DURHAM, N.C. – Colleen Briggs has been named President of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (Blue Cross NC Foundation) taking over for Dr. John Lumpkin, who is retiring in July after six years leading the organization and more than five decades working on behalf of the health and well-being of others. 

Briggs’ appointment builds on her current role as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina’s (Blue Cross NC) Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility where she directs the company’s holistic integration of purpose-driven and business initiatives.  

Before joining Blue Cross NC in 2023, Briggs spent a decade with JPMorgan Chase, leading their Corporate Responsibility and Foundation’s Inclusive Banking and Community Development. Prior to that, she worked as a policy advisor on Capitol Hill helping shape national economic and health care legislation as part of two congressional offices. A sixth generation North Carolinian, Briggs is currently also an adjunct professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she teaches about philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.    

“It’s hard to overstate how happy we are to welcome Colleen into this role,” said Tunde Sotunde, MD, CEO of Blue Cross NC and Blue Cross NC Foundation Chairman. “The perspectives and experience she brings from throughout her career and in her current role at Blue Cross NC will be instrumental in building upon the Foundation’s rich history and commitment to the people and places of our home state. I know we will accomplish great things under her leadership.”  

The shift in leadership complements a strategic shift for the organization which comes after more than a year-long strategic planning process, and multi-year tour of the state, aimed at setting a roadmap for the organization to improve health for all. This process has resulted in a refined direction that centers the Foundation’s resources in three primary areas.

• Establishing a new concentration on Youth Mental Health, Connectedness, and Resilience so that children and youth grow up in strong, supportive environments and have the best opportunity to be mentally healthy and thrive. North Carolina, like many states, is facing a youth mental health crisis marked by a high prevalence of mental health conditions among youth, coupled with significant barriers in access to care.  

• Building upon current approaches to supporting Health through Food, aimed at opening more avenues to healthy food, improving health outcomes, and lowering costs of care. Heart disease and diabetes, for example, are two of the leading causes of death in the state and these diet-related chronic conditions are among the highest cost drivers for the health care system.

• Growing existing efforts to expand Access to Care, working to ensure everyone in North Carolina is connected to, and receives, quality care that allows them to live healthy lives. Of the state’s 100 counties, 92 are currently designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas for primary care and 93 for oral health care.  

“Blue Cross NC Foundation sees an opportunity to help solve some of the most pressing challenges facing our communities,” said Kelly Calabria, Foundation board member and Blue Cross NC Chief Communications, Marketing, and Corporate Social Responsibility Officer. “And so, it's important the organization move with a sense of urgency to support the mental health and well-being of the state’s youth, strengthen the connections between health and food, and invest in solutions to make health care more accessible.”

Grantmaking and other programmatic efforts are underway in each of the three areas. The organization also will maintain a commitment and level of flexibility to respond to emerging needs of the state and its communities, as well as the organizations that serve them.

Learn more about the Foundation at www.bcbsncfoundation.org.

###

 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) ® Registered Marks of the BCBSA.