Five Questions with Dewane Pace ’05MBA ’93, CEO of Willamette Valley Medical Center

We recently chatted with Dewane Pace ’05MBA ’93, a seasoned leader with more than forty years of healthcare experience. Pace joined Willamette Valley Medical Center as CEO in 2025. Prior to WVMC, he served as CEO of Haxtun Hospital District in Haxtun, CO, COO at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, CO and administrator at Orlando Health’s Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, FL following an extensive career in laboratory services. Pace earned a bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and holds a Diplomate in Laboratory Management from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. He has served on state hospital association boards and enjoys participating in local civic groups, foundations and boards.

Five Questions with Dewane Pace ’05 MBA ’93

Dewane, one of the things that struck me about your educational path is that you were a non-traditional student. What inspired you to go back to school at a later age and earn two degrees?

I believe that we constantly grow and change, and am always asking myself ‘How can today be better than yesterday, and tomorrow better still?’ and ‘How can I be better?’ This mindset of continuous improvement requires more – more effort, more energy, and more education. This is what drove me to move from a clinical role in healthcare to an administrative and operations role and that required expanding my education and skill set.

How has your education at UCF informed your career trajectory since leaving Orlando?

I am incredibly proud to be a UCF Knight and know that a degree from UCF creates opportunities for career advancement and growth. The tools and knowledge I gained during my time at UCF are part of my daily success, providing me with a strong educational foundation that continues to support me in my career.

You officially begin work at Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville, Ore. on February 17. How have you been preparing for your new role, and what most are you looking forward to?

I am very excited to join the WVMC team in McMinnville. I was drawn to the opportunity because WVMC is part of Lifepoint Health, a large, growing company that is well regarded in the healthcare industry. I was impressed that Lifepoint was included in the Hospital Engagement Network by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the only private organization in the country to be included. I would say Lifepoint does the right things and does the right things right, and I believe I will be well prepared and supported in my new role. They do a great job of onboarding new leaders, and the process has been great so far.

In particular, their strong company and hospital culture really spoke to me – their mission of making communities healthier, vision and core values all align with who I am, what I want to accomplish and my guiding principles of “do the right thing, always” and “do your job and be nice”. That sounds like a team I want to be a part of and place where I would want to receive care. Healthcare in our country has many challenges but at its core are passionate people who are driven to improve the quality and quantity of others’ lives – what a noble calling. Caregivers and those who support them make personal sacrifices every day to do this work and I am passionate about acknowledging this, supporting them, and working to make their lives better which ultimately makes patients’ lives better.

In addition to your long experience as a healthcare administrator, you also have a long history of community service. Can you talk a little bit about why this is important to you?

Sure, the answer is two-fold:

First, it’s the right thing to do. If you live in a community and you want your community to be a great place, it requires work and that means being part of service organizations that do this work. If I live in a community then it is my community and with that comes responsibility to make it better – better today than yesterday and even better tomorrow. I love the Greek proverb that says, ‘A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in’.

It builds trust. When the leader, or leaders, of the healthcare facility in your community are visible, engaged, and involved, it builds trust. Leaders should be visible, communicate honestly, and be trustworthy. Healthcare leaders represent the organization that will take care of you when you are in the most critical, vulnerable moments, and you need to have trust in the organization and that starts with having trust in the leader. It is not just part of the job, but the right thing to do.

Fun question for you: What famous person, living or dead, would you like to share a meal with? And what would that meal be?

Now that is a hard question. I would say I would prefer a humble meal of simple food shared with Robert Greenleaf, Patrick Lencioni, Martin Luther King Jr., Jim Collins, Maya Angelou, Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, and Simon Sinek. These are the authors and servant leaders that have had the most influence on my life. Actually, I would like to see the meal set up as a buffet and watch as they all tried to go last and not first through the line as “Leaders Eat Last”.