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. During the COVID/supply chain crisis, Deborah leveraged her private-sector network to obtain scarce PPE, securing millions of masks, testing swabs, gowns and gloves to protect VA healthcare professionals and patients.
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 a Senior Advisor to the Milken Health Institute, advising on strategic partnerships to accelerate scalable solutions to global health challenges. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Joyance Funds, investing in digital health. Deborah served as Board Trustee and Alumni Association President for Haverford College. She has received numerous leadership awards from Haverford College, the Public Service award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation and served as a national Malcolm Baldridge Award Examiner.
In her free time Deborah enjoys hiking, skiing and yoga.
Deborah received a BA from Haverford College and an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.