Kaiser Permanente Senior VP Joins ABL Organization

Orange, CA — May 29, 2009 — Terry Austen, Senior Vice President and Area Manager of Kaiser Permanente (KP) in San Jose, has joined the Adaptive Business Leaders Organization (ABL). As part of California’s leading vertical-industry Chief Executives’ Organization, ABL Members provide one another with executive leadership coaching through its confidential, professionally-facilitated, peer-CEO Advisory Board Round Tables, executive learning workshops, network of CEO peers, and expert resources.

Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America's leading healthcare providers and not-for-profit health plans, currently serving 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Terry is responsible for planning, funding and executing all healthcare services to 196,000 health plan members at KP-San Jose Medical Center, Gilroy Medical Offices and The Northern California Regional Genetics Laboratory.

Previously at KP, Terry was Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the South Bay Service Area, and Director of Hospital Operations at Redwood City Medical Center. Prior to KP, he was a Vice President at DBS INC., a physician-owned medical accounts management company, and worked for San Jose Medical Center, as Director of the Medical Information System Project and Director of Business Services. Terry earned his BS degree in Biology from the University of Santa Clara, and his MBA from San Jose State University.

About the Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL) Organization
ABL supports the needs of its Member CEOs by providing a place for top-level executives to draw on the experience, knowledge and skill sets of their peers in a vertical industry, personal advisory board – “multi-coach approach” – setting.

The core component of the CEO Membership experience is the group Round Table meeting. Members meet once a month for a half-day with a group of peer CEOs, Presidents, COOs and Division General Managers from non-competing companies, all from the same industry (healthcare, technology or life sciences), in a trusted and confidential board room-like setting, which allows ABL Members to tackle topics and enhance their decision making and business performance. Topics include: developing and honing new business strategies and best practices, new lines of business, “A-players” on the management team, and an effective board of directors, as well as understanding trends in new markets, mergers and acquisitions, compensation, and other “hot” topics brought to the Round Tables by the Members themselves.

ABL Members also gather several times a year at workshops and conferences to exchange ideas and connect with other chief executives beyond their own CEO peer groups. In effect, ABL Members serve as one another’s business coaches within the Round Tables and are encouraged to connect and leverage their co-Member peers’ particular skills and expertise for additional leadership coaching, one-on-one, outside of their monthly group meeting. In addition, each Round Table’s facilitator also serves as an objective business advisor, offering executive and industry insights and advice.

 ABL's Chief Executive Leadership Development Round Table program is currently offered in California's Greater Los Angeles, Orange and San Francisco County areas. More information about the ABL Organization can be found at http://www.abl.org .