DURHAM, N.C. -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) announced today that Danielle C. Gray has been named Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary. Gray will lead areas that include legal, government affairs, compliance and ethics, audit, and health policy. Gray will also serve as a primary liaison to the Board of Trustees. Gray replaces King Prather, who retired in December. She will report directly to Blue Cross NC President and CEO Patrick Conway, and will begin her appointment in March 2018.
“Danielle is thorough, strategic and innovative in tackling legal, business and policy issues,” said Conway. “She handles complex situations and relationships well, and she’ll play a central role as we work to become a model Blue Plan. She’ll help us keep on top of our complex regulatory environment and maintain our commitment to doing things the right way to deliver exceptional service and outcomes to our customers.”
Gray brings extensive experience in legal, policy and regulatory matters from both government and business to Blue Cross NC. Gray is currently a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where she advises health care companies, financial services institutions, universities, and clients in a range of industries on litigation, internal investigations, and government enforcement actions. Gray represents several leading health insurers in litigation and regulatory matters arising out of Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, ERISA, and other health care laws and regulations. A founding member and co-chair of O’Melveny’s Data Security and Privacy group, Gray’s practice also includes advising companies on cybersecurity risk management and incident response. She has received broad recognition from The National Law Journal, Newsweek, Crain’s and other publications for her work as a crisis manager, trusted advisor, and civil litigator.
“Blue Cross NC is an excellent, mission-driven company and I am honored to join the team,” said Gray. “I look forward to contributing to the important work of improving health care outcomes for millions of North Carolinians.”
Prior to joining O’Melveny, Gray served in several public service roles in the White House and Department of Justice. As Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary, Gray was responsible for policy and communications coordination among all Cabinet-level agencies. As Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, Gray advised the President and senior staff on key economic policy decisions. As Associate Counsel to the President, Gray provided legal advice on domestic and economic policy initiatives, and played a lead role on judicial selection. And as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, she helped supervise litigation of high-impact civil cases at the Justice Department.
Gray earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy from Duke University and her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she was an Editor of the Harvard Law Review. She served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Merrick Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and to Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Gray is a member of the American Law Institute, the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States, and the Aspen Institute Economic Strategy Group.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina improves the health and well-being of our customers and communities through innovative health care products, insurance, services and information to more than 3.9 million members, including approximately 1 million served on behalf of other Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plans. Since 1933, we have worked to make North Carolina a better place to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. Blue Cross NC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at bcbsnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
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