Also read: epidemic, WellPoint, responsibility, philanthropy, careers
Giving back is part of Caz Matthews' upbringing. "Both of my parents were big activists, and it was an underpinning of the way I was raised," says the vice president of corporate social responsibility for WellPoint (No. 44 on The 2009 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list) and president of WellPoint Foundation.
Matthews, who was born in England, relocated to the United States at age 22. She earned her bachelor's degree in accounting and financial management from Sheffield University, England, and then pursued an MBA from Indiana University.
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In 1988, Matthews began her career with WellPoint as manager of financial systems and accounts payables. She has since held various leadership roles and relocated several times--and community involvement has "always been a vehicle for me to integrate into society, to make friends, to make business contacts and establish my networks," says Matthews.
But in 2004, as president of Anthem West, there was a pivotal moment when Matthews realized she was in a position to make a significant impact on her community in Denver. That winter, a flu epidemic took the lives of numerous children in Denver, and state public-health centers had run out of vaccines.
"I suddenly realized that I had the ability to do something," she recalls. "So we committed $100,000 to purchase more vaccines and had them shipped in … to help reduce the epidemic."
In 2008, WellPoint and WellPoint Foundation contributed more than $4 million and $23 million, respectively, to "have a measurable and sustainable impact on critical healthcare needs in the communities we serve," says Matthews. Some of the organizations the company supports include the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and the Asian Community Center of Sacramento Valley.
This article appeared in the May/June 2009 issue of DiversityInc magazine. Click here to read the digital version of this story.
