Michael Samuelson

Mr. Samuelson oversees all of BCBSRI's health and wellness initiatives and is currently developing a comprehensive business plan for the BCBSRI BluePrint for Life programs (i.e., Walk RI, Teen Smoking Cessation, and Diabetes Management).

He is an accomplished author in the area of behavior change and healthcare advocacy. He has been featured on more than 200 television and radio programs, as well as in Newsweek, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Samuelson is past president and CEO of the National Center for Health Promotion (NCHP), and has been instrumental in marketing health and wellness programs to thousands of corporations, medical centers, and individuals both in the U.S. and abroad. He sits on the international steering committee assembled by the Internet Healthcare Coalition, is on the Board of Directors for the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA), the New England Council on Obesity, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and serves as Collaborating Partner with the National Dialogue on Cancer.

Mr. Samuelson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 and Masters degree in Education at the University of Michigan in 1976.