Dennis Wagner

MPA
Job Title: Managing Director
Organization: Yes And Leadership, LLC

Co-author of Choosing to LEAD, about leadership mindsets and methods that create real results — and real joy. Dennis grew up in rural Montana and spent 30+ years leading large scale change initiatives at EPA, HRSA, CMS, and the private sector — working on hospital patient safety, organ donation and transplantation, air quality, access to healthcare for millions of people. Dennis and teams that he has led have supported large public and private sector communities of practice in achieving unprecedented improvements and results. Dennis believes in committing to and achieving bold goals in work and in life.

Professional Information

Area(s) of Focus: Large scale change management. Leadership of federal health and environmental programs, including organ donation and transplantation.

Alliance Presentations

Choosing To Lead

Choosing to Lead: Lessons in Healthcare Leadership

Thursday, April 17, 2025, at 2:00pm

Join Dennis Wagner and Dr. John Scanlon, authors of the recently-published book, Choosing to Lead, as they demonstrate how to use a set of clear, practical leadership mindsets and methods to make good leadership choices in the four domains of Intent, Being, Language and Roles. A number of the leadership stories and methods profiled feature the work of OPO, donor hospital and transplant program leaders and patients in the organ donation and transplantation community of practice.

Both Dennis and Dr. Scanlon were among the key leaders involved in conducting the Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaboratives and in the work that led to creation of The Alliance.

Using these mindsets and methods in Choosing to Lead will lead not only to greater effectiveness and results but also will precipitate greater joy. This concept of joy is one you will seldom, if ever, encounter in other management or business school case studies or workshops. But it is real, it is contagious, and it is a force spurring results and connections never imagined.

Lifelong Networks

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