Jennifer Garrison profiles CMS leadership role and federal health career

Dr. Jennifer Garrison is highlighted for her role as chief people officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and for a career spanning federal health, military service, and healthcare operations. The profile spotlights her focus on workforce transformation, leadership development, and mission-driven execution across complex health systems.

Why it matters: - Jennifer Garrison’s work sits at the intersection of federal health policy, workforce strategy, and large-scale operations. - Her role at CMS affects culture transformation, leadership development, employee engagement, and succession planning across the agency. - Her experience in federal health, military medicine, and private-sector healthcare gives her a cross-sector view of how complex health systems operate.

What happened: - Influential Women published a profile of Dr. Jennifer Garrison on Sept. 16, 2026. - Garrison is chief people officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. - She supports CMS enterprise-wide workforce strategy, including fellowships, leadership development, employee experience, engagement, and succession planning. - She previously served as vice president, Federal Health at Maximus. - She also served as director, Global Medical Affairs, Strategy & Execution at Johnson & Johnson. - Garrison is a retired Air Force colonel with 25 years of healthcare experience.

The details: - Garrison has a PhD in Health Services from Walden University, earned in 2015. - She earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Walden University in 2026. - Her background includes a master’s degree in strategic studies from Air War College. - She is affiliated with the American College of Healthcare Executives, the International Agency of Emergency Management, Delta Mu Delta, Omega Nu Lambda, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. - She led a team of six colonels that wrote and published "Medical Support in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Contested Environments." - At Maximus, she oversaw medical exam services, supply chain and cold chain management, clinical operations, knowledge management, information technology using artificial intelligence and machine learning, and development of the Federal Health platform on an international scale. - Her career has included enterprise-wide workforce transformation work tied to multi-billion-dollar portfolios, national provider networks, and global medical affairs programs. - Her experience spans federal program execution, healthcare operations, supply chain optimization, advanced data and analytics, and organizational transformation. - She contributed to the Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort. - That effort involved coordinating large cross-functional teams that delivered millions of vaccines while maintaining operational accuracy, regulatory compliance, and cold chain integrity. - The profile says Garrison’s leadership style centers on strategic planning, disciplined execution, transparency, integrity, accountability, and collaboration. - Garrison says faith, patriotism, and family have guided her career and personal life. - She also points to the advice: "Try fast, fail fast, and try again." - She encourages women entering leadership, healthcare, or government to pursue opportunities with confidence, preparation, mentorship, and persistence. - She argues that gender should never limit ambition or potential. - She says effective organizations need trust, openness, and collaboration rather than ego-driven competition. - She believes women still face barriers in leadership advancement and says promotions should be based on ability, experience, and performance.

Between the lines: - The profile frames Garrison as part operator, part strategist, with a leadership model built for institutions that need both workforce stability and rapid adaptation. - Her emphasis on preparation and accountability mirrors the demands of federal health systems, where execution errors can affect service delivery and public trust. - Her comments on women’s advancement suggest the profile is also meant to position her as a voice for broader leadership equity issues, not just a healthcare executive.

What's next: - Garrison says she will continue focusing on workforce transformation, innovation, culture change, and organizational improvement in federal health and healthcare operations. - Her CMS role suggests continued attention to leadership pipelines, employee experience, and succession planning as federal agencies compete for and retain talent. - The full profile is available through Influential Women.

The bottom line: - Jennifer Garrison’s profile presents a federal health leader whose career blends military discipline, healthcare operations, and workforce strategy into a mission-driven leadership approach.