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Annette Walker is the visionary health care leader tapped to build City of Hope, Orange County, a 21st-century approach to treating and curing cancer and other serious illness.

Named one of the 25 most influential women leaders in U.S. health care by Modern Healthcare magazine, Annette believes this latest chapter in her career is the most important, as it allows her to serve the region that has been her home for 40 years. Working with physicians, community leaders, health care experts, and others, Annette will expand City of Hope’s world-class health network in Orange County, with the main health campus planned for Irvine’s Great Park. Stemming from the main health campus will be a network of services and programs providing breakthrough treatments and therapies, as well as education and preventive care to make the region healthier.

Known for her ability to get the job done, Annette is a master at strategy and planning. Before coming to City of Hope, she was President of Strategy for Providence St. Joseph Health System, the nation’s third-largest health system. While there, she was instrumental in bringing two noted health organizations together, and, within the first year, succeeded in convening key stakeholders to develop a transformational strategic plan.

Annette also served as interim president and chief executive of St. Joseph Health before the merger of St. Joseph Health and Providence. Under her leadership, St. Joseph Health became a leader in acute care, wellness, and disease prevention. Her team opened several groundbreaking Wellness Corners and other programs bringing wellness and health education literally to the doorstep of many communities.

Annette 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.