WellPoint Among Top Firms for Executive Women

For the second consecutive year, WellPoint Health Networks Inc. in Thousand Oaks has been named one of America’s Top 25 Public Companies for Executive Women by the editors of Working Woman magazine.

WellPoint, one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health care companies, ranked ninth on the list for 2000, moving up from 24th in the 1999 survey.

Working Woman recognized WellPoint for its strong representation of women on its board of directors.

“With a board of directors that’s nearly half women, WellPoint’s female employees have plenty of advocates at the top,” the magazine’s editors wrote.

Leonard D. Schaeffer, WellPoint’s chairman and chief executive, said he was pleased with how far the company advanced in the ratings.

“WellPoint strives to create an environment where all of our associates can make key contributions to the company’s success,” Schaeffer said. “ The leadership on our board gives us a substantial edge in recruiting and retaining the finest professionals in our field.”

WellPoint board members include Sheila P. Burke, undersecretary for American Museums and National Programs at the Smithsonian Institution; Julie A. Hill, president and chief executive of Hiram-Hill Development Co.; and Elizabeth A. Sanders, a principal with the Sanders Partnership.

The magazine list ranks publicly held Fortune 1000 companies with at least two women on the board of directors and a significant percentage of women in senior management positions.