For Immediate Release: November 14, 2022
For more information contact:
Kelly Cannon
Kelly.Cannon@BlueKC.com
O: (816) 395-3711
KANSAS CITY, MO. (November 14, 2022)—Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) is proud to announce that Mark Garrett, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, was elected Chair of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce during a recent meeting of the KC Chamber Board of Directors.
Garrett, the 135th Board Chair of the KC Chamber, succeeds outgoing Board Chair Ramin Cherafat of McCownGordon Construction and will hold the post through October 31, 2023. He will officially begin his term at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022.
Garrett, who joined Blue KC in July 2019, boasts a unique and diverse corporate resume that includes senior leadership positions at Smithfield Foods, Hallmark Cards and the Kansas City Public School District. In his current role as SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, he leads all human resources functions, including talent acquisition and development, employee relations, diversity and inclusion, community investments, and real estate and property management.
Dedicated to serving the Kansas City community, Garrett also serves as Board Vice Chair of Phoenix Family Housing, an organization that empowers those living in low-income housing communities with support needed to achieve self-sufficiency, and is a board member of the Rose Brooks Center, which offer safety to adults, children and their pets experiencing domestic violence. In addition, he previously served on the boards of Feed the Children, Baptist News Global and Children’s International.
“Both professionally and personally, Mark Garrett is committed to people,” said Erin Stucky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue KC and a member of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Board. “From his outstanding leadership in our company to his dedicated board service within the Kansas City community, Mark excels in everything he does. The Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City, and the entire region are in great hands under his leadership.”
Established in 1887, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce focuses on growing the region’s economy, advocating for local businesses in the public policy arena and providing innovative programs and resources that help members expand, connect and succeed. Over the years, the KC Chamber was instrumental in the creation of a city water system, KC’s parks and boulevards system, construction of Union Station, Liberty Memorial, two airports, KCMO City Hall and several convention centers.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri and the only not-for-profit commercial health insurer in Kansas City, has been part of the Kansas City community since 1938. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides health coverage services to more than one million residents in the greater Kansas City area, including Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and 30 counties in Northwest Missouri. Our mission: to provide affordable access to healthcare and to improve the health of our members. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information on the company, visit its website at BlueKC.com.
