Virginia Beach, VA – March 3, 2008 -- Optima Health, a nearly 352,000-member Virginia-based health plan, nationally recognized for its quality, service and innovative programs, has appointed Steve Keogh as the Small Employer Sales Manager for the Southside, Peninsula, and Eastern Shore.

Keogh is responsible for new business sales and retention, which will involve a very close relationship with Optima broker/agent partners.

Keogh has more than 15 years of experience in group insurance, health care, technology, consulting, and sales/relationship management. 

Prior to joining Optima Health, he was senior strategic account manager for Workscape, a benefits administration and technology outsourcing operation serving large organizations such as Cendant and USAA. 

Keogh gained a keen understanding of the small business world as the COO of RadioFreeCash, a 10-employee internet radio provider.  He also spent four years with Ernst & Young’s Health Care Consulting practice, focusing on internet technology for large health plans, and a total of five years in sales and underwriting with Prudential’s group operations in Richmond and Atlanta.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA with a concentration in Health Services Management from Duke University.