Our President & CEO
Dominique Lee, MBA, MPH
President and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts
and President of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts
Dominique Lee became President and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) on September 18, 2023. An expert healthcare leader and innovative public health strategist, Lee has dedicated her career to expanding access to quality, compassionate, culturally sensitive health care at Planned Parenthood and advocating for health equity and social justice through public health and policy initiatives. Significantly, her own lived experiences resonate with those of many Planned Parenthood staff and patients, deepening her dedication and insight into the distinct challenges and barriers they may encounter.
Prior to this role, Lee helped spearhead the Health Domain at IDEO, a renowned global design consultancy celebrated for its pioneering approach to human-centered design. In this capacity, she collaborated with health organizations to amplify health equity, foster social impact, and optimize their strategy, operations, and revenue streams using these design principles. She also spent 15 years leading health center operations and managing patient services at multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates, culminating as chief operating officer (COO) at the largest affiliate in the country, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (PPMM), where she oversaw operations and delivery of care across 35 health centers serving over 250,000 patients annually in California and Nevada in comprehensive family medicine, behavioral health, and reproductive health care.
Lee is renowned for her innovative problem-solving prowess and steadfast advocacy, consistently showcasing an exceptional dedication to the patients and staff of Planned Parenthood. As the COO of PPMM, she was instrumental in orchestrating the organization's COVID-19 response. Under her leadership, telehealth services were promptly introduced across 35 health centers, ensuring uninterrupted business operations and financial resilience. Moreover, she collaborated with three under-resourced county health departments to establish COVID-19 drive-thru testing centers catering to essential workers, first responders, and the broader community. She also spearheaded Whole Person Care in Santa Clara County, which has led to the first-of-its-kind redesign and the most significant investment in Medicaid in California ever seen through the Cal-AIM program, intending to enhance the quality of care, reduce health disparities, and improve the lives and health of Californians covered by Medi-Cal.
At Planned Parenthood Arizona (PPAZ), Lee instigated pivotal enhancements in operational systems, infrastructure, and patient care, successfully steering PPAZ toward a financially prosperous and sustainable future within a mere three years. Facing the challenging Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, which placed undue hardships on people seeking abortion services and threatened to close reproductive health clinics, Lee's leadership was paramount. With agility, she maneuvered through these laws, making rapid adaptations that preserved the organization's financial health, safeguarded jobs, and boosted team morale, all while ensuring patients received immediate, top-tier care.
While working with the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, a 501(c)4 advocacy entity representing seven Planned Parenthood branches in California, Lee was a staunch supporter of legislation AB-32, which extended fair telehealth service access to over 3 million Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries amidst the pandemic. Furthermore, she pioneered the establishment of the inaugural state-level family planning funding in Nevada. She influenced Proposition 56 in California, a tobacco tax that now yields over $500 million annually for public health endeavors, family planning, and other crucial healthcare projects for low-income residents.
Dominique Lee's appointment as President and CEO of PPLM is a full-circle moment for Lee and a historic one for PPLM. Lee started her career nearly twenty years ago at PPLM as a health care assistant and patient services manager. She launched a 17-year journey with Planned Parenthood that spanned four affiliates in red and blue states and urban and rural environments. Of Indigenous and Chinese descent, Lee is the first person of color to lead PPLM as President and CEO.
Lee holds a bachelor's from Arizona State University in Tech Entrepreneurship and Engineering Management, an MPH from Dartmouth College, and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. She is working towards a DrPH at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in Social Justice and Health Equity. At Dartmouth College's Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lee teaches classes in leadership and negotiation and is a thesis advisor for Master of Public Health students. She's also been appointed as co-chair for part of Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine's 5-year strategy, targeting the enhancement of health equity and holistic wellness across various domains. Throughout her journey, Lee has consistently intertwined health equity with wellness, branching into areas like reproductive health, social justice, economic principles, social capitalism, and a whole-person approach to health care.