A leader’s journey: Chief Veterans Experience Officer Lynda C. Davis, Ph.D.

During Women’s History Month, we honor the women who served our nation in uniform and who are also shaping the future of Veterans’ health care and policy. At VA, Women Veteran leaders are not symbolic voices, they are institutional leaders who bring lived experience, military culture and a deep understanding of our sister Veterans directly into the rooms where decisions are made.

This week, we honor VA’s Chief Veterans Experience Officer Lynda C. Davis, Ph.D.

From service to strategy

Davis joined the Army in her thirties because she believed in its mission and global impact. Throughout her career, she supported various operations, including Hurricane Andrew relief, Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield and the Bosnia campaign. She retired as a captain, having served as both signal officer and a public affairs officer.

Her military service has greatly influenced her leadership style, where she brings critical strategic thought and management skills necessary to implement policies and programs that align with mission requirements.

Transitioning to civilian life and growing as a leader

Davis’s transition to civilian life broadened her perspective on leadership and how mission translates outside the military. The clarity, discipline and compassion she learned in uniform became the foundation of her work across national security, defense and Veterans programs.

She launched a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, supporting Veteran education and training. Each role reinforced for her a core belief: Better outcomes are achieved by listening to Veterans and designing around their real experiences.

This belief is what brought her back to VA and to this important work.

Leading change at VA: Elevating the Veteran experience

Today, as VA’s chief Veteran Experience Officer, she leads efforts to bring industry-best customer experience (CX) practices into VA, leveraging data, human-centered design and technology to make Veterans’ experiences easier, more effective and emotionally resonant.

Among many, her major focus has been on improving the experiences of Women Veterans. Through consistent, data-driven listening, she takes action to address the barriers women Veterans have identified, resulting in several improvements, including:

• Expanding self-referral pathways for gynecologic care.
• Strengthening outreach to unenrolled women Veterans.
• Enhancing communication on issues like chronic pain, sleep, financial readiness and isolation.

These changes are rooted in the needs identified by women Veterans themselves, rather than assumptions.

A commitment to her sister Veterans

Women, whether in or out of uniform, often put the needs of others before their own. Many of them are caregivers by nature and can go years without realizing how much support they need themselves.

Davis wants every woman Veteran to know:

• You have earned every benefit VA provides.
• You deserve that care, and often, you need it long before you realize it.
• Seeking care is not a sign of weakness; it is wisdom, strength and an act of honoring your whole health, your goals and your future.

Belonging, advocacy and sisterhood

In uniform, women Veterans are trained to look to their left and right to ensure that the soldiers beside them are taken care of. That responsibility doesn’t end when they take off the uniform. They owe it to one another, especially to the women who served alongside them. Every woman Veteran should know that there are advocates at VA dedicated to ensuring they receive exceptional care.

Looking ahead: A call to action

Looking ahead, Davis’s focus is on continuing to strengthen the experience of women Veterans by expanding access, improving communication and elevating their voices across all VA systems.

When you receive a VA survey, especially if you are a woman Veteran using VA health care, please take a moment to respond. Your feedback directly influences what VA improves, strengthens and where it chooses to invest. Your voice truly guides their decisions.

Additionally, she encourages women Veterans to help VA enroll 1 million Veterans by inviting your unaffiliated sisters-in-arms to participate in community-based events hosted by the Center for Women Veterans (CWV) this year.

“If you remember nothing else from my story, I hope you take this away: You are not alone. You are seen. And your voice belongs here. We served together in uniform—and we continue to serve one another in our Veteran years. VA is here for you, and so am I.”