Nazie Eftekhari

Ms. Eftekhari is the founder, chair and chief executive officer of HealthEZ, Inc., a Minneapolis-based company providing services designed to simplify health plan administration for employers, and eliminate the complexities in the health care billing and payment process. The beneficiaries of HealthEZ's services include all parties involved in health care administration, billing and payment, including consumers and their employers, health care providers, insurers and third-party administrators.

Prior to founding HealthEZ in 1997, Ms. Eftekhari earned national recognition in 1982 for founding the nation's first Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). In fact, the term PPO was coined to describe her innovation, which brings together doctors, hospitals and other health providers to form a network in order to negotiate and provide services at attractive rates in return for the opportunity to serve the clients of an insurer or third-party administrator. Ms. Eftekhari's company - The Araz Group - celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008, and continues to provide health care management services and expertise to a range of clients through its divisions, America's PPO, HealthEZ, and America's IME.

Ms. Eftekhari's more than 28 years' experience in the health care field has spanned a broad range of areas. Throughout her career, she has gained expertise in addressing the challenges and opportunities inherent in provider networks; developing creative solutions for self-insured employers looking to provide attractive health benefit programs to their employees, and optimizing and implementing information technologies to address the unique and special needs of the health care marketplace.

A member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Minnesota Medical School, Ms. Eftekhari also serves on the Board of Overseers of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. In addition, she is the founder of The Foundation for the Children of Iran, an organization dedicated, since 1991, to enabling indigent children from Iran or of Iranian origin to receive health care services in the United States that are not available to them in Iran.

Ms. Eftekhari has received recognition for her leadership in business and service to the community. In 2009, she was chosen Woman of the Year by the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, and in 2004, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal named her one of the top Twin Cities' Women Changemakers. The Araz Group was cited by City Business as one of the region's top 25 women-owned businesses. In 1995, Ms. Eftekhari was named Small Business Person of the Year. Amongst her other awards are the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights Award and the Woman of Distinction Award.

Ms. Eftekhari is a graduate of the London School of Economics and holds master's degrees in International Relations from the University Of Southern California (UK) and in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota. She has a son and a daughter who are, unabashedly, her pride and joy.