Jess Drecktrah, MHA, MN, RN

Jess Drecktrah, DNP(c), MN, RN

The Skinny...

Jess Drecktrah has spent her career championing innovation in healthcare and aging services across provider organizations, trade associations, academia, fitness, and retail. She is completing the Doctor of Nursing Practice – Executive Leadership track at Duke University, the nation’s top-ranked specialty program for nursing leadership, while serving as Assisted Living Clinical Leader at Carolina Meadows, a Novare Continuing Care Retirement Community.

She recently designed the ROI of Wellness course for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), equipping executives with tools to measure and demonstrate the financial and operational impact of wellness initiatives. Her leadership experience includes serving as Vice President of Life Enrichment at Presbyterian Homes & Services, where she supported 8,000+ residents through oversight of life enrichment, volunteerism, fitness, wellness nursing, and dementia care. She also guided more than 400 nurses as Chief Nursing Officer and Faculty at the Faith Community Nurse Network.

Jess has held leadership roles at the International Council on Active Aging, Target, YMCA, Allina Health, Ecumen, and the University of Minnesota. Her expertise spans wellness ROI, fall prevention, AI integration, and program development. A frequent speaker, consultant, and educator, she is dedicated to transforming systems of care to elevate healthspan, purpose, and well-being alongside clinical excellence.

The Long Form...

Over the past several decades, Jess Drecktrah has championed innovative healthcare initiatives within provider settings, trade associations, fitness, academia, and retail. Jess is completing the Doctor of Nursing Practice - Executive Leadership Track at Duke University, the nation's top specialty program for nursing leadership. Concurrently, she leads the assisted living clinical team at Carolina Meadows, a prominent Novare Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).

Jess recently developed the ROI of Wellness course for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). This course equips senior living leaders with tools to measure and demonstrate the financial and operational impact of wellness initiatives—positioning wellness as both a mission-driven and strategic investment.

Previously, she served as Vice President of Life Enrichment at Presbyterian Homes & Services (PHS), the fourth-largest nonprofit senior living organization in the U.S. There, she supported 8,000+ residents with leadership responsibility for life enrichment, volunteerism, fitness, wellness coordination, wellness nursing, and dementia care. She also served as Chief Nursing Officer and Faculty for the Faith Community Nurse Network (FCNN), guiding more than 400 nurses in integrating community wellness and spiritual care.

Her career includes leadership roles at International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), Target, YMCA, Allina Health, Ecumen, and the University of Minnesota. At ICAA, Jess helped design the industry’s first Wellness Audit and ROI tool and continues to be the lead faculty in its Leadership in Wellness Management Certificate program. At the YMCA, she advanced healthy aging strategies for 50,000+ older adults and helped launch the prototype George Wellbeing Center, bringing integrative health services to the community. At Target, she led strategy for retail clinics and directed enterprise-wide employee wellbeing initiatives, including benefits, partnerships, and wellness measurement systems.

Jess’s expertise spans strategy, startups, AI integration, fall prevention, and program development, with credentials in multiple Evidence-Based Programs (EBPs). A skilled speaker, consultant, educator, and nurse, her driving goal is to transform systems of care to prioritize wellness and healthspan alongside clinical excellence.