John Roos ‘84 is Senior Vice President, Chief Sales, Marketing and Communications Officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Roos has graciously served on the Beaver College of Health Sciences Advisory Council since its inception in 2012 and is currently Chair of the Council. When asked why he gives so much to Appalachian State University, Roos replies, “Appalachian has given a lot to me. The people I have met, the life skills I learned, and the education I received have lead me to where I am today, plus I want to help other students have the experience I had.”
Roos also wants to continue to develop the corporate support Blue Cross and Blue Shield has provided to the Beaver College of Health Sciences. “We have a shortage of health professionals in North Carolina and Blue Cross and Blue Shield wants to help expand that workforce,” Roos stated. “We are investing in tomorrow’s health professionals to grow and educate the workforce of tomorrow.” Blue Cross and Blue Shield also helped to establish a benefits minor in the college of business and they hope to continue to develop health insurance industry classes in the future. According to Roos, they see a workforce connection for future Blue Cross and Blue Shield employees from both the Beaver College of Health Sciences and the Walker College of Business. “It is the right thing to do, not just for the Boone community, but for all of North Carolina. Creating well-educated future employees who are conscientious about their community’s well-being is a benefit to us all.”
The evolving partnership between the Beaver College of Health Sciences and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina focuses on future opportunities to fill the health care needs across the state. Roos is also enthusiastic about the college’s new building. “Blue Cross and Blue Shield is pleased about the new opportunities the building will provide for students to be able to collaborate and work together by being housed in one building. The hands-on interprofessional clinic is going to be incredible. We are very delighted to see the years of planning and building finally come together.”
With the help of the Advisory Council and other stakeholders, the Beaver College of Health Sciences continues to work on their long term Strategic Plan. Dean Marie Huff explains: “The college continues to focus on the health and well-being of people within our region and beyond. The new health sciences building was designed to be an integral part of the Boone community. With the support of our generous partners, like John Roos and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, we will leverage the collaborative and active learning classroom and laboratory spaces to educate and graduate effective practitioners to meet the local and global workforce needs.”