Greg A. Adams ’79, chair and chief executive officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, will continue the 34-year tradition of hosting the highest caliber speakers and business minds at Oglethorpe for the Rikard Lecture at 4 p.m., April 15, in the Cousins Center Atrium.
A 1979 Oglethorpe graduate with a degree in business administration and management, Adams is based in Oakland, Calif., and runs integrated care and coverage under the Kaiser Permanente brand, the KP Medical Foundation and Risant Health and its subsidiaries.
“What an honor to welcome home an accomplished alum such as Greg Adams,” said Dr. Stephen H. Craft, dean of the Hammack School of Business at Oglethorpe. “It is a real opportunity for our students and the entire community to hear from a corporate leader operating at the highest level of American healthcare.”
The entire Kaiser Permanente enterprise provides coverage for over 13.2 million people and touches the lives of millions more every year with the many additional patients we care for in our communities. Over 260,000 employees and 25,700 physicians work together to provide high-quality, affordable care and coverage while improving the health of communities within 9 markets across the nation.
Adams is expanding access to Kaiser Permanente’s distinct model of value-based care and coverage through Risant Health, which was launched in 2023. Kaiser Permanente’s leading nonprofit, integrated model has provided a proven example of value-based care for almost 80 years, resulting in some of the best health outcomes in the nation, a lower total cost of care, and an increase in health equity.
Dedicated to improving health and equity, Adams has championed the expansion of traditional quality measures to include health outcomes measured through the lens of race and ethnicity. As leader of a multicultural, multiracial organization, Adams is also committed to advancing workforce equity and inclusion for the employees and physicians who represent all the communities Kaiser Permanente serves.
With more than 40 years of experience in the health care industry, Adams has held leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente for the past 25 years. Prior to assuming the role of chair and chief executive officer in 2019, Adams served as executive vice president and group president, with direct responsibility for health plan and hospital operations in all Kaiser Permanente regions.
Adams was named one of the most influential people in health by Time magazine in its TIME100 Health list. He was also named to Modern Healthcare’s most influential people in health care for four consecutive years, ranking number 10 on the 2023 list.
He is a member of the board of directors for AHIP and the Business Roundtable. Adams is both a governor and steward within the Global Health and Healthcare Community at the World Economic Forum. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and the National Association of Health Services Executives and serves on the board of directors for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Adams is a founding member of ELEVATE, a program comprised of Black health care executives who mentor and guide other leaders who are on an upward trajectory in their health care careers.
In addition to his bachelor’s degree from Oglethorpe, Adams has a graduate degree from Wichita State University.
The Mack A. Rikard Lecture Series introduces students to current issues in business as presented by business and civic leaders who are recognized leaders in their professions. Established in 1991, it is named after the late Mack A. Rikard ’37, an Oglethorpe alumnus, honorary degree recipient, Athletic Hall of Fame member and Trustee Emeritus. Rikard was the former president of Allied Products Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and a supporter of Oglethorpe athletics and student scholarships.
When Oglethorpe University relocated to Atlanta in 1870, it was one of the first institutions offering business and commerce courses in the U.S. Funded by a transformational gift from 1973 Oglethorpe alumnus and Atlanta business leader Q. William “Bill” Hammack, the Hammack School of Business, launched in fall of 2019, and represents the newest chapter in Oglethorpe’s innovative history of business education.
