Mission Anchored. Leaders Empowered. Impact Amplified.
Evidence‑informed consulting and coaching that equips leaders and teams to deliver effective change.
Dr. Lisa K. Kearney
Differentiators*
Proven driver of system‑wide transformation across the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, supported by 50 peer‑reviewed publications.
Trusted advisor to federal leadership, including the VA Secretary, White House, and Congress.
Nationally recognized leader, honored with the 2024 APA Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Institutional Practice, with a strong public presence through media and speaking engagements.
Expert in converting complex policy into clear, scalable operational change that delivers measurable results.
Rare blend of clinical, operational, policy, and senior executive leadership expertise.
Board‑certified clinical health psychologist with deep experience in organizational consulting, team optimization, and change management.
Seasoned national board leader shaping the future of psychology and health systems.
Proven coalition‑builder across federal agencies, states, communities, and professional organizations.
*Full capabilities statement available, upon request.
Brief Bio
Prior to establishing Kearney Consulting and Coaching, LLC, Dr. Kearney served as the Chief Consultant for the Deputy Under Secretary for Health and the VA Secretary’s Senior Advisor for Health, ensuring implementation of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) top priorities in healthcare through coordination with executive leadership across the enterprise and facilitated daily coordination with other federal agencies and the White House in healthcare policy development and execution. Dr. Kearney previously served as the Deputy Director of VA Suicide Prevention and Executive Director of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), where she codesigned and implemented Suicide Prevention 2.0 (SP 2.0), a public health national effort, combining community-based and evidence-based clinical interventions and oversaw the largest national crisis line in the United States, leading the successful national launch of 988 (press 1 for VCL) while exceeding all performance metrics for faster and higher quality service for Veterans. Dr. Kearney previously served as the Associate Director of Education at the VA Center for Integrated Healthcare where she developed and implemented a nationwide competency-based training program for Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), resulting in training 2,500 providers across 140 sites with significant improvement in same day access to mental health and fidelity to best practices. She also served on the executive team in the VA Office of Mental Health Operations (OMHO) as the Senior Consultant for Technical Assistance, overseeing mental health policy execution through quality improvement site visits with improved VA policy implementation across the nation moving from 68.6% to 91.4%. At the local level, Dr. Kearney served as the Chief of Psychology, Assistant Chief, Director of Training, and Director of Primary Care Mental Health Integration at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. Dr. Kearney is also a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health San Antonio and Editor-in-Chief for Psychological Services. She is a national expert in the areas of implementation science and change management, executive coaching and leadership development, integrated primary care, suicide prevention, and clinical business operations, with 50 publications in these areas. Dr. Kearney is a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin with a PhD in Counseling Psychology and is board certified in Clinical Health Psychology.
How Meaningful Change Happens
How Meaningful Change Happens
Large‑scale transformation succeeds when grounded in proven implementation science principles and structured processes that support adoption, spread, and sustainability.
People and teams drive outcomes. Investing in their development and supporting them accelerates success and strengthens organizational capacity.
A clear, mission‑anchored vision aligns priorities and fuels momentum across the system. Mission at the center of work efforts supports exceptional outcomes.
Transparent, consistent communication builds trust and engagement among all stakeholders.
Effective change adapts to context. Success depends on understanding context, organizational and individual readiness, and the unique environment of each system and individual. Strong implementation plans attend to leadership engagement, climate, resources, competing demands, and external pressures.
Real change requires active implementation including coaching, facilitation, audit and feedback, competency development, and workflow redesign. Education, training, and top-down policies are insufficient to make lasting change.
Sustainability is designed from the start, not added later. Lasting change requires full implementation focus as part of the rollout process.
Investing in program evaluation and rapid‑cycle learning processes strengthen performance and reinforce a high‑reliability organizational culture. We become better when we create environments where ongoing feedback is used to further enhance services.