Speaker Bio

Jessica Walker, Founder and CEO of Care Sherpa, has 20+ years of experience driving patient and employee engagement through predictive analytics, marketing, digital, and CRM strategy. She has helped health systems, private providers, and organizations acquire and retain patients, building on leadership roles at Gallup and Press Ganey.

Jessica founded Care Sherpa to help healthcare leaders align data, technology, and operations around real business outcomes. She has consulted on CRM implementation, digital engagement, population health management, and marketing strategy, with a focus on patient experience and healthcare profitability.

She holds an M.A. in Communications and Human Resources from the University of Nebraska Omaha and a B.A. in Organizational Communications from Western Michigan University. Jessica lives in Nashville, TN.

Background Statement

Jessica Walker has spent 20 years helping healthcare organizations improve patient engagement and acquisition. She started her career in hospitality, where she learned what exceptional customer service actually requires. That foundation, paired with years in healthcare marketing strategy (website development, patient portals, digital marketing), showed her a critical gap in the patient journey.

Healthcare organizations were investing heavily in marketing to attract patients. Few were nurturing and converting those leads once contact was made. Digital tools and call centers lacked the empathy and consumer focus patients need to navigate complex healthcare decisions, especially for elective procedures where financial and emotional stakes run high.

Jessica founded Care Sherpa in 2019 to fix that. Her background in healthcare marketing, patient psychology, selection science, and consumer behavior shapes how she builds systems and trains Sherpas: specialized patient guides who deliver a more empathetic, effective experience. Care Sherpa closes the gap between marketing and real patient conversion, improving outcomes for patients and revenue for providers.