Kristen Cerf is president and chief executive officer of Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan (Blue Shield Promise), a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan serving 4.8 million members in the state's commercial, individual, and government markets. She is responsible for ensuring access to quality care for Blue Shield Promise’s 530,000 Medi-Cal members in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, managing the company’s Medi-Cal growth strategy, and expanding Blue Shield Promise’s presence throughout California.

Cerf’s leadership resulted in a more than $200 million financial turnaround for Blue Shield Promise over three years and has seen the plan’s membership grow by more than 130,000 members. Under her guidance, Blue Shield Promise also delivered several initiatives improving access to and availability of person-centered care to California’s uninsured, low-income and medically underserved populations.

She championed the plan’s $146 million commitment to open 14 Community Resource Centers across Los Angeles County in partnership with L.A. Care Health Plan. Her leadership also helped Blue Shield Promise advance the state’s objectives for Medi-Cal reform under the CalAIM Enhanced Care Management program and ensured Blue Shield Promise played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing vaccinations and more than $11.3 million in support to community organizations and providers.

A collaborative leader skilled at building high-performing teams, Cerf was elevated to her current role in 2020 after serving as vice president, Medi-Cal Growth Strategy at Blue Shield Promise. In that position, she developed meaningful connections between the plan, communities, regulators and providers.

Cerf’s journey at Blue Shield began in January 2016 as associate general counsel for Blue Shield of California. In 2017, Cerf became the chief legal officer for Blue Shield Promise. Prior to Blue Shield, Cerf served as associate vice president and assistant general counsel for Molina Healthcare, providing legal counsel and support for health plans in multiple states, including California, Washington, and Texas.

Previously, she was an attorney at Locke Lord LLP where she advised clients on compliance with the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, Title 28 of the California Code of Regulations, the California Insurance Code, and the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.

Cerf earned her bachelor’s degree in microbiology, with a minor in medieval studies, from the University of California, Davis, and her J.D. degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.