Bernard J. Tyson is the chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading integrated health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. With annual operating revenue of more than $56 billion, Kaiser Permanente serves more than 9.6 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia.

Tyson assumed the role of chairman in January 2014 and has served as CEO since July 1, 2013. His career at Kaiser Permanente has spanned more than 30 years, and he has successfully managed all major aspects of the organization, serving in roles from hospital administrator to division president to president and chief operating officer of the Oakland, California-based health care organization.

Under Tyson’s leadership, Kaiser Permanente has delivered on its “Thrive” promise by bringing an industry-leading 21st century approach to health care and health care coverage that is helping members achieve their aspirations of total health. Kaiser Permanente’s 175,000 employees and 18,000 physicians provide personalized, coordinated and technologically-advanced care that consistently delivers some of the best clinical outcomes in the nation while also leading the country in prevention, patient safety, and quality. 

 Tyson believes Kaiser Permanente’s demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality and affordable health care through this combination of prevention, innovation, and integration can serve as the model for health care in America. In fact, the strength of Kaiser Permanente’s approach is evident today in the continued increase in partnerships between health plans, hospitals, and medical practices across the health care industry, based on the Kaiser Permanente model. 

As chairman and CEO, Tyson is dedicated to leading Kaiser Permanente and the health care industry to deliver greater affordability for members, consumers, employers and government agencies. He also has been a strong advocate for the elimination of health care disparities among individuals by promoting the use of aggregated data from members’ electronic health records to determine the most effective treatments for optimal clinical outcomes.

Tyson’s influence has been felt both nationally and internationally. In 2014, Modern Healthcare named him the second most influential person in health care, behind only President Obama. On the global stage, Tyson co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Health Governors Community as well as chair of the Future of Healthy initiative. 

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Tyson earned a Bachelor of Science in health service management and a Master of Business in health service administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He earned a leadership certificate from Harvard University. He serves on the board of directors of the American Heart Association and on the AHA’s CEO Roundtable, and he recently completed service as chair of the Executive Leadership Council in 2012-2014. He was awarded the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s 2014 National Equal Justice Award.