Michael Frederic Neidorff (November 19, 1942 – April 7, 2022) was an American business executive and was CEO of Centene Corporation from 1996 to 2022.
Michael F. Neidorff | |
|---|---|
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| Born | November 19, 1942 Altoona, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 2022 (aged 79) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Trinity University (B.A., 1965) St. Francis University (M.A., 1966) |
| Occupation | Business Executive |
| Known for | CEO of Centene Corporation |
| Spouse | Noémi Neidorff |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
editNeidorff was born in 1942 to a Jewish family in Altoona, Pennsylvania.[1][2][3] He was a 1961 graduate of Altoona High School.[4]
He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Trinity University in 1965[5] and a master's degree in industrial relations at St. Francis University.[4][6][7]
Career
editIn the 1980s, Neidorff was the director of international consumer products at Miles Laboratories, and worked as president and chief executive officer of Physicians Health Plan of Greater St. Louis.[8][9]
In 1995, he became chief executive of Group Health Plan and was vice president of its parent company, Coventry Corp.[4][8] The following year, Neidorff joined Centene, then called Coordinated Care Corp., as its chief executive officer.[8][10]
Neidorff was listed on Fortune's Businessperson of the year list in 2017.[11] In 2018, Neidorff was one of the executives named in a lawsuit claiming that Centene failed to disclose Health Net's potential tax exposure prior to their acquisition.[12]
In April 2020, Neidorff joined the White House economic recovery task force on reopening the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] During that year, Neidorff earned $4.7 million in bonuses that contributed to a total yearly earnings of $24.96 million.[14] He announced plans to retire in 2022 after Politan Capital Management took a stake in Centene. In March, he formally stepped down after Sarah London was named his replacement.[15][16]
Philanthropy
editMichael Neidorff began serving on the board of the National Urban League in St. Louis in 2010, and in 2014, he was named the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. That same year, Neidorff was inducted into the St. Louis Business Hall of Fame.[17] In 2017, the Saint Louis Dispatch named Neidorff the Citizen of the Year, after he spearheaded the opening of a Centene office in Ferguson, Missouri in 2016. Neidorff committed to building the office in order to invest in the Ferguson community shortly after the shooting of Michael Brown.[18] Neidorff also served as a board member for the Greater St. Louis Boy Scouts of America, Manhattan School of Music, Opera Theater of St. Louis, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Trinity University.[19][20]
Personal life
editMichael Neidorff was married to Noémi Neidorff and they had two children.[9]
Neidorff donated to several political causes, including Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden's presidential campaigns, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Senator Jeanne Shaheen's reelection campaign.[21][22] Neidorff and his wife Noémi, the former board chair of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, were patrons to the arts and supported many music and educational organizations in Missouri and elsewhere.[23][24] The main concert hall at the Manhattan School of Music is named in their honor.[25]
He died of complications of an infection in St. Louis on April 7, 2022, at the age of 79.[26][19]
References
edit- ^ "Family, friends, colleagues celebrate the life of Michael Neidorff -". 30 October 2022.
- ^ "Michael Frederic Neidorff". Berger Memorial Chapel. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "MICHAEL F. NEIDORFF (1943 – 2022)". Centene Corporation. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ a b c Unglesbee, Ben (September 25, 2015). "Michael Neidorff, Caleres". St. Louis Business Journal.
- ^ Weiderman, Greta (April 26, 2012). "Centene CEO Neidorff pledges $5 million to Trinity University". St. Louis Business Journal.
- ^ Jones, Sharon (July 18, 2016). "Trinity University Elects New Board Officers | Trinity University". Trinity University.
- ^ Frank, Walt (July 8, 2018). "Plans to construct Centene facility moving forward". Altoona Mirror.
- ^ a b c "Health services: Michael Neidorff, Centene Corp". St. Louis Business Journal. June 16, 2002.
- ^ a b Kukuljan, Steph (December 6, 2019). "C-Suite Awards 2019: Michael Neidorff, Centene". St. Louis Business Journal.
- ^ Noles, Corey (August 7, 2015). "How Michael Neidorff took Centene from $40 million to $21 billion". St. Louis Business Journal.
- ^ "Michael Neidorff". Fortune. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Sweeney, Evan (December 19, 2018). "Invest suit claims Centene hid $900M tax liability in HealthNet purchase". Fierce Healthcare.
- ^ "Another St. Louis CEO joins White House economic recovery task force". St. Louis Business Journal. April 15, 2020.
- ^ Nicklaus, David (March 2, 2021). "Centene board limits bonuses, but Neidorff earns nearly $25 million". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Japsen, Bruce. "Centene's Neidorff To Step Down As CEO Amid Deal With Activist Investor". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ Japsen, Bruce. "Centene Promotes Tech And Healthcare Strategist Sarah London To CEO Job". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ Barr, Diana (November 14, 2014). "Centene's Neidorff named National Urban League chair". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Liss, Samantha (October 12, 2020) [December 31, 2017]. "Neidorff, a difference maker in Ferguson, named Citizen of the Year". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Abelson, Reed (April 20, 2022) [April 15, 2022]. "Michael F. Neidorff, 79, Dies; His Company Was an Obamacare Stalwart". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Clancy, Sam (April 7, 2022). "Longtime Centene leader Michael Neidorff dies after lengthy illness". KSDK. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Chávez, Aída (December 31, 2019). "Joe Biden Wants to End Prison Profiteering. One of His Top Fundraisers Is a Major Player in Prison Health Care". The Intercept. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Herman, Bob; Muchmore, Shannon (November 8, 2016). "Top health care leaders apparently aren't Trump fans". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Handelman, Alice (November 25, 2015). "Arts Speak: Q & A with Noemi Neidorff". Ladue News. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ "Leadership". Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ G, James. "Neidorff-Karpati Hall Renovation". Manhattan School of Music. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Merrilrrs, Annika (April 7, 2022). "Longtime Centene CEO Michael Neidorff Dies". St Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 7, 2022.