Our Board

At the heart of his vision is meeting members where they are on their health care journey. He is building on Cambia’s legacy of being a trusted health care company for more than 100 years, facilitating collaborative partnerships between providers and patients and strategically investing in like-minded companies through Echo Health Ventures to meet the needs of the approximately 3.4 million people served through Cambia’s regional health plans in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

Before becoming CEO in 2021, Jared drove innovation and performance across the organization as president and chief operating officer. Jared’s career at Cambia began in 1999, when he joined the company in a finance role. He left briefly to join BlueCross BlueShield of Montana, where he served as chief marketing and underwriting officer. In 2009, Jared returned to Cambia as president of its health plan in Oregon and has been in leadership positions at Cambia since.

Jared is the chair of the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area. He also serves on the board of directors of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Prime Therapeutics, Echo Health Ventures and Oregon Business Council. Jared serves as chair of the board of directors for TriWest Healthcare Alliance and serves on the board of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Willamette University.

Michael also co-founded New Story, a nonprofit that has built more than 2,000 homes in developing countries. In addition, he founded MAV Ventures, a venture capital firm that has invested in over a hundred companies. He earned his undergraduate degree in business management and entrepreneurship from the University of Alabama. Michael joined the Cambia board in 2022.

A veteran executive with more than 25 years of experience, Pamela has held human resources leadership positions at global companies including Cboe Global Markets, Golin and PepsiCo. She currently serves on the board of directors for Prada S.p.A., making her the first Black woman on Prada’s board in the company’s history. Pamela has a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Eastbay, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She joined the Cambia board in 2023.

Prior to this, she was entrepreneur-in-residence at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As associate director of the internet project at the Pew Research Center, she pioneered participatory research methods to explore how information technology and social media affect the health care industry and the consumer health care experience.

She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution, Before Brands, the Atlas of Caregiving, and the Founder’s Circle for the Society for Participatory Medicine. Susannah holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Wesleyan University. She joined the Cambia board in 2017.

Michael earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and has done graduate work at Trinity College. He is a member of the board of the University of Connecticut Foundation. He was appointed to the Cambia board in 2009 and was named chair in 2017. 

Katharine began her career as a store manager at Starbucks Coffee Co. and spent 20 years moving up to leadership roles, including senior vice president for Starbucks foodservice, senior vice president for U.S. business operations, and senior vice president for international operations, store development and global business systems. She is also active in food service industry organizations and non-profit boards. Katharine is a graduate of the University of Santa Clara. 

Esther regularly works with students from rural high schools to educate them on health care and higher education opportunities. She presents on dental health at area elementary schools and preschools, and is particularly passionate about educating health professionals and youth on the harms of vaping and energy drinks. She established a fluoride varnish program for elementary students and is also working to increase water fluoridation in Idaho.

As time permits, Esther is a volunteer dentist with dental assisting programs and international humanitarian projects. She is currently a member of the Idaho Oral Health Alliance, the Idaho State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. She also completed a term serving on the Idaho State University Dental Hygiene advisory committee.

Dr. Machen graduated Cum Laude from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, receiving her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene from Idaho State University. She joined the Cambia board in 2019.

John returned to the corporate world – and to the Cambia board – and is now the health care operating partner for Public Pension Capital LLC (PPC), a New York- and Chicago-based private equity firm that invests in several verticals, including health care, industrials, tech-enabled services and specialty chemicals. He was appointed to the Cambia board in 2012. A University of Arizona graduate, John has a bachelor's degree in public administration and economics.

Tim serves on the boards of the University of Portland and the American Commerce Insurance Co. He is also a member of the SOLV Founders Circle. His Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting is from the University of Portland, and he has taken executive management courses and the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business. He joined the Cambia board in 2017.

George serves on the executive board of directors for the Idaho Technology Council and also as a mentor at Trailhead, a startup incubator. A scholarship athlete, he earned both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University. George joined the Cambia board in 2018.

At Leatherman, Jake navigated the company from a maturing product phase through a lean manufacturing transition and new product development acceleration process. Prior to joining Leatherman, Jake spent eight years as president at Danaher Corp. (manufacturer of Sears Craftsman tools) and 24 years at Stanley Tools, where he served as president of Stanley Proto Tools and Stanley Works Asia Pacific. He was appointed to the Cambia board in 2014. A native of Salt Lake City, Jake completed his education at the University of Utah. He also currently serves on the board of directors at ESCO Corp. and Leupold & Stevens Corp.

She is contributing to effective governance and helping bridge gaps in opportunity through current advisory board service at Utah Symphony Utah Opera and Zions Bank. Previously, she served on the boards of the Bank of Philippine Islands and Singapore American School. She has been an adviser to the Asian Women’s Leadership University Project, the Global Economic Symposium, and the ASEAN Institute on Disability and Public Policy. She joined the Cambia board in 2021.