ANN ARBOR — The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) has announced two new members for its volunteer Board of Directors: the Honorable Sandy K. Baruah, President and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber; and Kelly Lange, Vice President, Enterprise Compliance and Privacy Official for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSN) and Blue Care Network (BCN). They will both attend their first NKFM Board meeting in June. The NKFM main office is in Oak Valley Drive in Ann Arbor.
In her current role with BCBSM and BCN, Kelly Lange is responsible for overseeing compliance program effectiveness for the company to include, but not limited to, education, member privacy, and Medicare Advantage. Prior to this role, Lange was a public sector consultant and IT auditor for KPMG LLP serving multiple municipalities, including the City of Detroit.
She has received several national awards and was published in Compliance Today and Ethispere magazines. She also belongs to various industry consortiums focused on ethics, compliance, and audits.
Lange, who lives in New Baltimore, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Central Michigan University and an MBA from Walsh. She also holds certifications in information systems auditing, enterprise governance of IT, health care compliance, and is a HITRUST security framework professional.
“We’re very excited to have Kelly join us. Her stellar experience in compliance and healthcare will be a great addition to our Board,” states NKFM President and CEO Linda Smith-Wheelock.
Since 2010, Sandy Baruah has led the Detroit Regional Chamber, which represents the business interests of a region comprised of 4.5 million residents and 11 Fortune 500 companies. Under his leadership, the Chamber also runs the statewide automotive mobility cluster association known as MICHauto and hosts the nationally recognized annual Mackinac Policy Conference.
Before 2010, Baruah had a distinguished career in Washington, DC. He served President George W. Bush as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Association. He was one of the senior officials who shaped the federal response to the 2008 credit crisis and assisted the U.S. auto industry. He has also served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce, where he was responsible for the U.S. Economic Development Administration; served as senior advisor to the Secretary for Commerce for the 2010 Census; and represented the U.S. government before the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in France.
Baruah earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon and an MBA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; the U.S. Council on Competitiveness; the Automotive Hall of Fame; and the Detroit Economic Club, among others. Sandy and Lisa Baruah live with one son and their family pets in Grosse Pointe Park.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Sandy to our Board. His experience in serving the people and businesses of Metro Detroit, as well as his leadership skills, will be extremely valuable to our Board and staff as we look to the future,” states NKFM President and CEO Linda Smith-Wheelock.
About the NKFM
The mission of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan is to prevent kidney disease and improve the quality of life for those living with it. With more than a million people in Michigan affected by kidney disease, the NKFM works to provide life-changing programs and services across the state. For many years, Charity Navigator — the nation’s leading nonprofit evaluator — has recognized the NKFM with its highest rating of 4 stars for success in sound fiscal management. nkfm.org
