# Karen Walker Johnson

> Karen Walker Johnson is the chief executive officer of Clever Care Health Plan, a Southern California Medicare Advantage company built around culturally responsive service. Her 35-year healthcare career began in pediatric and public-health nursing in Detroit, moved through law, hospital administration and senior roles at UnitedHealthcare, Health Essentials, WellCare and Health Net, and expanded into nonprofit and public-company governance. Since joining Clever Care's board in 2023, she has moved from executive chair and interim CEO to permanent CEO while the plan grew from more than 24,000 members in early 2024 to 51,000 members in June 2026.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Clever Care Health Plan
- **Organizations:** Clever Care Health Plan, The Oncology Institute, March of Dimes, Health Net, WellCare Health Plans, Health Essentials, UnitedHealthcare, Cleveland Clinic Health System, Lake Health
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University of Michigan, Juris Doctor, Michigan State University College of Law, Executive Certificate, The Wharton School
- **Known for:** Built a 35-year career spanning clinical care, hospital administration, regulated insurance, product development, nonprofit leadership and board governance., Led strategy and operations for Health Net's Medicare line of business, which generated more than $3.5 billion in revenue., Helped drive initiatives associated with double-digit market-share growth and a Medicare 5-star rating during her insurance career.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked as a pediatric nurse and as a public-health nurse providing infant care in Detroit housing projects.
- **1998-2004** — Held regional leadership responsibility for professional practices and ambulatory services at Cleveland Clinic Health System.
- **2005-2007** — Served in surgical and critical-care services leadership at Lake Health.
- **2007-2013** — Held executive leadership roles at UnitedHealthcare, including its Evercare business and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan in Washington, D.C.
- **2013-2014** — Served as vice president of consumer engagement at UnitedHealth Group.
- **2014-2016** — As senior vice president of clinical services at Health Essentials, launched a home-based supportive-care model.
- **2016-2020** — Served as WellCare's Medicare regional president for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Missouri and Washington.
- **2020-2022** — Served as Medicare officer at Health Net, leading strategy and operations for a business generating more than $3.5 billion in revenue.
- **2021** — Joined the board of The Oncology Institute; later chaired its nominating and corporate governance committee.
- **2023-01 to 2023-07** — Served as interim president and CEO of March of Dimes.
- **2023** — Joined the board of Clever Care Health Plan.
- **2024-03** — Appointed interim CEO of Clever Care after serving as executive chair and interim chief operating officer.
- **2025-03** — Appointed permanent chief executive officer of Clever Care Health Plan.
- **2026-06** — Reported that Clever Care had reached 51,000 members.

## Achievements

- Built a 35-year career spanning clinical care, hospital administration, regulated insurance, product development, nonprofit leadership and board governance.
- Led strategy and operations for Health Net's Medicare line of business, which generated more than $3.5 billion in revenue.
- Helped drive initiatives associated with double-digit market-share growth and a Medicare 5-star rating during her insurance career.
- Launched a home-based supportive-care model while serving as senior vice president of clinical services at Health Essentials.
- Served as interim president and CEO of March of Dimes from January through July 2023.
- Guided Clever Care from interim leadership into her permanent CEO appointment in March 2025.
- Chairs the nominating and corporate governance committee and serves on the compliance committee of The Oncology Institute's board.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Appeared on Curitics Conversations to discuss servant leadership, organizational culture, community trust and person-centered population health.
- **2026-06** — Marked one year as permanent CEO and reported that Clever Care had reached 51,000 members.
- **2026-03** — Discussed culturally competent, value-based Medicare Advantage on Becker's Payer Issues Podcast.
- **2026-01** — Clever Care reported nearly 50 percent enrollment growth during the 2026 Medicare annual enrollment period and launched a partnership adding more than 350 CareMore primary-care providers in three Southern California counties.
- **2025-12** — Announced a Blue Zones Health partnership giving members access to a network of more than 2,500 providers focused on preventive and whole-person care.
- **2025-10** — Spoke at HLTH 2025 about Medicare Advantage, culturally responsive benefit design and administrative uses of technology.

## Links

- Website: https://clevercarehealthplan.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-walker-johnson
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/s61XErkH_F8

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/karen-johnson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28