Dr. Candace Smith

Dr. Candace Smith, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, currently serves as Vice President Operations and Chief Nurse Executive at Lee Health Cape Coral Hospital since March 2020, while also holding adjunct professor roles at Nova Southeastern University and State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota. Previously, Dr. Smith was the Chief Nursing Officer at Manatee Memorial Hospital and Voalte, Inc., managing clinical operations and strategic initiatives. With significant leadership experience at Unity Health System, where responsibilities included financial management and strategic planning for a large healthcare facility, Dr. Smith also contributed to healthcare program development during tenure at Medline Industries. Educational qualifications include a PhD in Education and Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University, a Master's in Public Administration from SUNY Brockport, and a BS in Nursing from D'Youville University.