Dr. Airica Steed

Dr. Airica Steed, RN, MBA, Ed.D currently serves as the Enterprise Chief Experience Officer (CXO) and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System. Dr. Steed is the first person to hold the title of CXO for UI Health, which is a new C-Suite role that exists in less than 1% of healthcare organizations across the country. She is charged with spearheading an enterprise-wide cultural and operational transformation effort to elevate the organizational experience (patients, families, providers, employees), leading large-scale strategic initiatives across the health system, and is accountable for a diverse portfolio for operational areas. Additionally, Dr. Steed holds a faculty appointment in the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health division of Health Policy & Administration. Prior to her current role, Dr. Steed served as the Vice President of Professional Services & Operations Excellence for Advocate Healthcare, where she was the youngest minority executive leader among over 29,000 employees.

Dr. Steed’s experience includes leading large-scale change, Big 4 consulting, strategic/tactical planning, operations improvement, transformational and thought leadership, customer service, and program management with a track record of breakthrough performance.

Dr. Steed has published book chapters and peer-reviewed articles and has been an active speaker on a regional, national, and international level on the topics of transformational change leadership, lean management, clinical informatics, and healthcare transformation. She has served several terms on the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and is currently an active member of numerous executive boards, including the YWCA Lake County.

Dr. Steed has a BSN from Rush University, a MBA from Governors State University with a certificate in Leadership & Organizational Development, and a Doctorate in Ethical Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University where she was the recipient of the Dissertation with Distinction Award for her research on transformational leadership and lean management. Dr. Steed also holds numerous credentials and certifications, including a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She is focused on elevating UI Health System to a position of excellence, which will not only translate into being the best place to get exceptional care and service – but also the best place to work, practice medicine and do research.