In addition to being a leader in health care marketing in multiple states, Lisa Kalkes is a U.S. Army veteran—serving for four years, including a 15-month deployment in Iraq. She always liked physical and mental challenges while also being a part of something bigger than herself.
2021 was a big year for Kalkes. She was the primary marketing executive for the Optum Care Specialty Care business lines, responsible for 12 clinics and more than 30 providers in Nevada. In doing so, she secured more than 35 million media impressions for the brand, developing new and user-optimized consumer-facing websites and ensuring that the business was visible on all media fronts. She also focused on physician recruitment, oversaw Optum’s clinic marketing operations throughout Arizona and added the Utah and Colorado markets to her already-packed portfolio.
Kalkes is an avid supporter of the homeless and serves on the board for Straight From the Streets, a nonprofit advocating for holistic, balanced and compassionate outreach to those experiencing homelessness—helping increase donations to the organization by 67% during her first year as a board member.