From left, Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Business; Patrick Geraghty, Business Leader of the Year honoree; FAU President Stacy Volnick; and John B. Ramil, chair of Florida Blue.

Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business honored Patrick J. Geraghty today as Business Leader of the Year. Geraghty, president and CEO of Florida Blue and Guidewell, accepted the award during a ceremony at Boca West Country Club.   

GuideWell is a $26 billion Jacksonville-based mutual insurance holding company that serves as the parent of Florida Blue and a portfolio of other entities.

Geraghty oversaw a strategic restructuring that created GuideWell from the foundation of a more than 75-year-old health insurance company, transforming it into an organization at the forefront of reimagining the future of health care nationwide.

"It is a distinct honor to be recognized as Business Leader of the Year by such a pillar of the community and one of the top business institutions in the country at educating the leaders of the future,” Geraghty said. “Leadership, at its core, is about empowering and inspiring the people around you to accomplish more. I am proud to work alongside the most innovative, dedicated and compassionate team members at GuideWell and Florida Blue, who bring our mission of helping people and communities achieve better health to life."

The GuideWell restructuring is considered a model of strategic reinvention and is featured in the curriculum of Harvard Business School.  

Geraghty is an expert on a range of health care topics, including health care reform, next-generation payment strategies, innovation in health care and the benefits of wellness and prevention programming. He serves as a health care policy consultant to political leaders in Florida and Washington, D.C.

He also leads professional and community organizations. Geraghty is a member and past chair of the Florida Council of 100, a private, nonprofit, non-partisan organization of Florida business leaders who advise the state’s governor on how to improve the economic growth of the state and the economic well-being of Floridians.

“Patrick is an exemplary leader in business and in our community whose entrepreneurial spirit sets a wonderful example for our students,” said Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Business. “His many contributions help to continue the great tradition of FAU Business Leaders of the Year, and we are pleased to honor him.”  

Geraghty serves as a member of the board of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and other organizations and works with the United Way, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

Geraghty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University and a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, degree from Florida Southern College. He also has completed executive education programs at Harvard University School of Public Health and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Since 1991, FAU’s College of Business has presented the Business Leader of the Year award, honoring the work of outstanding business leaders in the southeast region of Florida and the state. Some of the past recipients include Rick and Rita Case, Wayne Huizenga, Jim Moran, Carl DeSantis, Jeb Bush and Alan Levan.

FAU’s College of Business is pursuing excellence in education for the South Florida community and is among the top 15 largest AACSB-accredited business schools in the country, with slightly more than 8,000 students enrolled. The college’s undergraduate business program and professional MBA program are ranked by U.S. News & World Report, while the MBA in Sport Management program is ranked No. 11 worldwide by SportBusiness.

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