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Deborah Scher

Senior Advisor, Milken Institute; Former Executive Advisor to the Secretary, US Department of Veteran Affairs

Deborah Lafer Scher is a global, C-Level healthcare executive and board advisor with a successful track record of driving growth and building organizations at scale in both the public and private sector. Through a broad strategic lens, shaped by leadership roles in PE-backed, family owned, for-profit, non-profit and government organizations, Deborah advises on growth strategies, critical partnerships and corporate development transactions that accelerate value creation.Having served as the Executive Advisor to four VA Secretaries in two Presidential Administrations and navigated large, highly regulated environments under pressure, Deborah brings a thoughtful, poised voice to the boardroom on governance and the policy environment that impacts a company’s operations. At the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Deborah built a public/private sector partnership community of 50+ organizations, bringing the best of the private sector into the VA to create programs worth more than $250 million. Under her leadership, the Secretary’s Center for Strategic Partnerships built mission driven public/private coalitions to improve rural healthcare access, scale a national precision oncology network, strengthen employee mental health and more. Deborah serves as a Board member of EKSO Bionics, a wearable robots pioneer and EnableComp, a WCAS portfolio company managing complex medical claims. She is also a Senior Advisor to the Milken Health Institute, advising on strategic partnerships to accelerate scalable solutions to global health challenges.