Jessica Hunt has called both metro and rural Midwest communities home, experiencing firsthand how people and families anchor strong, vibrant communities.
Her career began at Cerner Corporation, where she spent nearly a decade leading population health initiatives across a broad spectrum of work, from living lab experiments and pilot programs to population health innovation alliances and the voluntary merger of two rural hospitals. She developed expertise at the intersection of technology and community engagement, designing scalable solutions that improve healthcare access and outcomes.
Jessica joined the Patterson Family Foundation in 2019 and was named Vice President of Strategy and Programs in 2020. In this role, she advances the Foundation’s strategy and operations to achieve grantmaking results, overseeing a multimillion-dollar annual portfolio focused on economic opportunity, education, healthcare, and community engagement across Kansas and western Missouri. She also guides the Foundation’s Theory of Change, using it to ensure that investments are tied to clear goals and measurable community impact.
“Thriving rural communities take care of each other, nurture connections among neighbors, and use local strengths to tackle challenges together. They are places where families can grow and build their lives, where young people can see a future at home, and where communities maintain their character while adapting to change. To me, thriving rural communities are rooted in relationships, grounded in care, and stewarded with the next generation in mind.”
