Former Weld/Cellucci budget chief Charlie Baker was tapped in June to head up the beleaguered HMO. As chief executive, Baker quickly moved to consolidate services and upgrade management systems which had been deemed ineffective.

Besides Baker, Keel is not the only Cellucci Administration official to join Harvard Pilgrim in the past four months. Shortly after taking over as CEO, Baker hired Bruce Bullen as Harvard Pilgrim’s chief operating officer. Bullen, a long-time Weld/Cellucci aid, had been the head of the state’s Medicaid program.

At Harvard Pilgrim, Keel will play a crucial role in restoring fiscal stability to the HMO which insures over 25,000 state retirees and employees. The HMO insures more than 1.5 million people and has posted losses nearing $100 million over the past eighteen months.

Keel, 32, left the door open for a possible later return to state service. "For the time being I’m leaving my money in the pension fund. Service in the public sector is a meaningful opportunity to serve the community as a whole. My hope is to gain knowledge and experience in the private sector that I can one day bring with me back to the public sector. I can certainly see myself returning some day," explains Keel.

PERAC/GIC Commissioner

After joining the Weld Administration as a volunteer in early 1991, Keel quickly rose through the ranks within the Administration’s fiscal agencies. She first worked as an assistant in A&F before joining the Budget Bureau as an analyst in 1992. The Budget Bureau is the governor’s budget drafting agency, which is responsible for the first fiscal blueprint each year.

Keel, a South Shore native who now lives in Maynard, had been elevated to the position of director of finance within the Budget Bureau when she was chosen by then Secretary of Administration and Finance Baker, to serve as his undersecretary in October of 1997.

As part of her responsibilities as A&F undersecretary, Keel represented the governor on both the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) and the Group Insurance Commission (GIC). Members know of the vital importance of both agencies to public retirees.

"To have volunteered without pay in the early days of the Weld Administration is viewed as a badge of honor in state government. The fact that Kristen has risen so quickly at such a young age speaks to her ability to get things done," says Association Legislative Liaison Shawn Duhamel, who served as an aide to House Republican Leader Peter Forman in the early 90’s. "I attend nearly every GIC and PERAC meeting and have seen Kristen in action. Her voice will certainly be missed at those agencies."

"Bill Weld and Charlie Baker are both known for surrounding themselves with the brightest, most capable people. Kristen Keel has done a good job representing the Governor on the issues we care the most about," commented Association President Ralph White. "She may have a reputation as a hard- nosed, no-nonsense negotiator, but she has always been level handed and approachable on our issues.

"Kristen is walking into a tough situation at Harvard Pilgrim that I can’t say I’m envious of. A good number of our members, both state and local, are insured under the Harvard plans, so I wish her the best of luck."