Dr. Airica Steed is a nationally recognized healthcare executive and transformational leader with over 25 years of experience driving health equity, care redesign, and system-wide innovation. A fourth-generation nurse and former health system CEO, Dr. Steed has broken barriers as the first Black woman, nurse, and woman to lead a major U.S. public health system. She has built cross-sector coalitions to tackle social drivers of health, launched upstream prevention initiatives that reduced ED visits and improved outcomes, and championed people-centered leadership rooted in dignity and justice. As a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Academy of Nursing-and a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma-Dr. Steed combines operational excellence with unapologetic advocacy for equity. Her insights bridge strategy and soul, offering a rare blueprint for reimagining health from the inside out.
What if healthcare began not at the point of crisis-but long before? What if the health of a community was shaped not only by clinical expertise but by housing, food, employment, and belonging?
What if healthcare began not at the point of crisis-but long before? What if the health of a community was shaped not only by clinical expertise but by housing, food, employment, and belonging?