January WAKE UP! Newport – City of Hope Orange County Update with President Annette Walker, MHA

Annette Walker is the visionary health care leader and solutions architect building a 21^st-century cancer campus for City of Hope, named by U.S. News and World Report as the best cancer institution in California.

Acting upon an extraordinary vision to transform American cancer care, Annette is developing a $1 billion world-class cancer campus and network of unparalleled scale that will bring breakthrough research, highly specialized treatment, and precision medicine and early detection closer to home for Orange County’s 3.2 million residents.

Named one of the 100 most influential leaders in U.S. health care by Modern Healthcare, one of the 100 most influential people in Orange County by The Orange County Register, a 2019 Top Woman in Business and a 2019 top OC influencer by Orange County Business Journal, Annette has earned numerous other honors for her track record of successes and executive leadership.

She is a sought-after keynote speaker who is invited to share her expertise with national and local audiences. Her thought leadership has been featured in Forbes, STAT News, Good Housekeeping, Modern Healthcare, American Business Leader and more.

Before coming to City of Hope, Annette was President of Strategy for Providence St. Joseph Health, the nation’s third-largest health system.  While there, she was instrumental in bringing two noted health organizations together and served as interim president and chief executive of St. Joseph Health before and through the first two years of the merger of St. Joseph Health and Providence

Annette has served on a wide range of boards for more than 15 years, a testament to her long-standing commitment to serving her community. She earned a master’s in health administration from University of Minnesota and bachelor of science degree from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.

A 40-year resident of Orange County, Annette believes her proudest achievement is partnering with her husband, Chuck, to raise a close family of six that now includes a dozen grandchildren.