Elizabeth Carpio

Elizabeth Carpio is the director of strategic development at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), with responsibility for enterprise risk management, strategic intelligence, market research, business continuity, and crisis management. Elizabeth was invaluable in the 2019 acquisition of Health Choice Arizona (HCA), a Medicaid-managed care plan. Elizabeth is also a member of both teams leading the integration of HCA and the company’s tribal strategy.

Before joining BCBSAZ in March 2019, Elizabeth served as the assistant deputy director of business operations for the state Medicaid agency known as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). She was responsible for leading more than 850 employees and the diverse day-to-day business operations of the agency including finance, member services, Medicaid eligibility, administrative legal services, information technology, facilities, the fee-for-service health plan, and project management office. Elizabeth was instrumental in the state’s successful efforts to restore and expand Medicaid in 2013 and to create integrated physical and behavioral health managed care plans in 2018. Additionally, Elizabeth oversaw the creation and implementation of the medical home model in tribal communities through the fee-for-service health plan known as the American Indian Health Program (AIHP), a cutting-edge initiative that was the first of its kind nationally.

While at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Elizabeth served as the director of senior services and led the effort to transition senior services from a division of the Department of Health and Human Services to a stand-alone department within the tribal government structure. She has also held leadership positions at the Area Agency on Aging, Region One, and Valle Del Sol, Inc. related to program development, management, quality, and compliance.

Elizabeth holds a master’s degree in gerontology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona. Elizabeth is a graduate of the Hispanic Leadership Institute Class of 2003, and Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy Fellow Class of 2013.