HJLR May/Jun 2019

dialogue 10 MAY / JUN 2019 I  Healthcare Journal of LITTLE ROCK   CEO, Delta Dental Arkansas One on One EdChoate Ed Choate joined Delta Dental of Arkansas as president and CEO in 2000. Since then, Delta Dental has more than quadrupled in membership, revenue, and net assets. Prior to joining DDAR, he worked for 20 years in the managed healthcare industry in leadership roles at Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, NovaSys Health, and HealthScope Benefits.  In 2006, Choate was named Arkansas Business Executive of the Year. In 2007, he was selected as a Distinguished Alumni of Southern Arkansas University (SAU). In 2010, he was named the Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Little Rock, and was inducted into the SAU Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2013, Delta Dental was chosen as the Arkansas Busi- ness of the Year, and has been selected as one of the Best Places to Work in Arkansas for six consecutive years (2013–2018). Choate is currently a trustee and past chairman of the Baptist Health Board of Trustees, a former chairman of Fifty for the Future and the Delta Dental Plans Association Boards of Directors. He attended board governance programs at Harvard University and Stanford Law School Director’s College. Choate is recognized as a Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors. Choate obtained a B.B.A. from Southern Ar- kansas University (SAU) in 1975 and a B.S.E. from SAU in 1977.