Mrs. Lewis-Payton (’81) is a healthcare leadership consultant and executive coach with 40 years of healthcare experience. She retired after 31 years of federal service and started her own consulting business. Prior to retirement, she served as the inaugural Director of the Veterans Health Administration’s Healthcare Leadership Talent Institute after serving three years as a regional CEO of ten VA Medical Centers across an eight-state area.
She also returned to her hometown of Birmingham, AL, from 2008-2012 and served as the CEO of the VA Medical Center, the first female and African American to serve in this role. Ms. Lewis-Payton received the Presidential Rank Award, the highest honor for a member of the federal government’s Senior Executive Services (SES) Corps.
In 2000, she was appointed by the Governor of Mississippi as the first African American female to serve as the State’s Medicaid Commissioner.
Ms. Lewis-Payton received her Master of Science degree in Hospital and Health Administration from The University of Alabama at Birmingham and her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Talladega College. She is a Life Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has received numerous awards and honors. Mrs. Lewis-Payton is an alumna member of The Links, Incorporated, an associate member of Jack and Jill of America, and a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
