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SVP and chief legal and governance officer at The Wright Center receives state award for transformative leadership
Jennifer Walsh, Esq., senior vice president of enterprise integrity and chief legal and governance officer of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has been named one of City & State Pennsylvania’s 2025 Pennsylvania Impact Award honorees, recognizing her outstanding contributions to public service and community health. Walsh received her Impact Award during a ceremony in Philadelphia.
Jennifer Walsh, Esq., senior vice president of enterprise integrity and chief legal and governance officer of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education
Walsh’s accomplishments are highlighted in City & State Pennsylvania’s Nov. 24 issue available on its website, cityandstatepa.com. The multimedia news organization’s Impact Awards celebrate leaders from government, business, and nonprofit sectors who are improving the quality of life across the commonwealth.
Honorees include Kenya Boswell, senior vice president, community affairs; president, Highmark Health; Highmark Foundation; Lori Brennan, executive director, The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania and Delaware; Thom Chiomento, vice president, business development, government & external affairs, Pennsylvania American Water; Cassandra Coleman, executive director, America250PA; Nancy Fahey, director, member & community engagement, AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania; Stephen P. Fera, executive vice president, public affairs & president, government markets, Independence Blue Cross; Peter M. Grollman, senior vice president, external affairs, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Bernie Hall, Pennsylvania director, United Steelworkers; Anne Ryan, deputy secretary, tourism, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and Michael Stern, president and CEO, Tower Health.
Walsh, of North Abington Twp., earned the award for her leadership role in redesigning The Wright Center’s shared governance model for its nationally scaled Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium (GME-SNC), which directly expands access to high-quality, integrated primary, preventive, and behavioral health services.
Walsh’s legal governance structure connects community health centers, hospitals, universities, patients, local community leaders, and others in a unified effort to train the next generation of doctors and expand access to high-quality, affordable, and compassionate primary and preventive health services, especially in underserved and rural communities. Her integration of cross-organizational collaboration, transparent accountability, and trauma-informed governance has improved patient satisfaction, workforce stability, and operational efficiency across The Wright Center’s network.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this recognition from City & State Pennsylvania, and to share this award with the people that serve our community, including our board members, residents, and my colleagues. It truly reflects the collective spirit and purpose of The Wright Center,” Walsh said. “Every day, I am inspired by our physicians, learners, and staff who work tirelessly to make health care more accessible, humane, and sustainable for the communities we serve. This award affirms our belief that when people and organizations unite around a shared mission, we can collaboratively build systems that deliver care and restore trust and hope.”
A former federal law clerk for the late Senior U.S. District Judge William J. Nealon and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Walsh began serving as private counsel at The Wright Center in 2012 before joining the organization full time in 2016.
Walsh has also built a dynamic government affairs and public policy team at The Wright Center that mobilizes leaders, staff, and physicians at every level to advocate for smarter health policies and legislative reforms that strengthen primary care, improve the lives of patients and families, and advance the well-being of communities. She also guided the creation of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement in 2020, a nonprofit dedicated to tackling the social and economic barriers that affect health, such as poverty, housing, food access, and transportation.
Walsh earned her juris doctorate from Villanova University School of Law after receiving her master of music degree in vocal performance from the University of Minnesota and her Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from Bucknell University.
She serves as chair of the American Association of Teaching Health Centers’ Governance Committee and is an appointed member of the National Association of Community Health Centers’ Legislative Committee, its Look-Alike Task Force, and its Membership Committee. She is also a director of the Keystone Accountable Care Organization and founding board member of the nonprofit Community Health Hub.
