Dan Conrad: President and CEO | Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
Dan Conrad: President and CEO | Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
Chris Samuels, a systems engineer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND), has been awarded the 2025 SSG Andrew P. Nelson Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service. The Northern Lights Council, Scouting America presented the award during its Hometown Heroes Gala on October 30.
Samuels is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served five years in various roles. He was selected for the Presidential Support Detail during boot camp and provided security at Camp David, including during the 2012 G8 Summit. He later deployed to Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, where he participated in helicopter raids and base security operations.
He continues to honor his fellow Marines, such as Sgt. Daniel Vasselian, who was killed in action. Samuels shares their stories to ensure their service is remembered.
Beyond his military service, Samuels has volunteered as a drama coach for middle and high school students for over ten years and has judged district and national competitions. He has also taken part in Junior Achievement programs to help students develop financial literacy and career readiness skills.
At his church, Samuels leads the audio/visual team as lead sound engineer. Within BCBSND, he served as president of the Employee Experience Council, focusing on employee engagement and workplace improvement.
Samuels began working at BCBSND more than eight years ago on the IT Help Desk before moving into server administration and then joining the Infrastructure Core Engineering team. In his current position, he supports core virtualization infrastructure to maintain critical system reliability and performance.
“Chris leads by example and serves with heart,” said Dan Conrad, president and CEO at BCBSND. “His contributions to his country, community and workplace make him a deserving recipient of this award. We are proud of his accomplishments and proud to call him our colleague.”
The SSG Andrew P. Nelson Award honors individuals who show exceptional leadership, service, and dedication to others. The award is named after Andrew Nelson, an Eagle Scout from Troop 644 in Moorhead, Minnesota, who died in Iraq in 2007 while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division on his fourth tour.
The Northern Lights Council recognizes those who improve lives through service by presenting this award each year.
More information about life at BCBSND can be found at bcbsnd.com.
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