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. Armstrong has been with Group Health since 1986 in positions ranging from assistant hospital administrator to chief operating officer (COO). 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.

Armstrong received a Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College in New York and a Master of Arts in Business with a concentration in hospital administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Armstrong is a board member of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He is also chair of the Board of the Pacific Science Center and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Michael Soman, MD

President and chief medical executive
Group Health Permanente

Executive medical director
Group Practice Division

Michael Soman, MD, leads Group Health Permanente, 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.

Brenda Bruns, MD

Executive medical director
Health Plan Division

Brenda Bruns, MD, plays a pivotal role in Group Health's drive toward growth and affordability. She leads the process to optimize our health plan and care-delivery capabilities. Bruns has more than two decades of experience encompassing health plans, hospitals, and academic medicine.

A native of Eastern Washington, Bruns completed her undergraduate work at Stanford University and received her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine, as well as her Master of Science in Management from Stanford Business School. She received her advanced training at Virginia Mason, Boston's Faulkner Hospital and California Pacific Medical Center, and served as a clinical professor at Stanford and San Francisco General Hospital.

James Hereford

Executive vice president
Group Practice Division

James Hereford is responsible for care provided to roughly 400,000 members at Group Health medical centers in Washington state and North Idaho. Group Health's care system includes nearly 75 medical and surgical specialties offered in 35 care locations. In addition, Hereford oversees one of the region's largest pharmacy systems, lab and radiology operations, occupational health programs, and behavioral health services.

Hereford holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from Montana State University and is a faculty member in the University of Washington's Master of Health Administration program. He also is a member of several local and national organizations and boards, including the Healthcare Value Leaders Network, OneHealthPort, and the Greater Seattle YMCA. He is past chair of the Washington State Health Care Authority Health Information Infrastructure Advisory Board.

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 of Arts/Teaching from Brown University.

Richard Magnuson

Executive vice president
Chief financial officer

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.

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 of 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 the New York City and Washington, D.C., marathons.

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 adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College's Northwestern School of Law.

O'Brien holds an Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, from Harvard University and a J.D. 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 Permanente

Marc West is responsible for providing long-range strategic guidance to the Group Health Permanente Board, anticipating financial growth needs, and negotiating with Group Health Cooperative leaders to define the contractual arrangement between the two organizations. He has served as executive vice president of Group Health Permanente since 2005. Previously he was Group Health Permanente's chief financial and administrative officer. Prior to these roles, he held a variety of positions for Group Health Cooperative, including director of Regional Finance and Planning, manager of Business Systems, and regional cost consultant.

West earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Washington and became a CPA in 1992. 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 directs the Administrative Division, which includes materials and facilities 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.