Title: Director of Financial Planning and Analysis
Company: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Cleveland E. Slade, MBA, director of financial planning and analysis at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in insurance.
With four decades of experience to his credit, Mr. Slade has established a successful career in insurance. He currently excels as the director of financial planning and analysis at CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, a position he has held since 2023. In this role, he serves as a finance professional with experience in building and directing health care finance organizations to provide bottom-line efficiency and value. His responsibilities include overseeing the management of the company’s diversified business portfolio. His experience also includes chief financial officer for CareFirst Community Health Plan District of Columbia from 2013 to 2023, where he oversaw health care services within a managed care framework for district residents. He was also the founder and chief consultant of KeyMic Inc., a role he held from 2009 to 2013, and has served as a senior finance professional for various health care organizations from 1982 to 2018.
Mr. Slade also dedicates his time as a director for the Hospital Financial Management Association’s Washington, DC chapter and as a director for Freestate Healthcare Insurance Company Ltd., an offshore captive. Beyond his financial expertise, he also serves as a Baptist minister. Laying a strong educational foundation, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2006 and is also a certified public accountant.
Reflecting on his path, Mr. Slade began his career at the age of 26, and his career has been defined by a steadfast commitment to improving health care systems for individuals who often lack access to quality insurance. Driven by a passion for serving underserved communities, he has focused his efforts on working with smaller organizations. One of his most notable achievements includes creating the financial operations for a start-up health plan, successfully raising two rounds of investment capital through private equity, acquiring a health plan to expand operations, and playing a key role in securing and renewing state-issued managed care contracts.
Additionally, Mr. Slade takes great pride in a career achievement that occurred in 1982 when he was hired as chief financial officer at Whittaker Memorial Hospital, the same hospital where he was born as an adopted child. Whittaker Memorial Hospital, a historic 126-bed safety net hospital in the Brookville Heights neighborhood of Newport News, Virginia, was on the verge of closure at the time. Built in 1943, with later additions in 1957 and 1966, the hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. In his role, Mr. Slade played a pivotal part in stabilizing the hospital’s financial footing, ultimately enabling the construction of a new facility, Newport News General, to continue serving its underserved community.
Mr. Slade attributes his success to the training and values instilled by his parents. As an adopted child, he learned the importance of a strong work ethic and the value of giving back to his community. Looking to the future, he intends to remain actively engaged in health care financial management, with a continued focus on initiatives that support underserved communities.
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