Ken Melkus served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of HealthWise of America, Inc., a publicly traded managed care company, from the Company’s founding until it was merged into UnitedHealth Group of Minneapolis in April 1996. Prior to that, Ken served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Surgical Care Affiliates, Inc., an owner and operator of independent ambulatory surgery centers.
Ken has served on the Board of Directors of Accredo Health, Ardent Health Services, Image America, naviHealth, Ozburn-Hessey Logistics, Quorum Health Group, and Renal Advantage. He has also served as a Senior Advisor to the New York-based private equity firm Welsh Carson, which specializes in healthcare and technology investments. Currently, Ken serves as an Advisor to Oak Street Health, Kardium, Ursa Health, Sylvan Health, and the JSL Fund.
Ken was a founding member of the Nashville Health Care Council (NHCC), which is a vibrant association of healthcare companies working to reinforce Nashville’s leadership position in the healthcare sector.
Ken received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Currently, he spends considerable time working on philanthropic programs with his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Lauren, through the Melkus Family Foundation, which was founded in 1993.