image of Garry Maisel
Garry Maisel
CEO, Western Healthcare Advantage

Sacramento State

B.S. Business Administration/Finance (1980)
  • As a child, he helped his mother with the accounting for the family's home appliance service business in Stockton.
  • Started his career in banking and finance, then led a health plan based in Stockton. He later became the first employee of Western Health Advantage (WHA), which began as a joint venture between UC Davis Health System, Dignity Health and North Bay Healthcare in 1996.
  • Now oversees more than 100 employees at the not-for-profit organization that serves more than 100,000 members. Under his leadership, WHA saw more than $600 million in revenues last year and is positioned well for the new health care laws.
  • WHA will be one of 13 health plans in the state to participate in Covered California—a network of providers through which individuals and families will be able to quality for subsidized insurance coverage. “The biggest deal is, a whole bunch of people are going to qualify for assistance in coverage,” he says. “According to Covered California, 126,000 residents in the greater Sacramento area will qualify for subsidies and I think that’s exciting.”
  • Community service is one of his priorities and he currently is the board chair of WEAVE, the Non-Profit Resource Center, on the board of Valley Vision among numerous other community non-profit organizations.
  • In recent years, he has garnered several honors for his business leadership and heavy involvement in the community. He was the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s 2010 Businessman of the Year. In 2011, he was recognized with the Individual Arts Leadership Award from the Sacramento Arts and Business Council. Last year, he was named the Sacramento Business Journal’s Leader of the Year and in 2013 he received Sac State’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Notable CSU Alumni in health & wellness

health & wellness
Sacramento