Rooted in Purpose, Driven by People: Lakesha Drew
May 15, 2025
By: Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare
Categories: Healthy Living, Colleague Stories, Foundation
Tags: Nursing
When Lakesha Drew left her lifelong home in Miami to move to Tallahassee, it wasn’t just for a new city – it was for a new beginning. Reconnecting with her high school sweetheart, now her husband, Leandro Garcia, Lakesha followed her heart north. But for someone so deeply driven by purpose, the move came with one non-negotiable: she had to find the right job.
“I had a great career in South Florida,” she shares. “I wasn’t going to leave that behind for just any job. I needed the job – and I found it at TMH.”
Before joining Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Lakesha served as the Regional Director of Operations for Outpatient Services at Baptist Health South Florida, where she supported operations and leadership teams across seven urgent care centers and five diagnostic centers. “What I loved most was the strong culture of developing leaders from within,” she reflects. “I found real joy in mentoring and supporting new leaders as they found their footing and grew into their potential.”
Today, Lakesha serves as the Director of Nursing Engagement and Patient Experience at TMH, bringing 20 years of nursing experience, leadership, and a passion for connection to everything she does.
Her TMH journey began as Director of Med-Surg, overseeing eight high-demand inpatient units – often the beating heart of the hospital. It was a role that required not just operational excellence, but a deep understanding of the nursing experience and patient care. That same passion led her to her current role, where she now focuses on enriching both nurse engagement and patient satisfaction across the organization.
“TMH has become more than just a workplace – it’s a family,” Lakesha says. “And I feel truly supported, both personally and professionally.”
One of the most impactful forms of that support has been through the TMH Foundation Clinical Scholarship Fund. With help from the fund, Lakesha is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Health Systems Leadership – a step that’s already transforming her approach to leadership.
“For years, nurses have been promoted because they were great clinicians. But leadership takes more than that,” she explains. “This program is helping me understand the business, strategy, and communication needed to truly lead. Support from donors through the TMH Foundation has made this scholarship possible, and I could not be more grateful.”
Her drive for leadership goes all the way back to her early days in nursing. A Barry University graduate, Lakesha earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing there. “Nursing school was tough,” she admits, “but what made it meaningful were the friendships and camaraderie we built. On the hardest days, when it felt overwhelming or like giving up was the easier path, there was always someone beside you pushing you to keep going. I’m grateful for that shared journey.”
Looking back, she says she wishes there had been more structured exposure to leadership and the business side of healthcare back then. “Those are such important parts of advancing in the profession,” she says – something she now has the opportunity to pursue thanks to her scholarship support.
Now in her second semester, Lakesha is already applying her studies to real-time projects at TMH. “It’s making me a better leader, a better colleague, and helping me build a stronger foundation for future growth.”
But it’s not just about her own journey.
“My goal is to continue growing here at TMH and to help develop other leaders too. It’s about lifting others as you climb.”
For Lakesha, success isn’t defined by a title, but by moments – walking onto a unit, being greeted by name, sharing a hug with a nurse or seeing someone she’s mentored succeed.
“That’s my favorite part of the job,” she smiles. “It’s the people.”
Support Nurses Like Lakesha This TMH Day
Lakesha’s story is just one of many made possible through the TMH Foundation’s Clinical Scholarship Fund. Your support helps empower the next generation of nurse leaders, drive innovation in patient care, and strengthen our entire healthcare system.
You can support our healthcare heroes by giving to the Clinical Scholarship Fund for TMH Day. Your donation will help shape the future of healthcare in our community by allowing our clinicians to learn, grow, and innovate.
Donate today at TMHDay.org. Every gift makes a difference – for our patients, our nurses and our community.
