MVP Health Care CEO Gonick to step down “at the end of the summer”

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Schenectady–based MVP Health Care on Thursday announced that CEO Denise Gonick will leave the company “at the end of the summer.”

Gonick began her tenure with MVP in 1995 as associate counsel and was eventually named VP of legal affairs and general counsel. She then served as executive VP and chief legal officer until she was appointed president of operations in 2012 and then president and CEO later that year.

“It’s been an honor to work with MVP for 24 years and to lead the organization as CEO for the past seven. MVP is now in a position of great strength and I take pride in knowing that I have accomplished everything I set out to do during my tenure, most importantly building a strong, competitive market position for the company. Health care today exists in a rapidly changing environment and this is a good time to make a change in leadership to take MVP into the future,” Gonick said in the release.

MVP’s leadership also includes Christopher Del Vecchio who serves as president and chief operating officer of the health insurer.

The nonprofit MVP Health Care is a health insurer serving more than 700,000 members in New York and Vermont. The figure includes more than 150,000 individual and small-group members, according to a company spokesperson.

MVP Health Care operates a Syracuse office at 333 West Washington St., an Endwell office at 3660 George F Highway, and an office at 421 Broad St. in Utica, per its website.

Accomplishments

Gonick’s “signature accomplishments” as CEO include leading MVP through the “difficult political environment surrounding the adoption and subsequent scaling back” of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. She also led the effort to acquire Hudson Health Plan in 2013, MVP said.

Under Gonick’s leadership, MVP’s expansion was recently noted as it is now ranked as the second largest company based in the Capital Region according to the Albany Business Review.

“Denise’s leadership and dedication to our company and our members has been unrivaled. The results speak for themselves. On behalf of the board of directors, we extend our appreciation for a job well done and wish her much success as she pursues her many passions,” Alan Goldberg, chair of the MVP Health Care board of directors, said in the release.

Gonick serves as co-chair of the Business Council of New York State and as chair of New York Health Plan Association. She will continue in those roles through the end of 2019.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com