Y. Michele Kang

A visionary in the field of health information technology, Michele founded Cognosante in 2008 to disrupt and challenge the status quo in the U.S. healthcare system. Leveraging a unique set of business, data, and technical expertise in a fundamentally different way, Cognosante provides innovative solutions central to carrying out national healthcare transformation. Under Michele’s leadership, Cognosante has emerged as one of the most trusted partners of key Federal and state health agencies, while growing rapidly over the past five years.

In the spring of 2017, Michele was named winner of the Women in Technology (WIT) Corporate Mid-Market Sector Award at its 18th Annual Leadership Awards in Washington, DC. In 2015, Michele was honored as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® for the Washington, DC region, and then went on to win the U.S. Award for the Services category. In November 2015, Michele was named Executive of the Year among contracting organizations with revenues of $75 million to $300 million during the 13th Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards™. She also received the 2012 Mosaic Woman Trailblazer Award from Diversity Woman magazine in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments and leadership in business.

Michele is actively engaged in promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) studies and careers for girls and women. In 2012, she was elected along with U.S. senators, high-ranking government officials, and top executives of Fortune 500 companies as an inaugural member of 100 Women Leaders in STEM. In 2016, STEMconnector® named her one of the “Top 100 CEO Leaders in STEM” in recognition of her deep personal commitment to the cause.

To realize one of her lifelong passions, Michele launched the Cognosante Foundation in 2012. The Foundation is focused on helping underprivileged and underresourced individuals build meaningful professional careers and achieve financial independence. It has underwritten an annual fellowship program with the Young Invincibles for first-generation college students to develop critical skills and gain exposure to business and political environments that may otherwise be out of reach. Michele also has been a leader in Veterans causes, organizing the establishment, funding, and serving as chair of the National Women Veterans Committee for the Million Women Mentors (MWM) organization. In October 2016, Michele received the Veterans Service Award from MWM in recognition of her dedication to improving the lives and prospects for success of the nation’s 1.4 million female Veterans.

Consistent with Cognosante’s overall vision, Michele established Cognosante Ventures to identify, invest in, and mentor emerging innovative health technology and data analytics companies. Cognosante Ventures focuses on building a portfolio of groundbreaking solutions and capabilities that can help fundamentally change the way healthcare is provided. To date, it has invested in four early-stage companies, and Michele serves on the board of three of these companies.

Prior to founding Cognosante, Michele served as vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Health Solutions division, and as a management consultant helping global information, technology, and telecom companies formulate and successfully execute profitable growth strategies.

Michele is an American Enterprise Institute National Council Co-Chair, a Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Vice Chair, and a member of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts. She received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.