Coventry's Peter Marino Named CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan

Coventry resident Peter Marino, the former director of the state Office of Management and Budget, has been named the new CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.

Marino, who has also served as an adjunct professor at Brown University, replaces Jim Hooley as the head of Neighborhood.

Below is a news release about Marino's appointment:

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Merrill Thomas, Chairman of the Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood) Board of Directors, today announced that the Neighborhood Board has selected Peter M. Marino, Director of the Rhode Island Office of Management and Budget, as the health plan’s new Chief Executive Officer. Marino fills the post being vacated by interim CEO Jim Hooley.

“Peter Marino was selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants,” said Thomas. “His combination of experience, proven ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders and longstanding commitment to the public good made him the clear choice for our organization.”

Prior to joining Governor Chafee’s staff nearly two years ago, Marino served as the Senate Fiscal Advisor, Director of Research and Policy for the Providence-based RDW Group and Director of Policy and Municipal Affairs for the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC). He has a Bachelor’s in Science degree from James Madison University and a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

“I am very pleased to be joining Neighborhood,” said Marino.  “The company has an outstanding record for delivering quality health care and partnering with the state to improve health care for Medicaid and HealthSource RI participants.  I look forward to being part of an organization that is so mission-driven and dedicated.”

Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island was founded 20 years ago by Rhode Island’s community health centers to improve access to quality health care for traditionally underserved populations. Today, Neighborhood serves more than 140,000 people through a staff of 375 employees. The company’s membership has grown by more than 60 percent over the past seven months due to the Affordable Care Act and decisions by state leaders to increase opportunities for health insurance coverage. Neighborhood’s revenues are anticipated to reach $800 million in 2014.

Neighborhood initially launched its CEO search in November 2012 when then-CEO Mark Reynolds left to become the President of the Controlled Risk Insurance Company/Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions. Jim Hooley, a board member and former CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Massachusetts, agreed to serve as Neighborhood’s CEO on a long-term interim basis to help the organization through the major growth associated with the health care delivery reforms in the state.  

Marino will begin on September 1st. He will be Neighborhood’s third CEO.