Michael Byrd 

Michael Byrd joined Sharp Health Plan in 2011 as Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer responsible for Sales and Account Management, Product Development and Marketing.

Prior to joining Sharp Health Plan, Michael was Vice President of Sales Strategy for American Specialty Health, a San Diego health care organization serving the wellness and specialty managed care markets. While at American Specialty Health, Michael was involved in the growth and development of two national sales teams responsible for more than $160 million in annual revenue across multiple lines of business. Michael also helped build and launch the Healthyroads wellness program, which under his leadership grew to over half a million covered lives in three years.

Early in his career, Michael helped build one of the first telephone-based tobacco cessation programs in the country for the State of California through UCSD School of Medicine. He has co-authored research articles published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of Preventive Medicine on telephone counseling as an effective method to help people stop smoking.

A native San Diegan, Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from University of California San Diego and Master's degrees in Social Work and Business Administration from San Diego State University.