Podcast Summary: DGTL Voices with Ed Marx

Episode Title: Empowering Change: from Nurse to CIO (ft. Tonya Reeder)
Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Ed Marx
Guest: Tonya Reeder, CIO of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Tonya Reeder, who shares her unique journey from bedside nurse to Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Ed Marx and Tonya discuss her career transitions, leadership philosophy, and the importance of maintaining a “boots on the ground” mindset. They touch on critical issues in healthcare technology, leadership strategies, dealing with imposter syndrome, and blending faith and vulnerability in executive roles. The episode offers wisdom for both experienced professionals and new graduates navigating career pivots and organizational change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tonya’s Early Influences and Drive to Become a Nurse

• Formative Moments:
  • Tonya moved frequently as a child, living in Louisville, Southern California, Oakland, and the DMV area (01:50).
  • A pivotal moment came when her high school counselor discouraged her from nursing, suggesting factory work instead. This motivated her to prove him wrong and pursue nursing (02:35).
• Personal Motivation:
  • Inspired by her aunt’s neglected end-of-life hospital experience:

    “I became a nurse because I didn’t want anybody’s family member to have an undignified end of life.” – Tonya Reeder (03:14)

2. Transition from Nursing to Technology & Healthcare IT

• Origin Story:
  • Tonya described herself as a “disruptor with a big mouth,” pushing back when technologists didn’t account for the clinical realities in electronic medical record implementation (03:50).
  • Her outspokenness led her to become a clinical liaison (now called a nursing informaticist), bridging the gap between clinicians and IT (04:30).
  • She emphasizes designing IT solutions that fit actual clinical workflows, not just logical technical processes:

    “Business runs IT. When we walk through these doors, we’re actually putting business before IT.” – Tonya Reeder (05:46)

3. Staying Connected to Patient Care

• Continued Nursing Practice:
  • Tonya still moonlights as a nursing supervisor twice a month to stay connected and empathetic to clinical realities (06:45).
  • This hands-on experience keeps her grounded in the practical challenges of end-users.

4. Serving in the Department of Defense (DoD) Health System

• Career Move:
  • After a potential move with her civilian system, Tonya instead applied to the National Naval Medical Center (now Walter Reed) for family stability (07:33).
• Scope and Scale:
  • Highlights the Defense Health Agency as “the largest, most integrated health system in the world,” serving globally—“from the point of injury of a war fighter all the way… until they retire and then we transition them to the VA system” (08:38).
• Current Role:
  • CIO of Walter Reed, overseeing two large medical centers, 27 military treatment facilities, and 31 dental clinics, including Camp David and the White House Medical Unit (09:57).

5. Leadership Philosophy and Skills

• Key Traits:
  • Teachable, adaptable, and able to translate between the art of nursing and the science of technology (12:22).
• Faith:
  • Tonya underscores the centrality of spiritual faith in her leadership, stating,

    “Faith is everything… I didn’t get from where I came from to where I am on my own. It had to be God… to get me where I am and sustain me.” (13:23)

• Vulnerability:
  • She had to be open with her team during periods of rapid change and uncertainty, focusing on mission-driven priorities and encouraging shared resilience:

    “I was saying, listen, I feel it too. I get it. I understand… Let’s come back refreshed and figure out what our priorities are.” (15:25)

6. Resilience, Rest, and Personal Joy

• How She Rests and Rejuvenates:
  • Watching “scut TV” like Bridgerton (which she’s watched eight times), traveling, and enjoying beach scenery for relaxation and renewal (16:48).
  • Her favorite place: Megan’s Bay on St. John’s Island, known for its heart-shaped bay and tranquil atmosphere (17:45).

7. Lessons from Family and Career Advice

• Mother’s Wisdom:
  • Tonya learned from her mother: “Bad news doesn’t get better with time.”
  • She applies this by being transparent with her own leadership, communicating issues quickly (19:34).
• Advice to Graduates:
  • “Don’t be afraid to fail, and don’t be afraid to fail fast.”
  • “It’s okay if you want to pivot… A degree is a certificate in learning.” (20:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Designing Healthcare IT:

  “I don’t assess someone’s anus before I assess their brain!” – Tonya Reeder (04:06)
  (On why design decisions must reflect real-world nursing practice.)

• On the Defense Health Agency:

  “We are truly the largest, most integrated health system in the world… from the point of injury all the way until they retire and then we transition them to the VA system.” – Tonya Reeder (08:38)

• Anecdote about Walter Reed:

  “There’s a young man, he had to be in his late 20s, early 30s. One arm. No legs… but he took it in jest, and he even played along and showed me that he was faster than I could be.” – Tonya Reeder (10:46)

• On Leadership Vulnerability:

  “If everything’s a priority, nothing’s a priority… I had to be vulnerable in the sense that I was saying, listen, I feel it too. I get it. I understand.” – Tonya Reeder (14:37)

• On Imposter Syndrome:

  “We pretend that we don’t, but we all feel it… Yes, they do know who you are. That’s why they ask you to do it.” – Tonya Reeder (22:35)

• Personal Mantra:

  “One is ‘too easy’ because I don’t think anything is difficult. And the second one is ‘let's figure it out.’” – Tonya Reeder (01:30)

• On Continuous Improvement:

  “I am better than I thought, but I’m worse than I can be. So it’s great to be where I am today, but where am I going tomorrow?” – Tonya Reeder (23:22)

Key Timestamps

• Tonya’s upbringing and early influences: 01:50 – 03:29
• Becoming a nurse despite discouragement: 02:35 – 03:29
• Pivot to healthcare IT: 03:50 – 05:19
• Philosophy on end-user-centric design: 05:43 – 06:38
• Staying in patient care while in leadership: 06:45 – 07:12
• Transition to DoD and scope of the role: 07:33 – 10:42
• Powerful patient story at Walter Reed: 10:42 – 11:55
• Leadership skills and faith: 12:22 – 14:05
• Vulnerability and handling team challenges: 14:18 – 16:33
• Rest and personal favorites: 16:48 – 18:39
• Family lessons and transparency: 19:02 – 20:24
• Advice for new graduates: 20:44 – 21:32
• Discussion on imposter syndrome: 22:35 – 23:36

Closing Thoughts

Tonya Reeder’s story is a powerful example of resilience, adaptability, and heart-driven leadership—translating frontline clinical experience into executive IT strategy while refusing to lose sight of the end-user. Her commitment to continuous learning, vulnerability, and faith underpins her impressive journey from nurse to CIO, making this episode both inspiring and practical for anyone invested in healthcare transformation.

Listen to this episode for:

• Honest leadership insights
• Practical career advice
• Touching patient stories
• Realities of tech integration in healthcare
• Encouragement to embrace career pivots and personal authenticity