Texas Football.

 

**Karen S. Lynch (née Rohan)**

Karen S. Lynch, born on December 30, 1963, in Ware, Massachusetts, is an influential American business leader and the former President and CEO of CVS Health. She serves on the boards of directors for organizations including AHIP, and previously for CVS Health and U.S. Bancorp. In 2015, Lynch made history as the first female president of Aetna and has held senior roles at Magellan Health Services and Cigna. In 2021, she was recognized as the highest-ranking female CEO on the Fortune 500 list. Lynch is also active in various organizations, including the President's Export Council and the Business Roundtable.

**Early Life and Education**

Lynch attended Ware Junior/Senior High School, graduating in 1980. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Boston College's Carroll School of Management and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She began her career in finance at Ernst & Young in Boston, specializing in insurance.

**Career**

Lynch’s career in healthcare was influenced by her family experiences. After nearly a decade in insurance, she pursued an MBA to expand her business acumen. She joined Cigna in 2004 as president of Cigna Dental, later overseeing Cigna Group Insurance and Cigna Dental. In 2009, she became president of Magellan Health Services. 

In 2012, Lynch joined Aetna as executive vice president and head of Specialty Products, leading the integration of Coventry Health Care shortly after. She became Aetna's first female president in 2015 and continued in that role through Aetna’s $70 billion acquisition by CVS Health in 2018.

In February 2021, she stepped into the role of President and CEO of CVS Health, succeeding Larry Merlo. During her tenure, CVS administered COVID-19 vaccines across thousands of facilities. Lynch is credited with transforming CVS Health’s drug pricing model to reduce consumer costs, leading to significant industry recognition.

In 2023, her compensation from CVS Health reached $21.6 million, with a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 392-to-1. On October 18, 2024, Lynch announced her resignation, with CVS Caremark executive David Joyner succeeding her.

**Awards and Honors**

Lynch was featured on the inaugural 2021 Forbes 50 Over 50 list and received the Committee for Economic Development Distinguished Leadership Award in 2021. She ranked first on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business list for three consecutive years (2021-2023). Lynch holds honorary doctorates from the University of Hartford and Becker College and has served as honorary co-chair of the Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure. In 2023, she was included in Time's 100 most influential people and ranked as the sixth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

**Personal Life**

Raised by a single mother, Lynch experienced personal tragedy early in life when her mother died by suicide when Lynch was just 12. After her mother’s death, she and her siblings were cared for by their aunt, who later succumbed to multiple health issues. 

In 2015, Lynch married Kevin M. Lynch, founder of the Quell Foundation, which aims to destigmatize mental health issues. The couple reconnected after meeting in college in the 1980s. Outside of work, Lynch enjoys running, which she cites as a key part of her routine for relaxation and inspiration.

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