Rodney Young, Chief Executive Officer of Delta Dental of Minnesota

Rod Young became Chief Executive Officer of Delta Dental of Minnesota on January 1, 2012. He has served on the Board of Delta Dental of Minnesota since 1998, and continues in that role as CEO. With $1.4 billion in annual revenue, the oral health insurer is one of the largest dental benefit companies in the nation. It serves nearly 8,000 Minnesota and North Dakota-based employer groups and 4.4 million members nationwide.

Rod is a proven strategic and innovative leader continually focused on client and stakeholder value creation. Under Rod’s leadership, Delta Dental of Minnesota is concentrated on business growth, client satisfaction and retention, dental partner relations, diversification, innovation, sustaining its strong culture, and continuing to make a notable impact on access to quality oral care for our most vulnerable communities. Rod is a leader who has embraced differences and created a team-driven culture that operates on the internal mantra of “Together We Can!” Under his guidance, Delta Dental of Minnesota is addressing social inequity through team member education, corporate collaboration, and taking actions within the communities we serve.

Rod’s business experience includes med-tech, health management, dental insurance, pharmaceutical and wellness-related industries in the areas of strategy development, international development, product development and launch, business development, sales and marketing.

Prior to joining Delta Dental, Rod served as CEO of Angeion Corporation (now MGC Diagnostics), a publicly traded medical device manufacturer. He has also served as Chair, CEO and President of LecTec Corporation, a publicly traded med-tech manufacturer. He was Vice President at Chicago-based hospital supply distributor Baxter International, and has held several positions within 3M’s medical products division. Rod began his career in pharmaceutical sales with Upjohn.

In addition to executive leadership, Rod has twenty years of experience serving on boards of publicly traded and nonprofit corporations with revenues ranging from $14 million to $23 billion. These include: Allina Health, Angeion Corporation, Bolder Options, Delta Dental of Minnesota, (Chair) Delta Dental Plans Association, Health Fitness Corporation, (Chair) LecTec Corporation, Minnesota Public Radio and Possis Corporation. In addition to these boards, Rod is a member of the Minnesota Business Partnership and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Rod has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Truman University in Kirksville, MO and attended Lewis University, in Romeoville, IL for business studies.