Healthcare Is Personal: Blue Cross of Idaho’s Reagan Greene on Trust, Growth & Experience

Jim Stengel (0:00)

Now, the first brand that you remember making an impact on you as a young girl.

Reagan Greene (0:04)

I grew up on a farm in North Carolina, very rural, and most everything we ate came out of the garden. And so I would go to my friend's houses for a sleepover, and they would have Wonder Bread with the cheese that comes out of the little plastic pack, right?

And so I would make a grilled cheese sandwich when I would have these sleepovers. And it was, you know, amazing because I was used to eating this, you know, squishy squash out of the garden. So Wonder Bread.

Jim Stengel (0:38)

Wonder Bread grilled cheese sandwich.

Reagan Greene (0:40)

You bet.

Jim Stengel (0:41)

Hi, I'm Jim Stengel. I've helped hundreds of major brands discover and activate their purpose because when a brand's purpose is clear, compelling and authentic, profit naturally follows. Each week, I welcome the CMOs, the chief marketing officers of your favorite brands, to speak to how their job is so much more than marketing. These leaders share their inspiration and challenges, along with how they try to build a full, healthy and happy life in and out of the office. It's that energy that reaches everyone they touch. We're glad you're here to feel that energy and to learn from these remarkable leaders, so here we go.

Our guest this week gave me some very good advice. When I met her at the Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit last May, she told me, Jim, you need more health care leaders on the podcast, and here we are. Reagan Greene has spent nearly 25 years in health care and currently serves as Vice President of Marketing and Experience at Blue Cross of Idaho, the state's largest health insurer. And for a little context on the Blue Cross system, Blue Cross of Idaho is an independent locally operated company and a member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a national federation of 34 independent blue companies that collectively provide health care coverage to more than 114 million Americans, about one in three people in the country. Reagan stepped into her current role in early 2024, where she leads marketing, communications and customer experience, while also overseeing statewide community partnerships and engagement. Previously, she spent 15 years at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, ultimately serving as Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement. Reagan studied anthropology and sociology in college at the Center College in Kentucky, and while in college, she spent time living in the Amazon rainforest and studying in Europe, and eventually discovered marketing while getting her MBA surrounded by classmates from P&G. This is my conversation with the leader who is passionate about the role business can play in their communities, including being a longtime advocate for women and youth in sports. Here's a woman who really loves her work. You'll see why. Here's Reagan.

Reagan, welcome to The CMO Podcast. Now, we saw each other recently, last May, at the Northwestern Kellogg Marketing Summit, which we hold every year for the last 15 years.

You said to me there that we need more health care on this show. So I invite you on the spot, and here we are. So welcome to the show. I'm happy that we're having more health care on it. I've been very aware of that, and I've had a couple of health care focused panels from Can Lyons on the show since we talked. So welcome to the show. And my first question is, how's your summer been?

Reagan Greene (3:19)

Thank you, Jim, and thank you for having me. I'm so excited. I think I shared with you just recently, I start most every one of my days with Jim Stengel on the CMO Podcast. So I look forward to that every day. My summer's been great. I actually, I spent four weeks of my summer in the West out in Boise, working at Blue Cross of Idaho. The great thing about Blue Cross Idaho is that it is location is you can get to Montana, you can get to Wyoming, you can get to all the places, Sun Valley. So I got in some fly fishing, caught my biggest rainbow trout ever.

Jim Stengel (3:53)

How big?

Reagan Greene (3:54)

You know, I've got a picture to show it.

Jim Stengel (3:56)

Yeah, that's big. I mean, for those listening, that's about a foot and a half, which you just put up there.

Reagan Greene (4:01)

Yeah. So anyway, super excited about that. And just time to be in the office with my team. We did a lot of team building. So when my daughter is at summer camp for four weeks, I go to work camp out west and really enjoyed it. And I actually leave for the Dolomites on the 1st of September for a hiking adventure. So I'm on a backroads adventure. And so we hike 10 to 15 miles a day through the Dolomites. So looking forward to that as my next adventure.