Executive Biographies:
Steven B. Kelmar

Senior Vice President
Chief of Staff, Office of the Chairman
Government Affairs

Photograph of Steven KelmarSteven Kelmar is Senior Vice President and head of Aetna's government, regulatory and policy teams and also serves as Chief of Staff to Aetna’s Chairman. In his role, Mr. Kelmar is responsible for managing the Chairman’s office, as well as leading critical external initiatives related to health care reform, the U.S. economy and legislative affairs. He reports directly to Chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini and serves on the Company’s Executive Committee.

Prior to Aetna, Mr. Kelmar was head of Global Public Affairs and Policy for Merck and Co., and also served in that capacity for Novartis AG, in Basel, Switzerland. In these roles, he was responsible for setting and driving the public affairs and policy strategies globally for these companies.

Before joining Novartis he served as Senior Vice President, External Relations for Medtronic Inc., for nine years. In this role he led efforts to establish the company as a leading health care technology company. He also had responsibility for corporate planning and established business initiatives that lead to strengthening the company's therapeutic franchises. Mr. Kelmar also served on the Executive Committee at Novartis and Medtronic.

Mr. Kelmar spent 14 years in public service in several executive positions. In 1990, he was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be an Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this position, he served as one of the federal government's chief policymakers during a time of major national reexamination of health care delivery systems.

During his public service career, Mr. Kelmar was Chief of Staff to two Members of the U.S. Congress and also worked in several legislative capacities for Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He has served on the board of several health care companies.

Mr. Kelmar received his Bachelor of Arts in public administration and economics from Pennsylvania State University. He and his wife Patricia have three children.