Delta Dental of Minnesota said Wednesday that President and CEO David B. Morse will retire at the end of 2011-and he'll be succeeded by former Angeion Corporation President and CEO Rodney A. Young.

Morse joined Delta Dental of Minnesota as general counsel in 1998 and became its leader in 2009. Prior to that, he spent 16 years as the organization's external legal counsel, mostly with Minneapolis law firm Best & Flanagan, LLP.

Delta said that Morse will continue to serve on its board and serve in a consulting role to aid in the leadership transition.

“During [Morse's] tenure as counsel and president, Delta Dental of Minnesota has grown from less than $50 million to over $1 billion of business and has gained the status of third-largest plan in the Delta Dental system,” board Chair John Somrock said in a statement.

Young is a 25-year veteran of the medical services field and has served on Delta Dental of Minnesota's board of directors since 1998. He stepped down as president and CEO of St. Paul-based medical device company Angeion at the end of 2010 and told Twin Cities Business just before his departure that he was “looking for the next medical technology company to lead as CEO and president.”

Prior to joining Angeion in July 2004 and taking the helm in November of that same year, Young headed Texarkana, Texas-based LecTec Corporation and served in various management roles at Deerfield, Illinois-based Baxter International, Inc., and various marketing positions at Maplewood-based 3M Company and a Michigan pharmaceutical manufacturing firm.

Young has served on the boards of four public companies and two nonprofits with revenues ranging from $30 million to $3.5 billion. (Twin Cities Business named Young a 2010 recipient of its Outstanding Director Award for his board service.)

“Having served on the [Delta Dental] board for a number of years, I've been able to observe and contribute to some of the positive initiatives that have occurred as the company has grown and changed,” Young said in a statement. “Going forward, one of our goals is to make a notable difference in the lives of Minnesotans, especially our underserved communities that will benefit from greater access to oral health care.”

Delta Dental of Minnesota is a nonprofit that serves 8,000 employer groups and has more than 3.8 million members in Minnesota and across the country.