Visael (Bobby) Rodriguez is the first VP & Chief Diversity Officer of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI), the state’s largest health insurer with more than 600,000 members. In this newly created position, Bobby is responsible for assessing the internal and external environment/culture, developing and implementing strategies to attract, develop, and retain a high performing diverse workforce. He will provide guidance and counsel to leadership regarding the integration of cultural competence into short and long term corporate business plans, and support corporate multicultural strategies. In addition, he will be leading efforts to address healthcare disparities to improve the quality of health in the lives of Rhode Island’s increasingly diverse residents.

Bobby comes to BCBSRI with more than 20 years of diversity, business development, and multicultural marketing experience. Prior to joining BCBSRI he was the CDO at Baystate Health, an integrated health system in western Massachusetts. Earlier in his career, he held positions with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Maryland where he spearheaded a major diversity and cultural competence initiative. He also previously held positions at Xerox Corporation as a Director of Business Development.

Bobby earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management and Marketing from the University of Puerto Rico.