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Advocate Who Always Chooses the Harder Path Advances Health Equity, Humanity and Opportunity for All: Meet Exceptional Award Winner for Health, Donna Lynne, DrPH, CEO, Denver Health
GlobalMindED is proud to introduce the 2026 Exceptional Leader Award winners daily over the next two weeks. Read about these leaders and role models who stand out in their respective fields, inspiring their peers and the next generation that GlobalMindED serves. Meet them in Denver on June 10th at the awards dinner and hear them speak as part of 400+ speakers, 1,000+ attendees, and students at the GlobalMindED 2026 Conference, "Dimensions of our Democracy: Architecting the Next 250+ Years and Beyond," on June 11-12.
GlobalMindED is honored to recognize Donna Lynne, DrPH, as the GlobalMindED Exceptional Leader for Health. Her leadership is rooted in a lifelong commitment to public service and a belief that the mission must always come first. As CEO of Denver Health, Colorado’s oldest and largest safety net health care system, she leads with a focus on equity, humanity, and access for all, regardless of ability to pay. A Doctor of Public Health and longtime educator at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, her career spans government, public health, and executive leadership, shaped by lessons in inclusivity, cultural competence, and thoughtful risk-taking.
As the Exceptional Leader Award Winner for Health and Wellness, Lynne is recognized for advancing public health and advocating for communities most affected by systemic inequities. Guided by an enduring hope for humanity and a call for dignity, decency, and respectful dialogue, her work aligns closely with Global MindED’s mission to expand equitable opportunity and strengthen leadership that reflects the communities it serves.
How did you find your purpose and your passion?
I have devoted the entirety of my career to public service, both in government and health care. Trying to improve the lives of others has always been my compass. I had opportunities along the way to join the private sector, but I never felt compelled to do so because the overriding commitment to mission and purpose was always missing for me.
Several years ago, I gave the commencement address at the University of Denver. I’m an avid reader and came across a Nepali proverb in a book called Second Suns that sums up much of my life philosophy. I offered this wisdom to the students: “When facing two paths, if you are strong enough, always choose the harder one.”
Choosing the path of greater resistance has helped me grow in more ways than I can imagine. I’ve done it repeatedly as a leader, and as a woman and mother.
What led you to the leadership role for which you are being recognized?
Well, I’ve had a long runway, that’s for sure! While my career has hardly been linear, I have always been intentional about integrating lessons gleaned from my leadership experiences about inclusivity, transparency, financial acumen, risk-taking, and cultural competence, to name a few.
I believe, however, that it’s my leadership in public health that landed me recognition from GlobalMindED. I received my Doctor of Public Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and have been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health there since 2005. It’s very rewarding to teach generations of graduate students now shaping the future of public health.
My longstanding commitment to public health serves me especially well in my current role as CEO of Denver Health, the oldest and largest safety net health care system in Colorado. The story of Denver Health is the story of public health because there is no other health care system that has played such a crucial role in keeping the Colorado community safe. From HIV testing and treatment, COVID-19, RSV, measles, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases, the Public Health Institute at Denver Health is the go-to resource for education, advocacy, and treatment.
My professional background has allowed me to effectively advocate on behalf of many of our patients who are on Medicaid or are uninsured. These patients often have limited access and higher exposure to environmental risks and violence. They face social and economic stressors and experience structural and systemic inequities—all public health challenges.
As we celebrate America’s 250th, what is your highest hope for our democracy?
I will always have hope for humanity; this speaks to who I am as an individual and the sum of my career experiences. But recently there is a mean-spiritedness that I abhor, and this goes beyond politics. I fear that we have lost our moral compass. And it’s hurting the country. The rise in gun violence, already a public health crisis, feels at times like an everyday phenomenon.
As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I can’t think of a greater gift than to rekindle a universal standard of decency called for in The Declaration of Independence. “A decent respect to the opinions of mankind” suggests that a decent society must recognize the dignity and perspectives of all people.
My hope is that we can listen better, be more flexible in our thinking, and when we disagree, to do so using respectful, civil dialogue. Doing so will lead to a healthier society.
How can GlobalMindED inform, advance, and/or multiply your mission?
I’m proud to support GlobalMindED’s commitment to create equitable opportunities for women and underrepresented groups. This directly aligns with Denver Health’s mission of providing all in our community with access to the highest quality health care regardless of the ability to pay, and to the active role we play in recruiting and developing talent who represent the patients and community we serve. Our team does an incredible job of providing culturally responsive care. In fact, we see patients from more than 190 countries who have indicated 136 preferred languages.
You can celebrate Donna Lynne and the other honorees at the Exceptional Leader Awards Dinner on June 10th in Denver and hear insights from her during the conference that follows. Read our newsletter each day and register for the conference by January 31 for the Early Bird rate!
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