“An outstanding leader, visionary and champion for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans, Bernard was a tireless advocate for Kaiser Permanente, our members and the communities we serve,” the company said in a statement Sunday.
Based in Oakland, California, Kaiser Permanente is a not-for-profit hospital and health insurance system serving 12.3 million people in eight states and the District of Columbia. Executive Vice President and Group President Gregory Adams has been named as interim chairman and CEO, the company said Sunday.
“A light unto this world has gone out,” Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, tweeted Sunday. “He always did so much for others & the world. One of the world’s greatest CEOs. I will always remember him with LOVE in my heart.”
In recent years, Tyson has become known as a leading voice on issues of race.
“You would think my experience as a top executive would be different from a black man who is working in a retail or food service job to support his family. Yet, he and I both understand the commonality of the black male experience that remains consistent no matter what the economic status or job title,” Tyson wrote, adding that he had been followed in high-end stores and had servers in restaurants explain to him how to tip “since apparently black men don’t understand this concept.”
“What I’m after is bringing the most diverse populations inside of my organization and tapping into the brilliant minds that come from a universe of experiences that are very different depending on how you grew up, your community, your neighborhood, how you solve problems,” Tyson said at the AT&T event Tuesday.
“Inclusiveness is very important to me and that means when I step into the room — yes, I may be different from everybody at the table — but I don’t have to ‘fit in.’ I get to come in and be who I am and I create a different organism inside of that group dynamic for us to take performance to the next level,” he said.