Executive Leadership Team

Scott Armstrong

President and chief executive officer
Group Health Cooperative

Scott Armstrong is president and CEO of Group Health Cooperative, one of the nation's largest consumer-governed health care systems. He has been with Group Health since 1986 in positions ranging from assistant hospital administrator to chief operating officer. He became president and CEO in January 2005.

Armstrong has more than 25 years of experience in health care and was the assistant vice president for hospital operations at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, before joining Group Health.

He received a bachelor's degree from Hamilton College in New York and a master's degree in business with a concentration in hospital administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Armstrong is a commissioner of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, board chair of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, and a board member of America's Health Insurance Plans and the Pacific Science Center. He is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and was named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" in 2010 and 2011 by Modern Healthcare magazine.

Michael Soman, MD

President and chief medical executive
Group Health Physicians

Michael Soman, MD, leads Group Health Physicians, a professional corporation of more than 900 physicians and clinicians who provide and manage medical services for Group Health Cooperative. He continues to serve as the executive medical director of the Group Practice Division, overseeing the care of nearly 400,000 patients in Group Health-operated medical facilities.

Dr. Soman has been with Group Health since 1984 in a variety of roles. He previously served as the executive medical director for the Puget Sound Region, and before that as the medical director for primary care at Group Health, overseeing 20 primary care facilities. In addition, he practiced as a family physician in Group Health medical centers for 17 years, beginning his Group Health career at the Burien Medical Center. He was a clinic chief for 14 of those 17 years.

Soman earned his medical degree from University of California, Davis in 1978. He has been a volunteer teacher for Bainbridge Island schools, a soccer coach, and was a longtime member of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Michael Erikson

Interim executive vice president
Group Practice Division

Michael Erikson is responsible for care provided to more than 420,000 members at Group Health Medical Centers in Washington state and North Idaho. In addition, he oversees one of the region's largest pharmacy systems, lab and radiology operations, occupational health programs, and behavioral health services, and is responsible for care delivery information technology and organizational quality.

Prior to his current position, Erikson was vice president of Primary Care Services. He was instrumental in transforming Group Health's primary care services, including designing and implementing the medical home model, advocating for the Lean-based management system, and building a strong Primary Care leadership team.

He holds a master's degree in social work from Portland State University and has completed post-graduate studies in business and leadership at the University of Washington.

Cindy Johnson

Executive vice president
Human Resources

Cindy Johnson is responsible for developing key human resources initiatives that support and link with the strategic plan and vision of the organization.

Prior to joining Group Health in 2006, Johnson was the vice president of Human Resources for Stanford University Hospital and Clinics and Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. She has held varying leadership positions at Evergreen Healthcare in Kirkland and the University of Washington. Johnson holds Strategic Human Resource Management certification from Harvard Business School Executive Education and is a fellow with the College of Healthcare Executives. She received her bachelor's degree in education from Western Washington University.

Pam MacEwan

Executive vice president
Public Affairs and Governance

Pam MacEwan is responsible for communications, public policy, and the Governance Services office, which supports the Board of Trustees and consumer participation. She has been with Group Health since 1995 and was the senior executive director of Governance Services prior to assuming her current position.

MacEwan is a steering committee member for the King County Health Action Plan. She serves as vice chair for the Seattle Alliance for Education and chair of the Education Investment Task Force. She is vice chair of 826 Seattle and serves on the boards of the Business Partners for Early Learning and Association of Washington Business. She also is on the policy committee of the Washington State Hospital Association. MacEwan holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Evergreen State College and a master's degree in arts/teaching from Brown University.

Richard Magnuson

Executive vice president
Chief financial and administrative officer
Strategic Business Services

Richard Magnuson is responsible for Group Health's long-term financial integrity. He oversees the treasury function, financial planning and strategy, actuarial and underwriting, rate setting, delivery system business services, and finance operations. He also leads information technology services, enterprise information management, and Web services.

Magnuson joined Group Health in May 2007, bringing more than 21 years of experience in the health care industry. Prior to Group Health, he was chief financial officer at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and a master's degree in business administration from University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. He is also a member of the ArtsFund board of trustees and an avid runner, completing more than 10 marathons, including marathons in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Robert O'Brien

Executive vice president
Health Plan Division

Robert O'Brien is responsible for Group Health's market analysis, new product development, health plan marketing and sales, care-network management, and health plan administration and operations. O'Brien was previously with Mercer, a global consulting subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Cos. He led Mercer's health and benefits consulting business and advised the Care-Focused Purchasing Governance Committee, an employer-led effort to accelerate cost-and-quality transformation of the nation's health care system. O'Brien has also served as an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College's Northwestern School of Law.

O'Brien holds a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law. He is an active member of the Oregon Bar, the American Bar Association, and the American Health Lawyers Association. He also is a member of the board of directors at the Puget Sound Health Alliance and the Seattle Sports Commission.

Marc West

Executive vice president
Group Health Physicians

Executive vice president of Care Delivery Systems
Group Health Cooperative

Marc West has served as executive vice president of Group Health Physicians (GHP) since 2005, and in 2011 he expanded his responsibilities to include executive vice president of Care Systems Development.

As executive vice president of GHP, West provides long-range strategic guidance to the GHP Board and leads the Administrative Team in areas of finance, human resources, and information technology. In his leadership role in Care Systems Development, he's responsible for partnering with the health plan, group practice, and other divisions as they develop, align, and implement improvements in Group Health's integrated care system.

Prior to his current roles, West was chief financial and administrative officer for GHP and served in a variety of positions within Group Health Cooperative. West earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting in 1990, and completed a CPA certificate program in 1992, at the University of Washington. He earned his master’s in business administration from Kaplan University in 2011. He has been a member of the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors since 2004.

Rick Woods

Executive vice president
General counsel

Rick Woods directs the Legal Division, which includes legal, risk management, compliance, and ethics. He also is responsible for the Administrative Services Division, which includes purchasing, supply chain, and facilities development and management. He has served as Group Health's general counsel and a member of its executive leadership team since 1997, and has been with Group Health since 1988.

Prior to working for Group Health, Woods was an assistant attorney general for the state of Washington. He holds a law degree from the University of Idaho and a bachelor's degree in economics from Oregon State University. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and Washington State Society of Healthcare Attorneys.