Senior healthcare executive Bruce Lawrence has enjoyed a long and successful career spanning more than three decades in healthcare leadership. Over the course of his career he has had the privilege of serving in executive roles in major health systems including the Baptist Health System in Little Rock, Arkansas, Baptist Health in Montgomery, Alabama, and now INTEGRIS Health—Oklahoma’s largest healthcare system.
Lawrence joined INTEGRIS Health in 2001, and has served as the president and CEO since January 2010. In his current role, Lawrence is responsible for the many hospitals within the INTEGRIS Health system, which is a not-for-profit health system that employs over 9,000 employees statewide. Lawrence also oversees a growing list of non-hospital activities, explaining, “the hospital business is still a very strong part of what we do, but it’s far from the only thing we do.”
In addition to his considerable responsibilities leading INTEGRIS, Lawrence demonstrates his continued commitment to improving the state and community through his service on a number of boards, including the Oklahoma Hospital Association, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way of Central Oklahoma. Lawrence has previously served as the chair of the Greater Oklahoma City Hospital Council and the Oklahoma Trauma Council.
Lawrence has brought to his very successful career the values that he learned from his parents and grandparents while growing up on a small farm in Western Arkansas. He explains that he didn’t learn the principles most important to his success by going to college or grad school – he learned those values from watching his parents; “If you work hard, treat people like you want to be treated, and are honest and trustworthy, things will work out for you.”
When asked if he would change anything if he could go back and relive his career, Lawrence didn’t hesitate with his response: “No. I have been very fortunate in my career; I have had the privilege of working for and being mentored by some really great people in some great health systems. I have been very blessed, and I can’t think of anything I would have done differently.”
If he hadn’t pursued a career in healthcare leadership, Lawrence imagines he might have tried his hand at construction, as he’s always loved to build things and even spent his summers while in college working construction jobs. “I’ve always enjoyed building things, and growing up on a farm, you have to be resourceful and build things.” He may not have taken part in literal hands-on construction as a healthcare leader, but Lawrence has certainly had the opportunity to create and build new things and make a difference in his career.
In addition to his busy and successful career in healthcare leadership, Lawrence enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. He hopes to check a few things off his bucket list in the coming years, including visiting Israel and Egypt, playing golf at Pebble Beach in California, and maybe even fulfilling his dream of going to a driving school for the NASCAR racing experience!