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ANNETTE WALKER NAMED DIVISION PRESIDENT OF ST. JOSEPH HEALTH

President and CEO Deborah Proctor makes leadership announcement

By STAFF     12/16/2015

The St. Joseph Health System Board of Trustees and St. Joseph Health Ministry yesterday named Annette Walker division president of St. Joseph Health.

The announcement was made by Deborah Proctor, president and CEO, who will continue in her role until the partnership with Providence Health & Services receives regulatory approval and the transaction is finalized. That is expected in mid-2016.

As the division president of St. Joseph Health, Walker will lead the St. Joseph Health ministries serving California, Texas and New Mexico, which, upon completion of the partnership, will become part of the new combined organization. Rod Hochman, MD, will be the president and CEO of the new organization and Walker will report to him, leading the ministries and helping develop strategy for the new organization.

Walker’s career spans more than 30 years, starting in the clinical laboratory and progressing to renowned strategist and expert on transformational health care services.

She moves from her current role as executive vice president of strategic services where she was instrumental in positioning the organization for the shifts in American health care.

Deborah Proctor, current president and CEO, made the announcement, adding: “Annette is an exceptional mission leader whose actions speak from the heart of St. Joseph Health. She is well regarded by our leadership team and physicians for bringing people together in a manner reflective of the values of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. She has been deeply involved in efforts to educate our teams on Catholic social teachings and has been personally involved in many of our formation programs.”

Annette Walker joined St. Joseph Health in 2005 after a well-regarded career of health care leadership. The author of numerous articles on health care delivery, she has received nationwide honors for her work, including Modern Healthcare’s Innovation in Healthcare Technology Award, the California Hospital Association’s Ritz E. Herman Innovator Award, and the Hospitals and Health Networks Innovator Award.

She is currently serving on the boards of trustees for Queen of the Valley Medical Center and the Community Partnership Fund. Over the years she has also served on the boards of St. Mary Medical Center, Mission Hospital, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Petaluma Valley Hospital, as well as the CSJ Educational Network, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. She holds a master’s degree in Health Care administration from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She and her husband Chuck are the parents of six children and youthful grandparents of nine.