Experienced communications and advocacy strategist will lead the new public affairs function for the entire organization.

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Beth Leonard will join Kaiser Permanente as senior vice president and chief public affairs officer on February 2. In this new role, Leonard will lead all communications, government relations, and community relations activities at the federal, state, and local levels. She will report to Sam Glick, executive vice president, Enterprise Strategy and Business Development, and will work closely with other senior leaders, including regional presidents and executive medical directors.

"Beth is an extraordinary communications strategist and skilled advocate for high quality, affordable health care," said Glick. "Her leadership of our new public affairs function will help ensure Kaiser Permanente continues to lead the national dialogue regarding health care transformation, as we strive to make our distinct brand of value-based care available to more people and communities."

Leonard brings more than two decades of public affairs and health care industry experience to this role. Most recently, she served as chief corporate affairs officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance, where she led a team responsible for managing all internal and external relationships, including media relations, digital and social media, executive thought leadership, government affairs, policy, community engagement, partnerships, and events. Prior to that role, Leonard was chief corporate affairs officer at EmblemHealth, a New York not-for-profit health plan and provider organization serving more than three million members. She also served as executive vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives for AHIP (formerly America's Health Insurance Plans), and earlier worked on multiple presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, and mayoral campaigns.

Leonard holds a master's degree in political management from The George Washington University and a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.

For more information, contact: 
Hilary Costa,
national-media-relations@kp.org

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente