General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer: Jolie Justus

PUBLISHED JANUARY 2026

At a hospital system that manages nearly 21,000 annual patient admissions, and multiples of that with emergency-room and outpatient visits, Jolie Justus advances health care not with a stethoscope or cardiogram, but with a blend of tenacity, empathy, and strategic acumen.

She’s been General Counsel at University Health since 2020, and added Chief Administrative Officer duties last year. With more than two decades dedicated to uplifting Missouri’s most vulnerable communities, Justus has carved a path from a Branson radio booth to the corridors of state power, to the helm of a major safety-net system for the underserved. 

Her journey, marked by pivotal shifts and unyielding advocacy, reveals a leadership style rooted in collaboration, vulnerability, and a relentless focus on communal good over personal glory.

Born in Kansas City to parents studying at UMKC, she was raised in Branson through high school, coming back here in 1995 to study law at their alma mater, and she earned her law degree with distinction. But first, a different path: “I loved radio, and worked in it for seven years and adored it,” she recalls. At 17, she landed her first gig at a Branson AM/FM station through her father’s Rotary connections. 

“I was the newscaster … and did 27 newscasts a day—two were full half-hour shows with sports; the rest were 30-second blurbs. But I was very much an audiophile.” That communications foundation, honed with a degree in journalism from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State), set the stage for her analytical prowess. “My communications and journalism background really set me up for success in the law,” she notes, crediting it for orienting her mind toward advocacy and precision.

Yet, the grind of radio in Branson—capped at $6 an hour with no benefits—inspired a pivot. Prompted by a McDonald’s sign offering better wages, she took an additional job, at her father’s law office during her “stubborn teen girl” phase. But occasional friction with Dad revealed her competitive edge and a realization that her brain, she says, “was wired, for the law.” Her parents’ unwavering support—“no matter what I would say or do, they were always behind me 100 percent”—fueled this transition, instilling a defining trait of resilience.

Post-law school, Justus joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon in pharmaceutical litigation and FDA regulatory work. She thrived in team environments, embracing “the innovation and the excitement.” Her pro bono passion shone brightest; she led the firm’s program to national recognition as one of the top 100 free legal services providers. 

After persuading the firm’s leadership to create a full-time pro bono director role, they immediately put her in charge, and she led it for 16 years. 

That community-facing ethos propelled her into politics. In 2006, she won an election to the Missouri State Senate’s 10th District, representing much of Kansas City and Grandview. As the only Democrat among just four lawyers in the chamber, she rose to minority leader, forging bonds across aisles. “Those eight years in the Senate were an amazing time; people were more civil and things worked in a more efficient manner,” she says. Collaborating with Republicans like Charlie Shields, she focused “not on our differences but wanted to do what was best for Missouri and our communities.” Advocacy for children, reproductive rights, crime victims, and foster care education cemented her as a tireless champion.

Term-limited in 2015, Justus added a local aspect to her public-sector focus with a term on the City Council, and joined the board of Truman Medical Center, now University Health, as Mayor Sly James’s appointee. 

In February 2020, she assumed her current role—just as COVID-19 struck. As baptisms go, she says, “it was horrible … but for me at the start of my health-care career, it was perfect: You saw the absolute best in people, you saw really quick innovation. … “It helps to have a diverse group of minds working at it—doctors, nurses, voices that helped keep that innovation in place.”

Her leadership hinges on inclusivity and candor: “I like to surround myself with people who are smarter than me, with people who have opinions different than mine, including voices of people who wouldn’t normally be there at the table, and maybe even people I don’t like.” 

She also champions vulnerability: “When I’m working with my core team, I make sure they understand that if something scares them, it scares me, too.” Fostering collaboration means being “fast to fail,” encouraging wild ideas in brainstorming, and eschewing credit-grabbing: “The things that are key to my own success were not caring who got credit for things.” 

Her north star, always, is stakeholder value: “When you have people staying healthier over time, every one of the stakeholders wins,” she says—patients, providers,
insurers and the broader community.