BookZurman Names Two Directors

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The BookZurman corporate team recently added two directors to support the company’s breadth of government support and expansion into the private healthcare space. Business Development Director Gayle Grasso and Marketing Director Jackie Walling joined in April.

With more than 30 years of IT sales experience spanning industries, Grasso leads business development efforts in the government and private sectors of the healthcare IT community. She thrives in developing and managing relationships, cross-team collaboration and account planning strategy leadership.

“I’ve always been impressed with the impact and influence from the depth of Gayle’s relationships across client partnerships and internal teams,” said President Brian Book.

Grasso joins from IBM, where she served for a decade as the company’s Veterans Affairs Client Executive. In this role, she leveraged extensive account knowledge and relationships leading a large, cross-brand team and building strong relationships at senior levels of the organization.

She joined IBM in 1999 as Program Manager for the Department of Commerce, National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Research & Development Institution’s high-performance computing programs. During this time, she managed relationships, contracts and operational performance for the development, integration and deployment of high-performance computing, climate and weather solutions.

Before joining IBM, Grasso spent 12 years in a variety of roles supporting the delivery and operations of complex national assets deployed in the execution of classified national security missions. Grasso earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science and math from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She has mentored veterans as they transition from the armed services to private enterprise through economic empowerment for seven years with American Corporate Partners (ACP). Grasso has been the vice chair of Professional Services Council’s (PSC) VA team for close to five years.

Walling brings more than 20 years of creative strategy, account leadership and communications experience to the BookZurman team. She will spearhead marketing and branding initiatives from development through implementation.

“Jackie’s creativity and strategic approach will be an important aspect of connecting with the organizations and influencers that will continue to foster our growth,” said President Brian Book.

Her career’s common thread has been building relationships and creating understanding to craft messages that connect. Whether through award-winning branding, corporate initiatives or online strategies, Walling has developed and implemented successful advertising and marketing strategies for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies to support organizational growth.

In close to 14 years with Raymond James Marketing, Walling held roles spanning account management, creative leadership and business development activities for the firm with a focus on branding strategy for financial advisors, content strategy and creation. She was instrumental in forming the department’s account management function and directed the marketing for the asset management division of the firm for four years. In addition to Raymond James, Walling held creative and account roles with additional organizations including 22squared, one of the largest national advertising agencies.

Walling earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida, was awarded the inaugural Media General Convergence Journalism Internship, and has consistently been recognized with multiple Addy awards throughout her career for her creative work. She volunteers with edible Tampa Bay, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida and The Kind Mouse. She currently holds a board member position for USF’s Digital Marketing Certificate program.

“Together, with the BookZurman team, we look forward to transforming healthcare through technology and trust,” said President Brian Book.

Grasso and Walling join BookZurman’s corporate team headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. Grasso will be working out of Washington, D.C.

About BookZurman:

BookZurman (BZ) is a consulting firm that bridges the gap between healthcare and technology for a better patient experience. By leading conversations that connect caregivers and patients, BZ is driven to help resolve the challenge of healthcare interoperability to enhance care and enhance life through the delivery of timely and integrated data. With a focus on standards and interoperability, informatics architecture, clinical decision support and terminology, BZ empowers caregivers to transform the future of healthcare - one patient at a time. www.bookzurman.com

CONTACT: Lindsay Karchner, Technical Writer, lindsay.karchner@bookzurman.com