100 Most Influential People in Healthcare - 2024

Walsh, who joined HealthPartners as corporate counsel in 1994, has led the organization since 2017. The Minneapolis-headquartered system — including eight hospitals, a multispecialty group practice and a health plan — bills itself as the country’s largest consumer-governed nonprofit healthcare organization. Walsh has set aggressive workforce diversity goals to match patient and health plan member populations. HealthPartners also promotes staff connections and inclusivity through its Colleague Resource Groups. Walsh is a founding member of the CEO Coalition, which works to set safety standards for healthcare employees, and a strong advocate for mental health services and support. In 2024, HealthPartners revamped its website for its 12-year-old Make It OK campaign aimed at decreasing the stigma around mental illnesses to include specific resources specific for veterans, teens, seniors and people of color, among other groups.