Angela Fick Braly (born July 2, 1961) is an American executive. She served as president and chief executive officer of WellPoint (now
Elevance Health
Elevance Health, Inc. is an American for-profit health insurance provider. Prior to June 2022, Elevance Health was named Anthem, Inc. The company's services include medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disabi ...
), a large U.S.-based provider of
health insurance
Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...
, and was a member of the company's
board of directors
A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency.
The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
. She assumed those responsibilities on June 1, 2007, following several high-profile roles for the company. She resigned in August 2012 due to shareholder criticism. Since May 2016, she has been a member of the board of directors of
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...
.
Early life
Angela Braly received her undergraduate degree from
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
in 1982 and her
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from
Southern Methodist University School of Law
SMU Dedman School of Law, commonly referred to as SMU Law School or Dedman School of Law, is a law school located in Dallas, Texas. Jason P. Nance serves as its current dean.
Founded in February 1925, the school located is on the Southern Metho ...
. She graduated from
Richardson High School
Richardson High School (RHS) is a magnet high school in Richardson, Texas, United States with approximately 2,770 students and a student/teacher ratio of approximately 15:1 in the 20182019 school year. It is the oldest high school in the Richa ...
in 1979.
Career
She was a partner in the
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
law firm of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C.
In January 1999, she joined WellPoint as general counsel for RightCHOICE (currently Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri). She also oversaw the Missouri plan's government relations efforts. During that time, she managed the legal strategy resulting in the creation of The Missouri Foundation for Health, which serves the health care needs of underinsured and uninsured people in Missouri. She later became president and CEO of the Missouri plan, managing all aspects of the business and setting strategies to meet customer needs.
She served as executive vice president, general counsel and chief public affairs officer for WellPoint. In that role, she was responsible for public policy development, government relations, legal affairs, corporate communications, marketing, and social responsibility initiatives. She also had operational responsibility for the nation's largest Medicare claims processing business and the federal employee health benefits business. Braly was also a key strategist during WellPoint's acquisition of New-York based WellChoice in 2005.
On February 24, 2010, Braly gave testimony to Congress defending Wellpoint's insurance premium increases. She served as vice-chairman of the executive committee of
The Business Council
The Business Council is a nonpartisan organization of business leaders headquartered in Washington, D.C.
She was recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business for 2000 and was named one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women in Healthcare in 2007. ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' listed Braly as the sixteenth most powerful woman in the world in 2007, fourth most powerful in 2008, and eighth most powerful in 2009. ''
Fortune
Fortune may refer to:
General
* Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck
* Luck
* Wealth
* Fate
* Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling
* Fortune, in a fortune cookie
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
'' ranked Braly the fourth most powerful woman in business in America in 2007, fifth most powerful in 2008., and fourth most powerful in 2009.
In May 2013, Braly was named by Indiana Governor Mike Pence to the board of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
Braly also served on the board of directors at
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...
. She resigned that position in July, 2021.
Personal life
As of April 2009, Braly had the 306th highest compensation for a U.S. CEO, having earned $4.07 million, which is 74th among females. She owns $4.6 million worth of WellPoint stock, or 0.02% of the company.
In 2007, Braly earned $14.9 million, mostly in stock options. Her total compensation was $8.7 million in 2008, and $13.1 million in 2009.
Braly generally supports Republican and conservative political candidates.