Cropp Named '2012 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year'

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, NY -- Michael W. Cropp, M.D., president and CEO of Independent Health, has been named the 2012 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year by the University at Buffalo School of Management.

The award will be presented at the 63rd Annual School of Management Alumni Association Awards Banquet beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Millennium Hotel Buffalo, 2040 Walden Avenue, Buffalo.

Cropp was selected by a vote of past honorees and the board of directors of the alumni association, who cited his collaborative leadership and community-minded approach to improving the health of people in Western New York.

A board-certified family physician, Cropp joined Independent Health in 1996 as executive vice president and chief medical officer and was named to his current position in 2004.

Headquartered in Buffalo, Independent Health serves nearly 375,000 people a year and generates net revenue of $1.9 billion. For the fifth consecutive year, the company was named one of the best companies to work for in New York State and has consistently been ranked among the top 10 health plans by Consumer Reports.

Prior to joining Independent Health, Cropp served as medical director at Millard Fillmore Health System in Buffalo from 1995 to 1996 and at HealthPartners in Minneapolis, Minn., from 1993 to 1995.

Cropp participates on a number of national boards, including Alliance of Community Health Plans, where he serves as vice chair, and America’s Health Insurance Plans. A leader in establishing community initiatives to improve access to quality health care, Cropp is the founding chair and a current board member of the P² Collaborative of Western New York, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of people in the area, and is the founding chair of Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, which is now called HEALTHeLINK, a consortium of health care providers, hospital networks and insurance companies working to provide electronic exchange of clinical information throughout the region’s health care systems.

After receiving bachelor’s and medical degrees from Brown University, Cropp completed his residency in family practice at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In addition to his medical education and training, he earned an Executive MBA from the UB School of Management.

Cropp and his wife, Lois, live in Williamsville.

Established in 1949, the Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year award is presented annually to an individual who resides in or has a major impact on the region, and whose career has been distinguished by executive success and civic leadership. Recent honorees include Robert D. Gioia, president of The John R. Oishei Foundation, Donna M. Fernandes, president and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo, John R. Koelmel, president and CEO of First Niagara Financial Group Inc., and James R. Kaskie, president and CEO of Kaleida Health.

For information about the awards banquet, contact the School of Management’s Alumni and External Relations Office at mgt-alumni@buffalo.edu or 716-645-3224.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.