Project Title:
Blue Shield of California / Stellarus
Strategic Communications, Change Management, and Employee Engagement Infrastructure
The Context
Blue Shield launched Stellarus as a stand-alone health tech startup, spun from its IT division—tasked with transitioning nearly 1,000 employees to a new platform and product model. The shift demanded internal clarity, executive alignment, and employee buy-in—all in a compressed timeframe.
The Challenge
Blue Shield’s transition of its IT division into the newly formed Stellarus health-tech startup required a complete operational and identity shift under a tight timeline. With a new CIO, emerging business model, and minimal internal infrastructure, the organization faced cascading communication gaps, unclear messaging ownership, and low visibility into how change would impact daily work. Within a year, Stellarus needed to activate a product-based operating model, establish its brand and internal channels, and guide over 900 employees through transformation, while preserving morale, fostering retention, and aligning leadership across legal, HR, and executive functions.
The Impact
The strategy and systems I implemented helped Stellarus establish a cohesive internal identity during a period of rapid transformation. Over 900 employees were aligned under a new product and platform model, supported by centralized communications, consistent executive messaging, and strong cascading communication from leadership to teams.
The SharePoint hub became a core vehicle for two-way communication, offering visibility into workstream progress while creating structured pathways for feedback and alignment. The DHR newsletter introduced a new cadence of leadership communication, while the Contributor tagline and Golden Ticket storytelling reinforced culture adoption and identity during a pivotal phase.
Through the Tech Talk x Talent Workstream, Stellarus saw increased engagement and retention during transition, as communications and learning were positioned as tools for leadership and growth. The shift from platform to marketplace was made more tangible across the organization, supported by cross-functional messaging frameworks that connected high-level strategy to everyday execution.
The Approach
To guide Stellarus through its transformation, I developed a layered communication strategy rooted in structure, visibility, and voice. I created and branded a centralized SharePoint hub to streamline internal communications and surface key workstreams, while designing a multi-channel DHR newsletter strategy to drive transparency across leadership and teams.
In partnership with Change Management, I crafted messaging for the Product Activation Model rollout, supporting Stellarus’ shift to a product and platform-based organizational structure. This included executive messaging for CIO transitions, the development of the Contributor tagline, and targeted storytelling around product strategy, including the transition from platform operations to a marketplace model.
To support culture and retention, I co-led the Tech Talk x Talent Workstream—an internal learning and engagement platform designed to position Stellarus as a space of growth. I also contributed to employer brand storytelling through the MHR article and Golden Ticket activation, connecting vision with employee experience to foster buy-in across all levels of the organization.
