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  KLRI Home > About Us > Governance > Board of Directors > L. Ben Lytle

L. Ben Lytle, JD

Board Member, Kronos Longevity Research Institute

L. Ben Lytle is a healthcare entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience. Previously, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AXIA Health Management, LLC until its sale to Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ) in December 2006. He and his son, Hugh, founded AXIA in 2004, which later became the nation's largest provider of wellness services. They are presently researching their next venture providing services to aging populations and their caregivers worldwide.

Previously, Mr. Lytle was Chairman and CEO of Anthem, Inc. which acquired WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE) in 2004 and assumed the WellPoint name, becoming a Fortune 500 company with revenues over $40 billion. Mr. Lytle joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana in 1976, then with revenues under $1 billion. He rose through the executive ranks to become COO in 1982 and CEO in 1989. Under Mr. Lytle's leadership, BCBS of Indiana was transformed through a series of mergers and acquisitions to form Anthem, a $16B revenue Fortune 500 company. During this time, he built, took public, and sold Acordia, Inc. (NYSE) as an Anthem subsidiary, which at the time was the world's 7th largest insurance broker. Mr. Lytle retired as CEO of Anthem in 1999, continued as Chairman until 2004, and remains its Chairman Emeritus.

Mr. Lytle's entrepreneurial leadership and innovative strategies were cited by Tom Peters in his book Liberation Management, as well as in the book What Happy Companies Know, and in several periodicals. He is a frequent guest lecturer on health care and strategic planning.

Mr. Lytle has been an advocate for healthy lifestyles and market-based healthcare reform his entire career. He has authored numerous speeches, newspaper and magazine articles; provided testimony to Congress and state legislatures; chaired Indiana's Health Care Commission; and served on President Clinton's Commission on Consumer Protection and Healthcare Quality, and presently chairs the Foundation for Better Health, a not-for-profit research and advocacy organization devoted to free market solutions to public health.

Mr. Lytle also serves on the University of Arizona Eller College National Board of Advisors, Genstar Capital's Strategic Advisory Committee, the boards of directors of Duke REIT (NYSE), Monaco Coach Corporation (NYSE) and Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ). He is also the recipient of the University of Arizona's 2004 Executive of the Year Award.

A Texas native, Mr. Lytle graduated with a BS in Psychology from Texas A&M University in 1970 and received a JD from Indiana University in 1980.

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