Jo Ann Vedova is an executive leadership coach, organizational consultant, behavioral health leader, and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander whose career has centered on leading people and systems through high-pressure environments, organizational change, crisis, and complex operational demands. Her experience spans military healthcare, behavioral health, organizational resilience, operational readiness, workforce well-being, and healthcare business leadership in the United States and internationally.

Throughout her Navy career, Jo Ann has repeatedly stepped into environments where leaders and teams were required to adapt quickly while maintaining performance, readiness, and the well-being of the people they served. Early in her military career, she deployed to Kuwait, where she supported the reintegration of combat-deployed Sailors and provided critical mental-health services within the Navy Consolidated Detention Center. She later served as Department Head for Mental Health at Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, leading behavioral-health services in a remote and strategically sensitive environment where organizational readiness and continuity were essential.

Jo Ann’s work has also involved creating new solutions when established approaches were not enough. At Naval Hospital Pensacola, she helped advance Navy Medicine pain-management initiatives, facilitated cross-disciplinary education for healthcare providers, and pioneered complementary and alternative approaches—including auricular therapy—as non-opioid options supporting Sailor and Marine readiness. Her experience demonstrates an ability to bring together clinical expertise, innovation, education, and organizational needs to improve how services are delivered.

Her leadership became especially critical in environments experiencing acute pressure and crisis. As Social Work Chair and Department Head at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Jo Ann was hand-selected to support three Suicide Prevention Rapid Intervention Team missions serving the USS Harry S. Truman, the Nuclear Power Training Command, and the USS Jason Dunham. These assignments required rapid assessment, collaboration, communication, and intervention in support of force preservation and organizational readiness.

In Japan, Jo Ann helped build behavioral-health and resiliency capabilities for Commander Naval Surface Group Westpac. Her work included developing resiliency training, supporting psychiatric response missions, delivering critical care to ships at sea during the COVID-19 pandemic, and extending behavioral-health capability across waterfront medical departments supporting the 7th Fleet. She also deployed aboard the USS Barry, USS John McCain, and USS Benfold, providing embedded care to shipboard personnel operating in demanding environments.

Jo Ann’s leadership extends well beyond behavioral health. As Director for Healthcare Business at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands in Twentynine Palms and later Yokosuka, she has worked at the intersection of people, operations, strategy, and organizational sustainability. Her leadership has supported access-to-care requirements, long-term readiness, resource allocation, and alignment with the strategic priorities of Navy Medicine and the Military Health System.

This combination of operational and behavioral-health leadership gives Jo Ann a distinctive perspective on organizational change. She understands that leaders cannot focus solely on systems, metrics, or mission requirements when people are experiencing uncertainty, stress, or disruption. Sustainable change also requires communication, trust, resilience, psychological awareness, and the ability to help people remain effective while conditions around them are shifting.

Jo Ann holds a Master of Philosophy in Organizational Psychology with a specialization in Evidence-Based Coaching from Walden University, a Master of Social Work in Direct Practice, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is a Board Certified Coach and an advanced licensed clinical social worker. Her military honors include the Army Commendation Medal and six Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, reflecting a career of sustained service and leadership across diverse operational environments.

At Elevare Leadership Partners, Jo Ann brings together military leadership, organizational psychology, behavioral-health expertise, and evidence-based coaching to support leaders and organizations facing change, challenge, and high-pressure situations. She helps leaders strengthen resilience, navigate difficult transitions, understand the human dynamics affecting performance, build healthier and more effective teams, and create environments where both people and organizational objectives can succeed.

Professional Affiliations & Honors :

• Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)

• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

• Board Certified Coach (BCC)