Walt Cooper, PhD, is CEO of the Whole Health Institute, a nonprofit organization founded by Alice L. Walton to promote innovations that foster whole person health and well-being. Prior to his current role, Mr. Cooper led Innovation for Walmart Health, the company’s care delivery organization. Previously, he co-founded and served as president of Cortica Healthcare, a technology-enabled healthcare services company providing multi-specialty care to children with autism. Mr. Cooper got his start in healthcare serving as chief of staff for the VA’s Veterans Experience Office.
Mr. Cooper spent the first chapter of his career as a Special Forces officer in the US Army. During his 14 years on active duty, Mr. Cooper led troops during multiple combat deployments, taught as an Assistant Professor of Social Sciences at West Point, and worked as a speechwriter for General David Petraeus. He continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves.
Mr. Cooper graduated as valedictorian from West Point in 1999, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned a PhD in Political Science from Harvard. Walt lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, with his wife Joy, also a healthcare entrepreneur, and their two children.