Curtis Barnett serves as president and chief executive officer for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield which serves nearly 2 million members nationwide. As president and CEO, Barnett is leading Arkansas Blue Cross’ efforts to help transform healthcare, striving to make it a more affordable and compassionate system. He has a distinct passion for improving awareness, access, and outcomes in behavioral health, and has spoken locally and nationally on such subjects as the importance of changing how healthcare services are reimbursed, the role of health plans in addressing the social determinants of health, and the need for a whole person approach to health care.
Prior to his election as president and CEO in 2017, Barnett served as senior vice president of Internal Operations for Arkansas Blue Cross and as president and CEO of its wholly-owned subsidiary company, USAble Corporation.
On the national front, Barnett serves on the boards of directors for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the National Institute for Healthcare Management (NIHCM), and BCS Financial. He also serves as co-chair of the Roundtable on Innovations in Mental and Behavioral Health for the Health Evolution.
In Arkansas, Barnett serves on several industry and community boards of directors, including the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees, the dean’s executive advisory board for the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business, the Arkansas Research Alliance, and the executive committee for the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as vice chair.
Barnett actively supports many charitable organizations. In 2015, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation named him their Breath of Life honoree. His alma mater, the University of Central Arkansas, presented him with their Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2018.
A native Arkansan, Barnett received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Arkansas and is a graduate of the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management’s Advanced Executive Program.
“Talent is key to future economic growth. Great talent wants to work with innovative organizations focused on solving the real problems that people, industries and society face and it’s research that fuels innovation. It’s critical to our state’s future that we have a strong advocate, like the Arkansas Research Alliance, promoting investments in research and connecting the major players in ways that advance innovation and drive growth.”
— Curtis Barnett, President & CEO, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield