Fred Earley Named New President Of Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield

May 18, 2009

Parkersburg—J. Fred Earley, II has been elected as President of Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield, effective July 1.  Earley was selected for the position by the Mountain State Board of Directors at its meeting on May 18 and succeeds Gregory K. Smith, who is retiring as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Earley joined Blue Cross Blue Shield in 1989 and has served Mountain State as Senior Vice President of External Operations, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since 1995.  As President, Earley will have direct responsibility for Sales, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, External Provider Relations, Provider Contracting, Planning and Communications.

"I am pleased that our Board has chosen Fred as Mountain State's new President.  As General Counsel and Senior Vice President over the last 15 years, I believe Fred has demonstrated that he is uniquely qualified to lead our company into the future," said Greg Smith, President and CEO.

Earley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University and a law degree from The Washington and Lee University School of Law.  He is a member of the West Virginia State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar.

Earley currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the West Virginia High Risk Pool, the West Virginia Health Information Network, the Parkersburg Area Roundtable, the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg and the Parkersburg YMCA.  Earley and his wife Donna have two children, Maureen, age 18 and Sean, age 16.

About Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield
Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Mountain State provides or administers coverage to more than 500,000 West Virginians and has close to 1,000 employees in Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling and Weirton. To learn more about Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield, please visit www.msbcbs.com.