Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Welcomes Marc Baer as Chief Operating Officer

Center City, Minn. (April 21, 2025) – Today, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation welcomed Marc Baer as chief operating officer. 

Baer will oversee Hazelden Betty Ford's clinical operations and will be a key member of the executive leadership team, collaborating on long-term strategic initiatives and driving operational efficiencies for the nation's largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to substance use disorders, mental health and recovery.

"We are looking forward to Marc's strategic partnership and leadership," said Joseph Lee, M.D., President and CEO, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. "We are incredibly excited to welcome Marc to our wonderful team and look forward to the positive impact he will have on our organization." 

Baer brings a wealth of experience to the organization, having held significant leadership roles on both the payor and provider sides of the healthcare industry. He most recently served as an officer and corporate vice president of enterprise partnerships at Centene Corporation. Prior to Centene, he was an officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, where he led several different functions focused on delivering capabilities and solutions for members including population health, pharmacy, health and wellness, clinical product innovation and provider operations. Baer also held leadership roles in the healthcare division of Target Corporation, where he led its pharmacy managed care network and its clinic and optical businesses, and spent several years at UnitedHealth Group as well.

Baer remarked, "Through conversations with Hazelden Betty Ford leadership—the Board of Trustees, executives—it became clear we share a mission of love to support those who are struggling, stigmatized and marginalized find their way." 

Baer has led the local chamber of commerce, served on several city and county citizen boards and commissions, was a martial arts instructor for youth through community education, and is a high school mock trial coach and judge.  He currently serves as a national board member of the Congressional Award Foundation, the only official charity of the United States Congress, as well as a board member of the Angel Foundation, which provides financial, educational, and emotional support to adults with cancer. 

Baer received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College, where he discovered a passion for the intersection of law and psychology. As a young attorney, he pursued work representing clients whose mental health and substance use had played a significant role.