Sarah Cornwell

Healthcare and business operations leader with 20+ years of experience leading teams, improving operations, and driving organizational performance. Most recently helped build and scale a rapidly growing multi-site behavioral health startup, initially leading company-wide operations before being promoted to lead Finance Operations. Built departments, developed managers, and created reporting, workflows, and controls across financial, billing, clinical, and operational functions.

Known as a calm, hands-on leader who develops people, solves problems, and brings structure to complex organizations. Uses data to identify trends, improve processes, and provide leadership with clear, actionable insights.

Operations Manager to Finance Operations Manager at Choice Recovery Path (2024-10 – 2026-06)

Joined a growing behavioral health startup to lead company-wide operations and was later promoted to Finance Operations Manager.

• Directed non-clinical operations across three outpatient clinics and approximately 10–11 residential facilities, partnering with executive, clinical, and site leaders to improve consistency and resolve complex operational issues.
• Built and led Finance Operations, Purchasing and Facilities, Bookkeeping, and Audit functions while developing managers and establishing clear departmental responsibilities.
• Supported expansion from approximately three to 10–11 residential facilities by coordinating purchasing, vendors, facility needs, budgets, controls, and opening readiness.
• Developed weekly and monthly dashboards combining census, attendance, billing, financial, and operational data so leaders could identify trends and make informed decisions.
• Created SOPs, approval workflows, purchasing procedures, and audit controls that gave teams clearer expectations and improved accountability across the organization.
• Led rolling forecasts, P&L analysis, variance reporting, and executive financial reviews, maintaining forecast variance at 8% or less.
• Managed company-wide budgets and spending controls, keeping overall expenditures near 90% of approved budgets through regular monitoring, vendor oversight, and timely corrective action.

Treatment Coordinator and Administrative Manager at Smiles of Austin (2018-03 – 2024-10)

• Coordinated administrative and patient operations across two locations supporting three orthodontists and two pediatric dentists.
• Managed new-patient consultations, treatment presentations, financial arrangements, insurance coordination, scheduling, recalls, and patient account activity.
• Monitored case acceptance, revenue, scheduling, and patient-flow metrics to identify performance gaps and improve operational results.
• Standardized workflows and procedures across locations to improve follow-up, operational consistency, and the patient experience.
• Partnered with doctors, clinical teams, and administrative staff to resolve scheduling, patient, financial, and workflow escalations.
• Supported onboarding, training, vendor management, inventory, purchasing, and daily office operations.

Lead Orthodontic Assistant to Clinic and Operations Manager at Dr. David R. Nelson Orthodontics (2008-08 – 2017-06)

• Progressed from Lead Orthodontic Assistant to Clinic and Operations Manager, overseeing clinical and administrative operations in a high-volume orthodontic practice.
• Supervised and trained team members while coordinating schedules, patient flow, clinical coverage, and daily operational priorities.
• Partnered with the orthodontist to resolve staff, patient, scheduling, workflow, and operational issues.
• Oversaw OSHA and sterilization procedures, supply inventory, purchasing, vendor relationships, and clinical operational compliance.
• Supported treatment coordination, financial agreements, insurance and front-office processes, and patient education.
• Improved workflows and team coordination to maintain an efficient schedule and a consistent patient experience.

Earlier Healthcare Operations and Leadership Experience (2002-01 – 2008-12)

Certificate in Business Analytics – The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania