Influential Woman · Healthcare
Dawn Lewis
Director, Ambulatory Surgery Center
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Her Story
About Dawn
Dawn Lewis is a healthcare leader with over 14 years of experience serving as Director at an Ambulatory Surgery Center, where she oversees day-to-day operations, staffing, scheduling, and operational training. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring efficient workflow, strong clinical coordination, and high-quality patient care in outpatient surgical environments. She specializes in helping open and optimize ambulatory surgery centers so patients can receive safe, effective procedures such as cataract surgery in an outpatient setting rather than a hospital, with a strong focus on improving access, safety, and operational excellence.
Her professional philosophy is centered on faith-driven service, leadership, and mentoring others while advancing patient-centered care. She combines her clinical expertise as a nurse practitioner with her doctorate in healthcare leadership to train physicians, support nursing teams, and improve surgical scheduling and operational systems. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her ability to strengthen organizational performance, including saving her company approximately $2.5 million through strategic operational improvements while also increasing staff compensation and improving cash flow.
Dawn’s career journey reflects a non-traditional path defined by resilience, purpose, and determination. After deciding early in life to become a doctor, she pursued her education while raising a family, ultimately earning a doctorate in healthcare leadership along with her nurse practitioner credentials and a master’s degree (field not specified). She is also a theology-certified minister and self-published author, using her platform to speak to men, women, and children about purpose, faith, and personal growth. In addition to her professional work, she is a member of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) and serves on nonprofit boards including You Can Skate (Houston), a Bakersfield-based No Limits group, and Shiloh Cares, continuing her commitment to service and community impact.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dawn
01What do you attribute your success to?
This is gonna sound cliche, but I would say God. Just really having faith and not submitting to what I grew up with - you know, growing up in a home with a parent that was on drugs. Me being a first-generation college graduate, I would say just not submitting to what people thought that I should become and being greater than that. I broke the cycle instead of using that as an excuse. When I was 7, my dad passed away from AIDS, and I watched him literally passing away with us in full PPE because they had him on precautions like COVID - we couldn't go in the room, couldn't touch him, couldn't breathe his air. Just seeing that disease process and wanting to help people inspired me. Even though I got married and had kids first, I made it my business to go back and do it the non-traditional way and become a doctor, to get my doctorate. I've been able to answer the call in the midst of making sure I'm professional and doing my job - like last year, I was able to save my company over $2.5 million just by changing things while also increasing staff pay. People would walk into work asking me what I do and why I'm so happy, and I tell them the real answer is God. Being able to let people see my light and not pushing God on them in the midst of it, while still doing work - helping other people find their light and see how they can be used on the Earth and on the planet, and doing it in a peaceful way. That's what I attribute my success to.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
It would be, don't take any of this too serious. Wake up every day and let every day be started anew. Don't bring yesterday into today.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Faith in God is central to everything I do I let God lead me and I've been called to ministry to spread the gospel and help people find their light and see how they can be used on Earth in a peaceful way. Family is incredibly important I wake up first as mom, drive my daughter to school (she's going into 9th grade), and my son is now a junior in college playing volleyball. After my workday ends, I'm back at home being mom, watching my son play volleyball or taking my daughter to dance. Helping people is core to who I am whether it's in my role directing the surgery center where I make sure we're providing quality outpatient care, or through my ministry work doing Bible studies, hosting women's groups, and speaking to different groups, or serving on boards that help children with mental health and sports opportunities. I'm proud that I can be professional and do my job while also letting people see my light, helping others without pushing my beliefs on them, and making sure I'm helping other people find their purpose.
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