Sharon Allen to be inducted into Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame

Sharon Allen

Sharon Allen, who served Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield for more than 40 years before retiring as president and chief operating officer, is among the 10^th class of inductees into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame.

Allen joined Arkansas Blue Cross in 1968 as a claims processor. Within a year, she was promoted to a supervisory position and continued to advance within the company, joining the executive staff in 1980. In 1997, she became the company’s first female chief operating officer and was named president in 2002, holding both positions until her retirement in 2008.

Allen held numerous national leadership positions in the healthcare financing industry and was highly regarded for her expertise in the Medicare program. She led the company’s efforts to promote preventive care and wellness and worked to improve technology to increase efficiency for both the company and healthcare providers.

Allen, who died in 2021, once said her favorite part of her job was working with people, from customers and fellow employees to medical providers and knowing that the company she was helping to lead could and did positively impact healthcare delivery.

The Bridges-Allen Award, the highest employee recognition at Arkansas Blue Cross, is named in her honor. The annual award recognizes an employee or group who goes above and beyond to improve the service to or experience of members.

In 2025, she was posthumously inducted into the Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame.

Sharon and her fellow inductees will be honored during a ceremony on August 27, 2026, at the North Little Rock Event Center. Other inductees include Cynthia East, Marsha Martin, Cynthia Nance, Phyllis Brandon (1935-2020), Dorothy Caldwell (1935-2023) and Vada Sheid (1916-2008).

You can read about all the inductees on the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame website.