Kristen Cerf, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, has been named CEO of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal at its 2026 Women’s Leadership Symposium Awards, recognizing her leadership and the impact she and the Blue Shield Promise team are making in communities across Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
Under Cerf’s leadership, Blue Shield Promise is not only performing strongly, it’s making a difference in people’s lives across some of California’s largest and most complex Medi-Cal communities. From high member satisfaction and strong retention to a 4 out of 5 stars quality rating, these results reflect a deep commitment to showing up for members, building trust, and delivering care that truly works for the people who depend on it most.
Cerf and her team have built an organization that is thoughtfully connecting members to services that support the health and well-being of members and the community at large. Notable examples include:
- In Los Angeles County, Blue Shield Promise and L.A. Care Health Plan jointly operate an award-winning network of 14 Community Resource Centers that are strategically located in some of Los Angeles County’s most underserved neighborhoods.
- In San Diego County, Blue Shield Promise collaborates with trusted community-based organizations to bring care and well-being support directly to members.
- Blue Shield Promise launched new combination clinics in October 2025, enabling women to receive mammogram screenings during the same visit their children or teens receive well-child care. In 2025, it hosted seven combination events, delivering 4,849 well-child visits and 880 mobile mammograms.
- In November 2025, Blue Shield Promise became the first managed care plan to offer Promising Start, designed to improve both physical and mental health outcomes for expecting parents in San Diego County.
- Blue Shield Promise was the first California health plan to offer a General Educational Development (GED) program, recognizing educational attainment as a core social determinant of health and a powerful driver of long-term health, well-being, and community resilience. In the first two years, 34 members have obtained their GED at no cost.
Internally at Blue Shield Promise, Cerf has built a culture rooted in collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. She believes in empowering teams to solve challenges to deliver better outcomes for the people and communities Blue Shield Promise serves.
This recognition reflects not only Cerf’s leadership, but the collective commitment it enables and instills across the Blue Shield Promise team in working to improve health outcomes and expand access to care.
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan serves more than 540,000 Medi-Cal members in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Cerf has served as president and CEO of the plan since 2020.
See the full list of Los Angeles Business Journal honorees here.
To learn more about Blue Shield Promise, click here.
