Colorado health insurance exchange selects Gary Drews as interim chief

Posted: 08/15/2014 02:58:12 PM MDT

Updated: 08/15/2014 03:18:03 PM MDT

The board of the state health insurance exchange Friday selected Gary Drews to serve as interim director.

Drews is founder and CEO of TheWorldWeWant and former seven-year chief financial officer of the Colorado Health Foundation.

He begins his new role at the exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, Aug. 25. He will receive a monthly salary of $16,276, spokesman Ben Davis said.

Former Connect for Health chief executive Patty Fontneau recently left for a position at Cigna.

'I'm honored to be able to step in and help the Board and staff as they transition Connect for Health Colorado into its next phase,' Drews said in a statement. 'We don't want to lose any of the momentum and direction that's made the marketplace a success, particularly as we launch technology enhancements and enter the second open enrollment period.'

The next open enrollment period is Nov. 15 through Feb. 15, 2015.

The board is continuing the process to choose a permanent chief executive, expected later this year, officials said.

Board chair Sharon O'Hara said Drews was selected in part because he is familiar with exchange dynamics and the board perceives that one of his strengths is to innovate and re-think business models.

Before serving at Colorado Health Foundation, Drews had been chief operating officer for Regis University in Denver, chief financial officer for Colorado Outward Bound School and production executive at Walt Disney Studios.

Electa Draper: 303-954-1276, edraper@denverpost.com or http://ift.tt/1cXejgB