Moises Banda embodies what it means to live out our values, to give back to our communities and to carry on the legacies of our loved ones as we strive to create a health care system worthy of our family and friends. Follow Moises’s journey from a medical records supervisor to a Senior Manager of Senior Markets, Customer Service at Blue Shield.

Roots of courage  

Growing up in Southern California, Moises’s abuela (grandmother) Josefina Diaz was a pillar throughout his childhood. He recalls spending his summers with her, bonding over family stories, home cooked family recipes and looking forward to afternoons running errands together. Moises would accompany abuela to her doctor visits in the afternoons, helping to translate between his native Spanish speaking abuela and her medical teams, and eventually grew to be her ally and advocate as she navigated the complicated Medicare and Medical systems. As Moises fought alongside Josefina to overcome obstacles and make their way through a health care system that too often presents barriers to care for underserved communities, he discovered his passion for health care leadership and transformation.  

Moises describes his abuela Josefina as someone who carried herself with courage and heart, instilling in her family the importance of community, hard work and a commitment to lifelong learning. “She believed in always putting our best foot forward,” Moises said, “working to be the best versions of ourselves for our loved ones, our communities and our world.” Empowered by his abuela’s guiding light, Moises has dedicated his career to transforming the health care system and building a future of care that is truly worthy of our family and friends. 

New beginnings 

Moises began his career serving the elderly community as a medical records supervisor at a skilled nursing facility. He loved getting to make a direct impact on their patients but also hoped to continue growing his career making positive changes to the health care system itself. Eager to join an organization with a transformative mission, Moises discovered Blue Shield of California and first joined 11 years ago as a frontline representative in Customer Service, supporting Broker Services. After a year in Customer Service, he applied for and accepted a lead position on the Broker Services team! 

Determined to take a proactive approach to development, Moises applied to and was accepted into the newly launched Ready to Lead (R2L) program, an innovative leadership development program that immersed individual contributors in Blue Shield’s management philosophy, expectations and disciplines with the goal of preparing participants to be future people leaders.  

Empowered to succeed 

While in Ready to Lead, Moises was presented with an interim supervisor role, giving him the perfect opportunity to apply his learnings and continue strengthening his leadership acumen.  While in R2L, a permanent supervisor position opened in Premier/Core, Customer Service. With his experience serving as an interim supervisor, Moises applied for the permanent position, and secured the role, getting to lead a team of front-line agents assisting members under mid to large accounts. During his time as a permanent supervisor, Moises took on new challenges and leadership opportunities, eventually overseeing the Executive Inquiry team that supports Blue Shield’s CEO and executives with member concerns that come across their desks.  

Working closely with leaders who were invested in his development, Moises credits their mentorship as being instrumental in shaping his career journey. After two years learning and growing as a supervisor, in 2020 a permanent manager position opened in Senior Markets! Knowing his career goals and his active pursuit for growth and development, one of Moises' mentors reached out to Moises directly and shared the open position, encouraging him to consider taking on this new challenge.  

As Moises considered the opportunity, he learned that the role supports customer service for Blue Shield’s Medicare and Medical members, the very same programs his abuela relied on for care when he was a child. Struck by this full circle moment, Moises was determined to go for the role, it was the perfect position to bring his years of experience, his lifelong mission and his passion to serving Blue Shield members with conviction and heart.  

Empowered by his learnings in R2L, his network and his time as a supervisor, Moises applied for and successfully landed the position, joining the Senior Markets Customer Service team as a Manager! 

Five years later, Moises now leads the Senior Markets Customer Service team as a Senior Manager. Moises is committed to paying it forward, mentoring aspiring leaders and encouraging his team to center humanity, honesty and courage in supporting our members. 

“Health care is a cornerstone in human life, the care we provide matters, it’s so important to listen and be an ally to the members we serve. As a leader, I always think back to my abuela’s journey and the wisdoms she passed on. We have to be dedicated, and show up every day, even when we don’t want to. We acknowledge the good days and bad and always work to remember the mission that we’re fighting for, together.” 

The journey continues 

Moises Banda’s leadership and career journey is far from over! In addition to Ready to Lead, Moises has also completed the Inclusive Leadership training, and Manage to Excellence (M2X), a program for people leaders with direct reports. This leader-led M2X program focuses on management fundamentals at Blue Shield, drawing upon leadership model behaviors and covering management topics intended to empower people leaders to effectively lead their teams.” 

When asked what propels Moises forward in his pursuit of learning and growth, Moises shared that he looks to the leaders and trailblazers that came before us, forever inspired by a quote from champion soccer player Pele, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”   

Moises continues to pursue leadership opportunities, both on the job and through Blue Shield’s array of programs!

In reflecting on his career journey so far, Moises hopes that his story resonates with someone, that it “...encourages them and makes them feel empowered to keep going. It doesn’t matter where you come from or your background, there’s opportunities out there, and resources to help you get there.” 

At Blue Shield, we are proud to work with colleagues like Moises Banda, bringing his story and passion to creating a health care system worthy of our family of friends!