When Michael F. Neidorff, the longtime chief executive officer of Centene Corporation, passed away on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at age 79, his passing was reported as national news by Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Matt Eyles, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying body for the health insurance industry, told Forbes that Neidorff was among the first health insurance executives to address patients in “under-represented and underserved communities.”
“May we all aspire to care about our community as much as he did!” – Andrew Jorgensen, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Forbes reported that Neidorff, who joined Centene as CEO in 1996, grew the company from a $40 million regional business into “a national healthcare giant with revenues that eclipsed $126 billion in 2021.” Centene now has nearly 76,000 employees serving all 50 states and three international countries. Neidorff grew Centene, Forbes reported, “as more Americans signed up for Medicaid, the health insurance for low-income patients it manages via contracts with states and individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act.” Centene remains the biggest provider of subsidized coverage under the law that was President Obama’s crowning legislative achievement.
In the St. Louis region, where Centene is headquartered in Clayton, his loss as a leader in business and philanthropy continues to be felt nearly two years after his passing. The St. Louis American Charitable Foundation is recognizing Neidorff’s past leadership (and its current absence) with an unprecedented posthumous award at the 2024 Salute to Excellence in Business.
“Michael Neidorff was a tremendous leader when it came to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). He led by example in terms of having an extremely diverse senior leadership team at Centene, which is the largest publicly traded company in the state of Missouri. Michael was also just as generous with his time and resources personally and professionally to causes that embody DEI,” said Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, which enjoyed a close relationship with Neidorff and the Centene Foundation, the corporation’s philanthropic entity.
McMillan credited Neidorff, the Centene Foundation and the foundation’s president Keith Williamson with critical support for many Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis initiatives: the final funding necessary to complete the Ferguson Community Empowerment Center; the funding to purchase the former Auto Zone that was burned down during the events in Ferguson to build the Urban League’s Senior Center and Apartments; title sponsorship of the National Urban League Convention in St. Louis; funding for the renovation of the former HDC Headquarters to be transformed into an African American Business Hub and Public Safety Center; the initial funding to make a down payment on the purchase of the Urban League’s new regional headquarters and retail plaza behind it; and title sponsorship of the Urban League’s signature events.
Williamson worked with Neidorff before Centene had achieved a position to make that degree of philanthropic impact as the company’s general counsel, and he worked alongside Neidorff as he grew the corporation and its impact to scale.
“I remember talking with Michael shortly after I joined Centene in 2006. He was passionate in his belief that Centene and its executives should be actively involved in the community. Centene was small at that time but, even then, Michael dreamed big and acted boldly,” Williamson said.
“When he believed in a person or a project, he did not hesitate to generously commit his own funds and those of the company’s foundation. To an extraordinary extent, he was willing to courageously step up and act swiftly, whether that be in building a job-generating call center in Ferguson after Michael Brown or making an early, lead gift to enable the success of an Urban League capital campaign.”
Neidorff’s expansion of Centene put him on the shortest of short lists of the region’s business and philanthropic leaders, where for years he collaborated and strategized with David L. Steward, founder and chairman of Worldwide Technology. Neidorff also tabbed Steward to help guide Centene and himself on the company’s board. Along the way, they became more than colleagues.
“I was privileged, honored, and blessed to serve with Michael on the Centene board of directors for 18 years and even more so to call him my partner, my treasured friend, and my very dear brother. I smile as I fondly recall some of Michael’s last words to me: ‘You are my brother from another mother.’ Proverbs 18:24 tells us, ‘A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.’ Michael was that friend to me,” Steward said.
“Everyone who knew him saw Michael as a pillar of strength and philanthropy in St. Louis and around the world. I will always remember his passion for serving ‘the least of these’ in our society. His servant leadership was a reflection of how God’s love conquers all! Thelma and I continue be inspired by all he accomplished in this world. We are grateful to continue in love and partnership with his wife, Noemi, and his son, Peter, as we perpetuate carrying out his inspirational vision of serving others.”
Neidorff did not let business commitments or community engagement crowd out his dedication to St. Louis’ many cultural treasures. He served on the board of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, as a trustee for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and (going national, here) as treasurer of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees in Washington, D.C.
“Michael Neidorff’s commitment to and leadership in philanthropy in St. Louis cannot be overstated. He was an incredible champion for St. Louis and for so many causes within our community, including our vibrant arts community. Michael was steadfast in his belief that the arts are a necessary component for the health and well-being of a city,” said Andrew Jorgensen, general director of Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
“Opera Theatre was incredibly fortunate to benefit not only from his generosity, but also his wisdom, insight, and encouragement as a board member, and I am personally fortunate to have counted him a friend and mentor. He believed in the power of the arts to move, change, and empower individuals and communities, and he demonstrated that in both word and deed. When I think of the impact he made on OTSL and the greater St. Louis arts community, I am grateful and inspired. May we all aspire to care about our community as much as he did!”
As a result of Neidorff’s leadership, St. Louis-based Centene is ranked #24 in the Fortune 500, #57 in the Fortune 500 Global list, and #7 on the 2019 Fortune Change the World list. Fortune ranked Centene as the #2 company nationally for diversity and inclusion.
“His example proved that DEI could lead to an incredibly profitable business model,” McMillan said of Neidorff.
“Michael was an incredible role model and mentor to many, including me,” said Steward. “He is certainly missed but his legacy will continue to positively affect many future generations.
His longtime colleague Williamson said, “In both business and philanthropy, Michael set high standards for himself and those around him. One of the signs in his office that exemplified his philosophy was a quote from Nelson Mandela, ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’”
