Melissa Hayden Cook 

Melissa Hayden Cook has served Sharp Health Plan as president and CEO since 2005. She has more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry, serving for three years on Sharp Health Plan’s Board of Directors and for seven years as senior vice president of marketing for Sharp HealthCare.

A native San Diegan and University of San Diego graduate, Melissa is passionate about making a difference in San Diego’s health care landscape. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Health Sciences High and Middle College, a charter school dedicated to developing the next generation of health care leaders. She is also a board member of 211 San Diego, a helpline that connects people in our region to community health and welfare services in times of crisis or need. At the state level, Melissa sits on the board of the California Association of Health Plans (CAHP) and is also a member of the CAHP Foundation board. She also serves on the board of the Health Plan Alliance (HPA), a national association of not-for-profit health plans.

Melissa has been recognized for her work in the health care industry. In 1996, she received a San Diego YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry Award for outstanding achievements in her profession. In 2000, she was selected as one of San Diego Metropolitan magazine’s "Top 40 under 40."

Learn more about Melissa in her Executive Profile recently published in the San Diego Business Journal.