Kaiser Permanente Appoints New Regional Presidents

Wendy Watson

Effective Feb. 16, 2025, Wendy Watson will take over as president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. As regional president, she will lead the organization’s focus on providing healthcare and coverage for more than 612,000 members in Oregon and southwest Washington, as well as dental care and coverage for more than 285,000 members.

Watson is a 32-year veteran of Kaiser Permanente of the Northwest, serving the region most recently as chief operating officer. She joined Kaiser Permanente in 1993 and has held a variety of leadership roles across the spectrum of operations, care delivery, and hospital administration.

Watson holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and a master’s degree in public health from Portland State University. She also completed an advanced fellowship with the Health Care Advisory Board in Washington, D.C., and an executive fellowship with the Baldrige Foundation.

She is a member of the board of directors for the Hospital Association of Oregon. Watson was named Executive of the Year by the Portland Business Journal in 2022 and has been honored with the Patriot Award by the U.S. Army for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals is part of Kaiser Permanente, a not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Oakland, Calif., and serves 12.5 million members.

Corwin N. Harper

Additionally, Kaiser Permanente has appointed Corwin N. Harper president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, effective Jan. 21, 2025. As regional health plan president, Harper will lead the organization’s focus on providing integrated, high-quality health care and coverage for more than 327,000 Kaiser Permanente members.

He brings brings 39 years of healthcare and hospital leadership experience to his position as regional president, including 25 years of previous experience at Kaiser Permanente. Most recently, he served as CEO of Ochsner LSU Health North Louisiana, an integrated academic health system with three acute care hospitals, a behavioral health hospital and 20 clinics with more than 600 students, residents and faculty.