Page 26 - University of Baltimore Law - Fall 2019

Sayra Meyerhoff Supports UB with Dedicated Involvement
S ayra Wells Meyerhoff, J.D. ’78 is not one to sit idle. As a young girl, she saw both her mother and grandmother run successful businesses: her mother an upscale dress shop, her grandmother
a hat shop and later a boarding house.
“I grew up in a line of women who wanted to be out there
contributing,” she says. Meyerhoff, 68, certainly has followed their example. She has two master’s degrees and a law degree — her J.D. from UB Law in 1978, a master’s in negotiations
and conflict management from UB in 2004, and a master’s in political science from George Washington University — and has volunteered as an attorney at Legal Aid for decades, working on cases involving children in need of assistance.
Meyerhoff first started working at Legal Aid soon after passing the bar, representing parties in court on a pro bono basis. “I was attracted to Legal Aid because I thought these were the most basic and important human rights that people had, to be able to raise your child, and I wanted to make a difference,” she says.
These days, she mainly helps staff attorneys with case preparation: speaking with school officials and social workers, visiting with children, then reporting her findings to help the lawyers get a more holistic sense of what is going on with each child. “I love it,” she says.
How did Meyerhoff end up going to law school? “I grew up in a small town in Kentucky, and one of the people I most admired was a lawyer. He was like Atticus Finch to me,” she says, referring to the hero in To Kill a Mockingbird. “Also, I like solving problems. That’s what attracted me to the law.”
Her experience at UB Law was very positive, she said,
Neil and Sayra Meyerhoff with former Sen. Paul Sarbanes, right.
prompting her to stay engaged by supporting the school financially and with the gift of her time and energy on various committees, including the University of Baltimore Foundation Board and the law school’s Dean’s Development Circle.
“I had a wonderful experience there. The professors were always available and I learned a lot,” she says. “I just felt very inclined to give back to the school.”
She and her husband, Neil Meyerhoff, who is also a lawyer, generously support the law school’s Center for Families, Children and the Courts, which has been named for them. This commitment stems from Mrs. Meyerhoff’s passion for children and family law. The Meyerhoffs have two adult children, ages 36 and 39.
“I think the thing I like about UB is that it speaks to everyone out there, that you, too, can make it,” she says. “It’s exciting to be able to help.” —C.S.
Get to Know Jocelyn Carter, J.D. ’95
Jocelyn Chisholm Carter was named CEO of the UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New Jersey in 2017. She manages
all aspects of clinical, quality and operational effectiveness for the state’s largest Medicaid health plan.
Q: Describe your career journey that led you to the field of managed care.
A: After graduating from UB Law in 1995, I worked as an assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office. After five years, I joined AmeriChoice, which was later acquired by UnitedHealthcare, as associate general counsel. After helping the underserved as a criminal prosecutor, health care seemed like the next natural move.
Other than four years as a solo practitioner, from 2004 to 2008, I have been with UnitedHealthcare for more than 15 years. From
2011 to 2017, I was chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Mississippi. In 2017, I moved to New Jersey to become chief executive officer of UHC Community Plan of
New Jersey.
Q: Why is healthcare a good fit for
you professionally?
A: My mission is to be a champion
for and provide a voice to the
underserved through community
service, advocacy and leadership. I
am fully committed to making sure
that the most vulnerable people we serve
at UnitedHealthcare Community and State receive the highest quality of care available. I also want to ensure that they have access to services that can make an overall positive impact in their lives, from a social and medical perspective.
Q: How has your legal education helped prepare you for being CEO of a large enterprise?
A: This role often requires critical thinking and thinking innovatively. Additionally,
we contract with the State of New Jersey,
so compliance is an essential and major component. I am able to rely upon my legal skills to review and interpret contract language to ensure that we maintain compliance, and
it also gives me an additional layer of risk consideration in decision-making.
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