Bo Wilkes is a healthcare strategist with an entrepreneurial spirit. For almost 15 years, he has worked in a variety of roles within a traditional healthcare system – from strategy to operations to governance. Now, Bo is tasked with creating a culture of innovation and transformation through the Ballad Health Innovation Center. Simultaneously, he acts as an enabler of strategic value creation through Ballad Ventures.

Bo leads a diverse team within the Innovation Center consisting of lean thinkers, project managers and entrepreneurs to develop and drive an innovative culture for a 21-hospital system serving rural Appalachia in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The intent of the Innovation Center is to assess potentially disruptive technologies and clinical advancements while intentionally leveraging innovative opportunities to transform the way we deliver care.
In conjunction with the Innovation Center, Bo leads Ballad Ventures. This capital platform focuses on investing in innovation ideas which transform the healthcare experience, cost, access and outcomes. As the venture capital arm of Ballad Health, the wholly owned subsidiary seeks opportunities which drive the mission, vision and strategic initiatives of the organization.
Prior to serving in his current capacity, Bo served as Chief of Staff for the Executive Chair and President of Ballad Health. Within that role, he was responsible for providing a variety of management and professional support for the executive leadership with an emphasis on planning, performance management, operational efficiency and effectiveness, and organizational development, as well as direct oversight of the enterprise’s governance structure. Prior roles within the organization include serving as administrator of Johnson City Medical Center and Indian Path Community Hospital, as well as leading growth within the organization’s strategic planning department.
Entrepreneurial in nature, Bo has also served as an interim CEO for a pelvic floor therapy start-up operating throughout the Eastern Seaboard. The work has led him to develop an understanding of venture capital and landed him an opportunity as Executive-in-Residence with LRVHealth (Boston, Mass.). Additional past experiences include production manager responsibilities for ESPN with a base of operations throughout North America.
Bo holds a master’s degree in Public Health from East Tennessee State University and a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from Clemson University. Certificates include the Professional Innovators Program from University of Michigan’s College of Engineering.