Robert Hughes '70 to Lead Missouri Foundation for Health

August 25, 2011

August 25, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Robert G. Hughes, a 1970 graduate of DePauw University, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the Missouri Foundation for Health. Hughes currently serves as a visiting research professor in the Center for State Health Policy, an initiative of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, at Rutgers University. He will assume his new duties November 1.

The Missouri Foundation for Health is the largest, non-governmental funder of community health activities in Missouri, distributing $50 million a year. MFH was created in 2001 out of the conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri from nonprofit to for-profit status.

"Hughes brings nearly 30 years of philanthropic leadership, public health and health policy experience to his new position. Before joining the Rutgers faculty, he worked at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in New Jersey from 1990 to 2010, serving most recently as vice president and chief learning officer.

Noting that Dr. Hughes was hired following a nationwide search, K. Beth Johnson, chair of the MFH board, adds, "It was extremely important that we find a new president who could build on the strong foundation already in place at MFH. In Hughes, we have someone who has demonstrated excellence in philanthropy given his strategic viewpoint, innovative leadership and deep knowledge of public health and health policy issues, all of which are hallmarks of MFH's role in Missouri. We look forward to working with Hughes as MFH continues its mission to improve the health of all Missourians."

Hughes states, "Throughout my career in philanthropy, I have been committed to helping improve the health and well being of the public. MFH, its board and staff already have developed an excellent reputation for that same commitment in the philanthropy field. I am excited to join with them to create innovative and strategic solutions that address Missouri’s most pressing health issues."

After graduating from DePauw, where he majored in philosophy and religion, Hughes earned a master's degree in student development from Ohio State University's College of Education and a doctorate in behavioral health from Johns Hopkins University's School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Read more in the St. Louis Business Journal and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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