Lynne Garrison
Development Chair

Lynne is Vice President of Corporate Communications for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), the state’s largest health insurer serving more than 3.2 million members. She joined BCBSNC in 1997 in the public relations/public affairs area, becoming Vice President in 2001.

As the Chief Communications Officer for the company, Lynne leads public relations, public affairs, internal and external communications, crisis communications, and corporate meeting services. She is a mentor for BCBSNC employees through the company’s Blue Xchange program.

Lynne’s communications experience spans more than 25 years, including both public sector and private sector work. Prior to joining BCBSNC, she served as deputy press secretary for former Governor Jim Hunt, public affairs director for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and public information officer for the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh.

Active in the community, Lynne is on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for Leadership North Carolina and the High Five High School Excellence Regional Partnership (former chair). She is a member of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (past chair of Leadership Campaign and Government Affairs). She is also a member of the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education Board of Directors and the Wake Education Partnership Board of Trustees (past chair of Board of Directors). Active with the Apex United Methodist Church, she is chair of the Finance Committee, a Sunday School teacher, and a member of the church’s Administrative Council.

Lynne has received a number of awards and recognition, including the 2005 BCBSNC Volunteer of the Year award, Triangle Business Journal’s 2004 Women in Business award, and the BCBSNC CEO award. She has also won awards from programs such as BCBSA’s Best of Blue Awards, national and statewide School Public Relations Association Awards, and N.C. Association of Educators’ School Press Awards for Communications Programs. She earned a B.A. degree in business management from North Carolina State University.

Lynne and her husband, John, have three teenagers and live in Apex, North Carolina.