Lee Bird has spent a lifetime showing up for others—and in this episode of Still Caring, she shares what that looks like on the front lines of the emergency room at Stillwater Medical. A former university vice president turned patient advocate volunteer, Lee brings both leadership and lived experience to her role, helping bridge the gap between clinical care and human connection in the ER.
From launching volunteer programs to sitting at the bedside during difficult moments, Lee offers a candid look at what it means to serve patients and families when they need it most. She also opens up about her own deeply personal connection to Stillwater Medical—where she credits the team with saving her life not once, but three times.
This conversation is a powerful reminder of the impact of compassion, the importance of community, and how even the smallest acts of care can make a lasting difference.
Selected Podcast
07: Through a Volunteer’s Eyes: The Heart of Helping
Lee Bird
Lee Bird is a dedicated advocate and lifelong leader in student affairs and crisis support. With a career spanning more than four decades, she has committed her professional and volunteer work to helping others navigate difficult and often life-changing moments. Bird spent 42 years in student affairs, including 18 and a half years at Oklahoma State University, where she served as vice president of student affairs until her retirement in January 2019. Prior to her time at OSU, she spent eight years at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, where she served first as assistant vice president and then as vice president for student affairs.
Bird holds a doctorate in student affairs and a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation from the University of Arizona, as well as a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Wisconsin. Her academic background laid the foundation for a career centered on compassion, leadership, and service.
Since retiring, Bird has continued to support her community in impactful ways. She is a certified emergency medical technician (EMT), and at Stillwater Medical Center she serves as a volunteer patient advocate in the Emergency Department. She is also an active volunteer with Wings of Hope. Building on her early work in crisis support, which began in 1978, she is now a trained sexual assault response advocate (SARA), providing critical support to survivors in the emergency room with empathy, clarity, and care.