Open to opportunities

Dana McEwen

@danamcewen

Message

Behavioral health and clinical operations director improving compliant, technology-enabled care delivery.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead behavioral health and clinical operations at scale—integrating technology to improve care coordination, compliance, and outcomes across multi-site teams and stakeholders.

I’m a Health Behavioral & Clinical Operations Leader with 15+ years directing large-scale programs across hospitals, public agencies, and nonprofits. I’m known for translating strategy into measurable outcomes for the people and systems I serve—10M+ residents, multi-site operations, and cross-agency stakeholders.

In my current role at Kaiser Permanente, I lead statewide health initiatives aligning 50+ teams and driving 100% of strategic goals on time. I run risk & gap analysis to resolve issues impacting patient care and regulatory compliance, including securing approvals for 43 regulatory submissions and avoiding $1M+ in fines.

Previously with LA County Department, I oversaw 3 behavioral health programs across 111 sites, managing a $48M budget and strengthening compliance through unified SOPs across 8 regions. I cut case linkage times by 70% by redesigning processes and integrating technology, while identifying service delivery gaps that secured $2.25M in new funding.

Across my leadership roles, I’ve consistently reduced staff turnover (37%), improved intake timelines (from 5 days to under 2), and prevented $1M+ in regulatory fines. I bring a technology integration mindset, clinical supervision expertise, and strong governance—supported by my clinical licensure (LMFT/LPCC) and my focus on program management through the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) track.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Director, Behavioral Health

Current

Kaiser Permanente

Jan 2024 - Present (2 years 5 months)

Led statewide behavioral health initiatives aligning 50+ teams, driving 100% of strategic goals on time. Conducts risk and gap analysis, coordinates cross-agency transitions, and secured approvals for 43 regulatory submissions to help avoid $1M+ in fines.

Gap Analysis Regulatory Compliance Stakeholder Engagement Care Coordination Technology Integration

Current

Remote Behavioral Health Consultant

Current

AlphaSights (Guidepoint)

Mar 2023 - Present (3 years 3 months)

Provided expert guidance to global clients on behavioral health trends and clinical best practices. Advised on topics including Medi-Cal, EHRs, evidence-based practices, clinical supervision and retention strategies, autism-related diagnosis, and behavioral interventions.

Medi Cal EHR Clinical Supervision Retention Strategy Autism Diagnosis Support Behavioral Interventions Client Advisory Medical

Director of Clinical Ops & Chief of Staff

LA County Department

May 2018 - Jan 2024 (5 years 8 months)

Oversaw 3 behavioral health programs across 111 sites, managing 43 staff and a $48M budget. Reduced case linkage times by 70% through process redesign and tech integration, unified SOPs across 8 regions, and improved contract compliance via legal coordination, MOUs, and security protocols.

Behavioral Health Program Oversight Budget Management Process Improvement Contract Compliance Care Linkage Optimization Compliance Operations

Director, Behavioral Health Strategic Initiatives

LA County Department

Nov 2015 - May 2018 (2 years 6 months)

Managed 4 behavioral health programs across 3 sites, leading 22 staff while driving operations and compliance. Improved service delivery speed by 30% through partnerships and used technology to reduce intake timelines from 5 days to under 2, supporting Medi-Cal re-certification and resolving legal/HR issues.

Strategic Partnerships Technology Integration Legal HR Issue Resolution Clinical Reporting Medical Compliance

Chief of Staff, Health Programs

LA County Department

Feb 2013 - Nov 2015 (2 years 9 months)

Improved contract compliance by 34% over 2 years by leading interdisciplinary screening committees. Increased clinical efficiency by 10% and retention by 8% through coaching and workflow redesign, and supported EHR migration for 300+ staff.

Contract Compliance Change Management

Head of Behavioral Health Programs

D'Veal Family and Youth Services

Apr 2011 - Feb 2013 (1 year 10 months)

Directed 4 behavioral health sites and launched a new community-based program from the ground up. Improved workforce outcomes by reducing staff turnover by 37% and increasing performance ratings by 25% through new training protocols.

Behavioral Health Program Leadership Staff Training Performance Improvement Stakeholder Engagement

Clinical Operations & Staff Retention

Pacific Clinics

Aug 2009 - Apr 2011 (1 year 8 months)

Served as a subject matter expert for clinical and operational systems across 6 regions, helping drive 93% health program performance. Improved site operations by 23% through process redesign and leadership coaching and led hiring, training, and retention for 250+ staff in management and clinical operations roles.

Regional Clinical Operations Process Design Leadership Coaching Hiring Performance Management Program Operations