operations of the Olympia School District where he was responsible for budgeting, strategic planning and support services.
As a next step, the Exchange Board will conduct a broad search for a permanent CEO, which is expected to take six months. This timing will enable the organization to continue to deliver on important organizational initiatives including the unwinding of the public health emergency, pursuit of a new 1332 waiver, roll out Cascade Care Savings and start of open enrollment in fall.
This press release was provided by Washington Healthplanfinder.