DURHAM, N.C. – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) announced Dr. Meg Booth Powell and Larry B. Wooten as the newest members of its Board of Trustees. In addition to welcoming Powell and Wooten, Blue Cross NC has appointed existing board member Edward L. (Ned) Curran to board chair. The Blue Cross NC board consists of community leaders across North Carolina with varied backgrounds in health care, education, business and finance.

“Decades of business expertise, paired with their strong ties to the community, make Dr. Meg Booth Powell and Larry Wooten great additions to our board, and Ned Curran an ideal choice as board chair,” said Blue Cross NC CEO and President Dr. Tunde Sotunde. “Their unique perspectives will help deliver on our mission to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities and drive the path for our company’s sustainable growth.”

Curran assumes the role of board chair on Feb. 11, 2021, succeeding Frank B. Holding Jr., who will remain on the board.

Edward L. (Ned) Curran
Curran is founding principal and president of Stone Cottage Advisors, where he consults on real estate engagements. He has worked in commercial real estate and accounting for more than 40 years and served as CEO and CEO emeritus at large commercial real estate organizations, including the Bissell Companies and Northwood Office. He began his professional career as a CPA with Ernst & Young, where he was the director of tax for the Charlotte office.  

In addition to serving on the Blue Cross NC Board of Trustees the past four years, Curran has a broad history of civic and community engagement. He has held various board and leadership positions with the North Carolina Board of Transportation, the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, The United Way of Central Carolinas, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Health Advisory Council. He is a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of South Carolina.  

Dr. Meg Booth Powell
Powell is the founder and CEO of 501 Ventures, a life science accelerator that infuses science with development and commercialization expertise, based in Chapel Hill. As a seasoned pharmaceutical executive turned serial entrepreneur, she has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including assignments at McKinsey & Co., Eli Lilly & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to 501 Ventures, she served as CEO and co-founder of TARGET RWE, an innovative health evidence solutions company, where she led the incubation, growth and acquisition by Norwest Venture Partners in 2018. She has worked with multiple startups over the last decade, including Aerial BioPharma, where she served as the vice president of Corporate Development and was instrumental in the sale of their lead asset, ADX-101, to Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014.

She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Hollingsworth Scholar, and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University. As a native North Carolinian, she is passionate about giving back and serves on the Carolina Research Ventures Board and the North Carolina School of Science and Math Foundation Board.

Larry B. Wooten
Wooten served 20 years as president of North Carolina Farm Bureau before retiring in December 2019. He has served on the board of directors for both the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, as chairman of the American Farm Bureau Trade Advisory Committee, and currently serves on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee. 

He is committed to developing leadership for the future and works tirelessly to advance initiatives that strengthen and improve rural communities across the state. He is a strong advocate of people giving back to the organizations, the communities and the state that have provided them with opportunities for growth and advancement. Wooten’s vision and insight have led to his being honored by numerous organizations, academia and his peers. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in animal science.

To learn more about Blue Cross NC’s Board of Trustees and leadership team, visit bluecrossnc.com.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is committed to making health care better, simpler, and more affordable. We have been driving better health in North Carolina since 1933, working to tackle our communities’ greatest health challenges. Blue Cross NC serves its customers and communities of more than 3.8 million members, including approximately 1.1 million on behalf of other Blue Plans. Visit Blue Cross NC online at www.bluecrossnc.com