Milbank Memorial Fund Announces New President

The Board of Directors of the Milbank Memorial Fund is pleased to announce it has selected Christopher F. Koller to become the next President of the Fund. He will succeed Carmen Hooker Odom, starting July 15, 2013. Mr. Koller, currently Health Insurance Commissioner for the State of Rhode Island, is a nationally recognized leader in state health policy, Medicaid managed care, and health plan regulatory development. His experience with the Fund includes participation in the Fund’s Reforming States Group and founding membership in the Multi-State Learning Health System Collaborative.

“For over one hundred years, the Milbank Memorial Fund has been on the forefront of linking theory and practice to improve the health of populations,” said Board Chairman Samuel L. (Tony) Milbank. “As the U.S. grapples with health care challenges, including rising costs, rising obesity rates, and implementing the Affordable Care Act, the Fund is committed to disseminating research and convening leaders to address these challenges. In Mr. Koller, we have found someone to lead this effort.”

Mr. Koller was appointed the first health insurance commissioner in the country in 2005. In that role, he developed comprehensive commercial health insurance oversight strategies, led statewide insurance affordability efforts—particularly in all-payer payment reform and primary care practice revitalization—and helped Rhode Island implement the Affordable Care Act. He has served on the Institute of Medicine’s Essential Health Benefits Commission, the Executive Committee of the National Academy for State Health Policy, various committees for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and numerous national panels. Previously, he was CEO of the Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, achieving a ranking of first among Medicaid HMOs by U.S. News and World Report. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and math from Dartmouth College, a master’s degree in public and private management from Yale University, and a master’s degree in religion, concentrating on social ethics, from Yale Divinity School.

“I am grateful to the Board of the Fund for extending to me this opportunity,” said Mr. Koller. “I look forward to working with the Fund’s many collaborators to build on its strong tradition of communicating high-quality interdisciplinary research on critical issues affecting the health of populations and linking it to effective practices through networks of policymakers.”

For more information on this appointment and the Fund’s work, please contact John R. Ball, Interim President, at 212-355-8400 or jrball@milbank.org.