Fernandez Appointed to Blue Cross Founda...( EAGAN Minn. Jan. 30 /- The Blue C...),Health

EAGAN, Minn., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation has named Frank Fernandez, JD, to its 13-member board of directors. The board directs the state's largest grantmaking foundation dedicated exclusively to improving health in Minnesota and includes five community representatives.

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"Frank brings great experience and passion in working with communities the foundation serves," said Marsha Shotley, foundation president. "His understanding of the role of social and economic influences on health makes him a valuable addition to our board in guiding our work."

Fernandez is a licensed attorney who joined Blue Cross in December 2005 as the government programs/Medicare attorney. He was promoted to vice president of government programs in August 2007. In this capacity he leads overall business operations for Blue Cross government programs including the Federal Employee Plan, Prepaid Minnesota Assistance Program (PMAP), MinnesotaCare, Medicare supplement plans and local Medicare Advantage plans. Previously Fernandez worked for health plans in Nevada and Wisconsin. He also served as executive director of the Nevada Association of Health Plans.

Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Fernandez attended Arizona State University, graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis in Latin American studies. He attended Hamline University School of Law and graduated in 2005. Fernandez was admitted to the Minnesota bar in October 2005.

In 2006, Fernandez was elected to the board of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association, having previously served as its student representative. He also serves on the steering committee of Fuerza Azul, Blue Cross' new employee resource group for Latinos.

Fernandez replaces Timothy Peterson, who retired from the board in
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