John Baackes Named to SVC Board of Trustees

May 20, 2010

Southern Vermont College has named John Baackes to its Board of Trustees. Baackes is the chief executive officer of Senior Whole Health (SWH), which operates plans for dual-eligible beneficiaries in Mass., Ct., and N.Y. Under Baackes’ direction, Senior Whole Health has developed a program for improving the overall access and quality of elderly care in both the public and private sectors. Senior Whole Health was honored in 2008 by Inc. Magazine as the number one growth company.

Earlier this year, Baackes participated in the Southern Vermont College 2009 –2010 Fitzgerald Lecture Series on the challenges facing our healthcare system and the alternative reimbursement methodologies that can be deployed to pay for healthcare delivery.

"I am pleased to welcome John Baackes to the Southern Vermont College Board of Trustees,” SVC Board Chair Wallace Altes said. “John is and has been a successful health care executive and entrepreneur. His business background and deep knowledge of health care will enrich our Board's discussions and decisions as SVC continues to grow and prepare students for the 21st century workplace."

Baackes joined SWH in May 2005 after serving as senior vice president of Group Health Incorporated of New York. Previous to that, he was president of Kaiser Permanente Northeast Division. He was also president of Community Health Plan in Latham, N.Y., which grew to a three-state operation under his direction. Since 1997, Baackes has served on the Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Review Panel and is a frequent lecturer and a former faculty member of the National HMO Management Fellowship Program based in Washington, D.C. Baackes has served on the boards of community organizations in the Albany area, including chairing the Board of Trustees of WMHT, a public radio and television station based in Schenectady, N.Y.