The Roe Term Fellowship was established in June of this year to support PhD level students annually, over a five-year period. This fellowship was established by Jeff Roe and his wife, Perri. Jeff is an alumnus of the department, a member of our alumni Visiting Committee, and was honored at the 2018 Department of Economics Graduation Celebration as our Distinguished Alumnus.
The Roe’s gift was made in response to a call for aid for PhD level students from Provost Mark Richards. Provost Richards established a matching fund for gift towards PhD students, as many of these students are experiencing financial strife. Jeff and Perri took advantage of this matching opportunity to increase the breadth of their gift. This year they were able to support two amazing PhD students, Seungryul Jeong, and Yigit Okar – the first of many Roe Fellows. We are so grateful to the Roes, and all such friends of the department, whose support allows us to be as successful as we are today. Please join me in thanking Jeff and Perri!
Jeff Roe is the President and CEO of Premera Blue Cross, a prominent health plan headquartered in Seattle. Roe joined the company in 1996, and became President of the company in January of 2014. In addition, Roe serves on the Boards of the National Institute for Health Care Management, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Washington Healthcare Forum, University of Washington Foster School of Business, United Way of Snohomish County, and our Visiting Committee.
Jeff received his BA in 1988 with a double major in Economics and Political Science. He went on to earn his MBA from UW’s Foster School of Business in 1997.