Delta Dental of Arkansas (DDAR) president and CEO Ed Choate will be retiring at the end of 2021. Choate announced that he would be leaving the company in January 2022.
Choate has served as president and CEO of DDAR, the largest dental benefits provider in Arkansas, since 2000. According to a company release, DDAR has quadrupled its membership, revenue and assets under Choate’s leadership. The company now serves 800,000 members in Arkansas, as well as 2.4 million members nationwide.
“Delta Dental of Arkansas is an amazing company that excels at providing world-class service while truly caring for the people we serve,” Choate said in a statement. “It has mission-driven employees who are inspired to improve the health of Arkansans who need us most. I was blessed to be part of such a great organization.”
Before joining DDAR, Choate served as the president and CEO of NovaSys Health and as a senior vice president for HealthScope Benefits, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also served as the director of marketing for Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield. Choate holds bachelor’s degrees in business education and business management from Southern Arkansas University.
DDAR board chairman Wayne Callahan said that the company’s leadership team and the board would be “identifying the skills and experiences needed in the next CEO” as they move towards a leadership transition.
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