Donna Lynne: Kaiser's new chief learned from the best.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: Executive Edge

A single book would help shape the course of Donna Lynne's life. "I was influenced by David Halberstam's The Best and the Brightest, my favorite book," said Lynne, who in April became president of the 440,000-member Kaiser Permanente Colorado.

"I got so excited about government and the fact you could have these people working in government who really were smart, that I knew then I wanted to work in government." The book and her father's service as a career military man inspired Lynne to earn her undergraduate degree in economics and political science from the University of New Hampshire, then her masters degree in public administration from George Washington University, which landed her an internship at the White House during former President Gerald Ford's administration. "It was post-Watergate so it was an exciting time to be in government and realize that our system worked," said Lynne, who grew up in New Jersey. "But they also are kind of removed from the real world in Washington, so I moved to New York City and began working in city finance."

The year was 1975 when New York sought help from the federal government to avert bankruptcy and the famous New York Daily News headline blared: "Ford to city: Drop Dead."

"So I went from one frying pan into another," said Lynne, who at the same time ventured into labor relations and collective bargaining, critical issues to the city's bailout.

"Health care was beginning to emerge as a big issue at the bargaining table so I knew then that I wanted to get into health care and negotiate benefits," she said. She came to that subject armed with a doctorate in public health from Columbia University, and remained in New York city government for 20 years.

Among the highlights of her career there, was her being named former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's operations chief. "I found myself at the center of...