Amy L. Archer

Chief Experience Officer and Associate Director leading Veteran-centered healthcare operations by translating federal priorities into disciplined local action. Bring fiscal stewardship, process improvement, and data-informed problem solving to improve service recovery, strengthen employee accountability, and support safe, reliable care for Veterans, families, and staff.

Commitment to the Rule of Law & Principles of the American Founding
• Led creation of an Employee Transition Resource Hub that gives all 3,800+ employees a single, authoritative source for VHA directives, policy changes, laws and regulations, and Schedule Policy/Career Guidance; 1000+ views in 5 months.    
• Brief 10-20 new employees monthly on VA’s mission, structure, and statutory obligations to Veterans, and present facility updates to Veterans Service Organizations.  Strengthened Veterans Service Organization partnership that generated 91,000 volunteer hours and $1M+ in donations in FY 2026.      
• Led facility implementation of Executive Order 14151, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, per VA guidance: removed DEI language from documents and website content, eliminated Special Emphasis Programs, and communicated requirements consistently to all employees.  Achieved full compliance by deadline.  

Driving Efficiency
• Created a standardized purchase card request process for the Director’s Office, cutting approval time from 30 days to 10 days while strengthening documentation and oversight.  Managed 1M in annual spending across the Director’s Office, Whole Health, Public Affairs and the Patient Experience Office, with zero audit findings in FY 2026.  
• Led renegotiation of the Veterans Canteen Services agreement for Optical Services: corrected payment terms and aligned staffing to demand by increasing from 8 to 10 FTE funded by VCS without added VA cost.  Met all VA and VCS requirements.        
• In response to rising Veteran complaints about unanswered and looping calls, led review of the 10 facility phone trees with the most complaints and reduced menu prompts with patient advocacy, OIT and telecom partners.  Eliminated call loops and reduced phone-related complaints 34% from FY24 to FY25.

      
Merit and Competence
• Led a facility strategic initiative to correct inaccurate Veteran and next-of-kin data delaying discharges and preventing contact with the right family member.  Conducted a data audit, trained 30+ scheduling staff and 3,800+ employees, and partnered with Public Affairs on a Veteran outreach campaign.  Increased outpatient pre-registration from 62% to 80% in 6 months and reduced discharge delays and errors.  
• Championed ‘Take A Moment’ campaign to improve Veteran ‘Communication with Doctors” score on the Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP) survey.  Scores for ‘listened to’ and ‘spent time with me’ increased by 5%.     

 
Leading People
• Implemented monthly ‘Coffee and Conversations’ with the Executive Team and Chief Wellness Officer reaching 400+ employees at the facility and off-site locations.  Acted on staff suggestions, including a signage and beautification project that prepared the facility for a survey visit and opening a new Women’s Clinic; attendance grew from 30 to 50 monthly.    
• As Executive Team High Reliability Organization Champion, led expansion of leader rounding across 3 departments with 15 leaders, completing 15 rounds per month.  Leaders identified and removed barriers to provide safe care, and increased engagement with staff.    
• Drove the adoption of a Microsoft form process for special contribution and spot award requests to recognize employee performance.  Cleared a backlog of 300 requests and reduced processing from 3 months to less than 7 days; 350 employees recognized in 4 months.

Achieving Results
• Developed and implemented a facility standard operating procedure for managing animals on property, in line with VHA directive 1188 and ADA requirements, addressing animal-related complaints and the lack of an admission process for Veterans with service dogs.  Educated 3,800+ staff, installed signage at entrances and all procedure areas, and communicated the policy to Veterans, preserving access for Veterans with service dogs.  
• Established a new Veteran orientation after stakeholders and Veterans reported difficulty navigating VA services and benefits, giving Veterans one place to learn about the VA system, Minneapolis VA services, and VA benefits.