Ithaca College

Christopher D. Palmieri, a 1996 Ithaca College graduate with a quarter century of experience leading public health care initiatives, has been elected to the college’s board of trustees for a four-year term. He currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA), a Massachusetts-based, not-for-profit health care organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals with significant needs. Palmieri is also the founder of Winter Street Ventures, CCA’s start-up accelerator and venture investment subsidiary, and launched instED, a business that provides in-home emergency department services.

Since taking the helm at the end of 2015, Palmieri has transformed CCA into a $2 billion health system, which has consistently provided improved health and quality outcomes to its customer base. CCA is a nationally recognized leader in providing care for high-cost, high-needs individuals through an innovative model that has been proven to improve quality and health outcomes while reducing overall costs of care. With a history of and commitment to advocacy, CCA is influencing public dialogue about issues of fair access, affordability, and quality of care for low-income populations with complex chronic conditions and disabilities.

Palmieri earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Administration from IC’s School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, and went on to receive a master’s degree in Health Care Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Distinguished Career
Named in 2012 to the Crain’s New York “40 Under 40” list—a distinction for the top business leaders under age 40—Palmieri has deep expertise in publicly funded health care and a firm commitment to providing high-quality care coordination and delivery and specialized services that address the spectrum of social determinants of health to individuals with complex health needs, including seniors and people with disabilities.

His career has included leadership positions with such organizations as Faxton-St. Luke’s Health Care/Mohawk Valley Network, Metropolitan Jewish Health System, and Amerigroup New York. Palmieri spent nearly 10 years at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, the largest not-for-profit home health care organization in the United States, where he served as president and CEO of VNSNY CHOICE Health Plans, successfully launching a $2 billion safety-net insurance company offering both Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care products. Prior to joining CCA he served as chief executive officer of Remedy Partners, a national bundled payment company.

As an alumnus, Palmieri has served Ithaca College as a “Meet the Firms” and regional event host, and as a visiting speaker in the School of Business.

He is currently chair of the national Association for Community Affiliated Plans and of the National Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Association. He is also chair of the board of LifePod, a remote patient monitoring company and Winter Street Ventures portfolio company, and serves as the independent director and chair of the board of Healthify, a technology enabled company addressing social determinants of health.