Oakland, CA – The Board of Directors of the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) has named the Institute’s Chief Operating Officer, Gideon L. Baum, to succeed Alex Swedlow when he retires next summer as President of the Oakland-based research and educational organization. 

“We extend our deepest appreciation to Alex for all his contributions to CWCI, its members, and the California workers’ compensation system” said Eric Hansen, Senior Vice President of Underwriting of Preferred Employers Insurance and Chairman of the CWCI Board of Directors.  “Under Alex’s extraordinary leadership, CWCI has evolved into an indispensable resource for our members and the industry at large. We thank him for his decades of remarkable service.”

Effective September 1, 2025, Mr. Baum will become the fifth President at CWCI in more than 60 years.  Mr. Baum formally joined CWCI last year as Chief Operating Officer, where he focused on internal operations, public policy research, and representing the Institute’s members. 

Prior to joining CWCI, Mr. Baum was a Vice President of Policy at the California Hospital Association (CHA) from 2021 to 2024, representing CHA’s members on legislative and regulatory matters impacting the health care workforce.  Prior to CHA, Mr. Baum served as a committee consultant of the California State Senate Committee on Labor and Public Employment.  In this role, Mr. Baum was closely involved with the creation and passage of significant workers’ compensation legislation, including the 2012 workers’ compensation reform bill (Senate Bill 863), the 2015 formulary bill (Assembly Bill 1124), and the 2016 anti-fraud bill package (Assembly Bill 1244 and Senate Bill 1160).

Commenting on Mr. Baum’s appointment, Mr. Swedlow said that “Gideon is an ideal choice to lead CWCI. He has a rare combination of firsthand experience with the legislative and regulatory reform process coupled with the ability to translate complex research content and connect with all stakeholders in our system.” 

I’m deeply honored to take on this new responsibility and lead CWCI in its next chapter,” said Mr. Baum.  “As CWCI looks to its next 60 years, we will continue our critical role as a truth teller and objective community resource.”

The California Workers’ Compensation Institute, established in 1964, is a private, nonprofit organization of insurers licensed to write workers’ compensation in California, as well as public and private self-insured employers, who serve as associate members.  CWCI’s primary function is to generate reliable, objective data that can be used to identify and monitor system-wide trends, assist members in assessing their own operations, and to analyze key issues of interest to the workers’ compensation community and public policymakers.  Toward that end, the Institute also produces a wide variety of research publications, provides information and technical training to help industry professionals stay abreast of changes, and serves as a forum where members can consider system-wide issues and reach consensus on practical solutions.  CWCI members include insurers that write approximately 76 percent of the workers’ compensation business in the state, and two dozen public and private self-insured employers.  The Institute’s website is www.cwci.org.