Jennifer Garrison
Dr. Jennifer Garrison is a transformational healthcare and federal operations executive with a distinguished record of leading enterprise-scale strategy and execution across government health systems, global pharmaceutical organizations, and highly regulated environments. As Vice President of Federal Health, she operates at the intersection of policy, clinical innovation, and operational performance, driving alignment across diverse stakeholders while delivering measurable outcomes that enhance mission readiness, compliance, and organizational effectiveness. With more than two decades of experience in federal health, including 20 years of military service as a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, Jennifer brings a unique blend of military discipline, strategic leadership, and deep healthcare expertise to complex, mission-critical environments.
Throughout her career, Jennifer has led large-scale initiatives spanning multi-billion-dollar portfolios, national provider networks, and global medical affairs functions. She has successfully directed enterprise-wide strategy, operational transformation, and data-driven performance optimization across organizations such as the Defense Health Agency and Johnson & Johnson. Notably, she played a pivotal role in the Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort, coordinating large, cross-functional teams to deliver millions of vaccines while ensuring operational precision and cold chain integrity. Known for her ability to translate complex regulatory, clinical, and operational challenges into actionable strategies, she consistently drives execution at scale while fostering collaboration across government, industry, and clinical stakeholders.
A trusted advisor to senior executives, policymakers, and government leaders, Jennifer is recognized for building high-performing teams, establishing scalable operating models, and leading enterprise transformation initiatives that deliver sustained impact. Her expertise spans federal program execution, healthcare systems, global medical affairs, supply chain optimization, and advanced data and analytics. Jennifer’s leadership approach combines strategic vision with disciplined execution, enabling organizations to navigate complexity, mitigate risk, and achieve long-term success. Committed to continuous learning and innovation, she leverages her dual doctoral training to bridge the gap between research and real-world application, positioning organizations to thrive in an evolving healthcare and policy landscape.
• Two Below the Zone Colonel Promotion
• Johnson and Johnson
• Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner
• Walden University
• USAF Air War College
• Two Below the Zone Colonel Promotion
• Air War College Team Award for Joint Training Platform Study
• The Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement (SCLA)
• Delta Mu Delta Honor Society
• The Chief (VP-level organization for women leaders)
• AMSYS
• Boy Scouts Advancement Chair Committee
• District Level
• Former Outdoor Chairs Person for Son's Boy Scout Troop
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family. My family's supporting me, and I'm supporting them. My husband is the greatest - he cooks, he does so many things, and it's so nice because he understands there's different gender roles, but the rule in this house is whoever gets home first does the cooking, and the other person helps the kids. It's not the woman still does the cooking, it's whoever gets home first. So my success is really about my family being okay. If my family's okay, I'm good.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was during my deployment. My leader told me: listen first. Make sure that when you go there, listen first. Don't change anything, because you have to understand the way of how they're doing things over there. Then, sit down with your people and map out a plan of how you can make where you're going is better than you left it. And then just keep on developing your people while you're there, to make sure you have a good mindset. When I got to Jordan for my year-long deployment, I did exactly what he said. I listened for 60 days, made sure my people were in a good mindset, and then I would meet with all my leaders and say, okay, guys, if you were queen for a day or king for a day, what would you change? We mapped that out on a whiteboard, and we said, okay, these are your goals, and this is what I'm going to do to help you get there. Everybody felt empowered to lead, and I was leading from behind.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If I could see myself 30 years ago, I would tell them to be confident. I would tell them to be bold. Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you cannot do what you're expected to do. You're gonna go shoulder to shoulder with all genders - embrace it. Listen. And go after what you want to go after. You're gonna have people that tell you - they're just the naysayers, I'm just gonna come out and say it. So, I'm gonna say, fail fast, try again. Because as long as you live by that, then you're gonna be okay, because you have to understand that life is a roller coaster, and you're gonna win sometimes, and you're gonna lose. And you have to be okay with losing, because this generation coming up today, it's the entitlement generation. You can't just say 'I can do that, that's so easy' - you need a plan. What's your plan? Because the problem with me, and it's not a problem, my people love it - I'm a planner.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Ego. I'm gonna be honest, it's the biggest thing. Because when people come in and they see you're just as good as they are, they don't wanna - I'm just gonna be honest, they just want to tear you apart. And you're coming in, you're like, hey, whoa, I'm here because of my talents, and I'm here to work alongside your talents, so we can build a tomorrow, a better tomorrow for this organization. But I can't - you can't do that if you don't wanna, if you're constantly holding your cards, and you're not transparent. It was the same way in the military. It was, you know, women can't be leaders, and I saw that so many times, where promotions would come up, and I would be just as good as they were, and they would get the promotions. We still have a long way to go.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The number one thing I always say, not just to work, but be your genuine self. Lead from behind. Empower your people. When I was a commander, everyone knew that transparency was key to me. No matter how bad it is, you have to be transparent. So when I got my flag, they gave me 'transparency is key' with my flag, and that meant a lot to me, because I did that. So to me, it's transparency, it's being genuine, you have to have good moral fiber, because I can't help people if I don't know if you're being honest with me. Tell me the pros and the cons. And then, I want to hear from them their recommendation, because accountability means a lot to me. Accountability is also huge for me, because if you're gonna do something, you gotta lead your program, and I'm gonna hold you accountable for that, but then I'm also gonna build you back up if you don't feel empowered enough to do it.