Executive Vice President, General Counsel
Kenneth (Ken) Sodaro, executive vice president, general counsel, oversees the Legal, Compliance and Auditing Departments at Independent Health. He is responsible for all legal matters for the organization, including contract and lease negotiations, and represents the company in regulatory matters, appeals and other legal issues. He serves as a member of the executive team.
His other responsibilities include administrative law hearings, commercial litigation, health law cases, policy development, managing outside legal counsel, and ensuring compliance for Independent Health and its family of companies.
Sodaro brings more than 20 years of legal and compliance experience in the insurance and health care field to Independent Health. He previously worked at Highmark BlueCross BlueShield, formerly HealthNow, initially serving as assistant general counsel before being promoted to senior vice president, general counsel & corporate secretary, a position he held for nearly two decades. This role allowed him to gain valuable insight from a health care perspective.
In the community, Sodaro is Board Chair for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Buffalo and a member of the Board of Directors for the Buffalo State College Foundation, also serving as the Nominating/Governance Committee Chair.
Sodaro is the recipient of several awards and recognitions, including Business First Legal Elite Top Ten in 2016, Business First Legal Elite in 2015, the Best of Blue Legal Department in 2011, Top Ten Most Innovative Legal Departments by Inside Counsel Magazine in 2010.
Sodaro holds a bachelor’s degree from Buffalo State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is certified in Healthcare Compliance by the Compliance Certification Board.
He is affiliated with New York State Bar Association, Erie County Bar Association, American Bar Association, National Health Lawyers Association, American Corporate Counsel Association, Health Care Compliance Association, Society of Corporate Compliance Executives.