Excellus BlueCross BlueShield named Rufus M. Judson, Efrain Rivera, Jaime Saunders, and Miguel A. Velazquez to its Rochester Regional Advisory Board.
“As a local health plan, our mission is to help people in our communities live healthier and more secure lives through access to high-quality, affordable health care. Their commitment to our community, passion for service, energy, and extensive leadership experience will make an immediate and positive impact on our board as we work to fulfill our mission,” says Melissa Gardner, Excellus BCBS executive vice president and chief population health engagement officer.
Rufus M. Judson is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Pike Construction Services, a role he has held since 2015. As CEO, Judson drives a customer focused approach through great people, excellent risk management and applied construction technologies. Pike is a fifth-generation business started in 1873 and is headquartered in Rochester, NY with offices across upstate New York and Central Florida.
Judson involves himself in numerous community and industry pursuits. He is current Board Chair of the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes. He serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Associated General Contractors New York State (AGC NYC). Judson also has board positions or affiliations with ROC 2025, CenterState CEO, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), and the Regional Board of KeyBank.
Efrain Rivera joined Paychex in June 2011 as senior vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer. During Rivera’s tenure, Paychex has grown from $2 billion in revenue to approximately $5 billion. The company has transformed into a leading Human Capital Management firm and the value of the company has grown to more than $40 billion.
Rivera serves on the Board of Directors of Rochester Regional Health, Franklin Covey and Jones Lange LaSalle, Inc. In 2014 he was named Financial Executive of the Year for a Public Company by the Rochester, New York Financial Executives International and the Rochester Business Journal. In 2022, he was named a Business Icon by The Rochester Business Journal.
Jaime Saunders is President & CEO of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes. As CEO, she leads United Way and more than one hundred talented team members in mobilizing resources and relationships to close gaps, create opportunities, and build a stronger, healthier region. Annually United Way raises and leverages $25-$35 million to support the six-county region.
Saunders has provided her experience and perspective to several regional and statewide initiatives, including Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council (FLREDC), ESL Federal Credit Union Board of Directors, Governor Cuomo’s New York Forward, Monroe County Plan Forward, TogetherNow Board, Rochester/Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) Advisory Council, NYS Council on Women and Girls Steering Committee, the NYS OPDV Fatality Review Committee, and a host of local and statewide coalitions.
Miguel A. Velazquez is the Chief Executive Officer at The Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA). Since joining RGRTA in 1999, Velazquez has successfully led the organization through significant projects and change that have improved the customers’ experience with the public transit system. He oversaw the transformation of the Authority’s information systems, infrastructure, services, and operations. He created the vision for TIDE (Technology Initiatives Driving Excellence), an ambitious $25 million customer-focused technology project, he was the Executive Sponsor for the construction of the $50 million RTS Transit Center in Downtown Rochester, and for Reimagine RTS – a complete redesign of the 40-year-old service profile which is now providing a more equitable and modern transportation system to our community.
Velazquez has raised funds for youth programs in the Rochester community for over a decade. He serves on the board of several community-based organizations as well as public transportation industry associations. He is a member of the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative steering committee, board member of Together Now, a trustee at Nazareth University, and a member of the Partners for Downtown Rochester, among others.
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