FAU Honors Patrick Geraghty as Business Leader of the Year
From left, Daniel Gruber, Ph.D., dean of the FAU Business School; Patrick Geraghty, Business President of the Year Honoree; FAU President Stacy Volnick; and John B. Ramell, President of Florida Blue.
Florida Atlantic University College of Business Administration Patrick Geraghty was honored today as Business Leader of the Year. Geraghty, President and CEO of Florida Blue and Guidewell, accepted the award during a ceremony at Boca West Country Club.
GuideWell is a $26 billion Jacksonville-based mutual insurance holding company that serves as the parent company of Florida Blue and a group of other entities.
Geraghty oversaw the strategic restructuring that has built GuideWell since the founding of a more than 75-year-old health insurance company, transforming it into an organization at the forefront of reimagining the future of health care nationwide.
Geraghty said, “It is an honor to be recognized as Business Leader of the Year by such a pillar of the community and one of the nation’s top business organizations in educating future leaders.” It’s about empowering and inspiring the people around you to achieve more. I am proud to work alongside the most innovative, dedicated and compassionate team members at GuideWell and Florida Blue, who are fulfilling our mission of helping people and communities achieve healthier lives. “
GuideWell’s restructuring is a model of strategic reinvention and is featured in the Harvard Business School curriculum.
Geraghty is an expert on a range of healthcare topics, including healthcare reform, next-generation payment strategies, innovation in healthcare and the benefits of health and prevention programs. He serves as a health care policy advisor to political leaders in Florida and Washington, D.C
He also leads professional and community organizations. Geraghty is a member and past president of the 100-person Florida Council, a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of Florida business leaders who advise the governor on how to improve the state’s economic growth and the economic well-being of Floridians. .
“Patrick is an exemplary leader in business and in our community, whose entrepreneurial spirit sets a great example for our students,” he said. Daniel Gruber, Ph.D., Dean of the FAU Business School. “His many contributions help continue the great tradition of this year’s FAU Business Leaders, and we are delighted to honor him.”
Geraghty serves on the board of directors for Blue Cross Blue Shield and other organizations and works with United Way, the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, and the American Cancer Society.
Geraghty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University and a Doctor of Humane Letters, honorary degree from Florida Southern College. He has also completed executive education programs at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Since 1991, FAU’s College of Business has presented the Business Leader of the Year Award, honoring the work of outstanding business leaders in the Southeast region of Florida and the state. Previous winners have included Rick and Rita Case, Wayne Huizinga, Jim Moran, Carl DeSantis, Jeb Bush and Alan Levan.
FAU’s College of Business strives to bring excellence in education to the South Florida community and is among the 15 largest AACSB-accredited business schools in the country, with an enrollment of just over 8,000 students. The college’s undergraduate business program and professional MBA program are ranked by US News & World Reportwhile the MBA in Sports Management program is ranked No. 11 globally by SportBusiness.
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