Bernard Tyson, president and COO of Kaiser Permanente, has been named chair of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC)—a preeminent organization composed of African-American senior executives from the nation's Fortune 500 corporations that recognizes the strengths, success, contributions and impact of African-American business leaders. His term runs through Dec. 31, 2013.

"As chair, my role is to harness the collective energy and intellect of the ELC for the benefit of corporate America," Tyson said. "We must continue our focus on increasing the presence of highly qualified, capable and competent African-Americans at the CEO level or one to two levels below and on the boards of publicly-traded companies."

Tyson has been recognized for his work both within and outside of health care. In 2010 he was named one of the 25 most influential African Americans in health care by Black Health magazine, and one of the top 25 minority executives in the nation by Modern Healthcare. He currently serves on the board of the American Heart Association and Occidental College in Los Angeles, and is engaged in many philanthropic and community-based events.

"Bernard is an extremely effective leader with a demonstrated track record of achievement through collaboration, inclusion and acceptance," said George C. Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. "His methods have produced very powerful outcomes within Kaiser Permanente. I am certain he will bring the same spirit to the ELC."

Arnold W. Donald, president and CEO of the ELC, said, "Bernard has been a very active member [of ELC] for many years, and we look forward to benefiting from his knowledge, creativity and guidance as we advance our efforts to increase African-American leadership at the most senior levels and on the boards of America's largest corporations.”