# Steven Cragle

> Steven Cragle is a Minneapolis-area marketing and communications executive whose career has crossed municipal government, public-relations agencies, medical technology, pharmaceuticals and major health-services businesses. After more than a decade at UnitedHealth Group - including senior roles with UnitedHealthcare Global, Community & State, Optum Rx and the corporate reputation team - he announced his departure in July 2026. His public interviews offer an unusually coherent operating philosophy: study people in full, remain channel-agnostic, use candor to lower defenses and treat purpose as something actively pursued.

- **Role:** Marketing, communications and reputation executive
- **Organizations:** UnitedHealth Group, Optum Rx, UnitedHealthcare Global, UnitedHealthcare Community & State, Merck, Medtronic, Edelman, Ketchum, Schwartz Communications, Dorland Global Public Relations
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, Public Leadership Credential, Harvard Kennedy School
- **Known for:** Built a cross-sector communications career spanning municipal government, agencies, medical technology, pharmaceuticals and health services., Led marketing, communications and consumer-experience functions across several UnitedHealth Group businesses., Was appointed vice president and head of global media relations at Merck in 2012.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Began in California city government as a policy analyst and public-affairs officer; radio and advertising work helped steer him toward communications.
- **2000s** — Moved into agency communications, with roles at Edelman, Ketchum, Schwartz Communications and Dorland Global Public Relations, advising health-sector clients.
- **2006** — Joined Medtronic and later became senior director of corporate communications.
- **2012** — Joined Merck as vice president and head of global media relations.
- **c. 2016** — Joined UnitedHealth Group and went on to lead marketing, communications and consumer-experience work across multiple businesses.
- **2020-2021** — Served as chief marketing and communications officer for UnitedHealthcare Global after leading related functions for Community & State and Dual Special Needs businesses.
- **2022** — Served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Optum Rx.
- **2024** — Became senior vice president for external relations, reputation and communications at UnitedHealth Group.
- **2026** — Announced that he had left UnitedHealth Group after more than a decade; he did not disclose his next role.

## Achievements

- Built a cross-sector communications career spanning municipal government, agencies, medical technology, pharmaceuticals and health services.
- Led marketing, communications and consumer-experience functions across several UnitedHealth Group businesses.
- Was appointed vice president and head of global media relations at Merck in 2012.
- Was included in The Key Executives' 2022 list of 100 marketing executives.
- Earned a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard Kennedy School.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Announced his departure from UnitedHealth Group after more than a decade and said he was excited about his next chapter; no next role was disclosed.
- **2024-01** — Moved into a senior UnitedHealth Group role focused on external relations, reputation and communications.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-cragle-7a91b91

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/steven-cragle
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-14