Name: 

Ana Maria Castro

Board Role:

President & Board Chair

Professional Title:

Leadership Associate - Project Manager

Organization:

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Bio:

Ana Maria Castro is an associate from the Office of Government and Public Policy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), a 501©(3) nonprofit 495 bed Premier Pediatric Teaching and Research Hospital in Southern California (106 critical care bed, 58 NICCU). In this role, Ana coordinates Board of Directors meetings. She assists with strategic planning/research demographics. She manages the Government Relations website portal. I

n addition, Ana works with state and federal elected officials, business leaders and other key community stakeholders to promote children’s health. She coordinates visits and tours and arranges meetings with hospital senior leadership. She attends town halls and city council meetings as part of the ongoing advocacy her department leads. Her involvement in community events, as a former CHLA Salud Health Promoter has allowed her to bridge the gap between community members and physicians connecting through cultural and linguistic means.

Prior to joining CHLA, Ana worked as an Environmental Services Supervisor for Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, California. There she led the cleaning operations for entire hospital.

Castro has also worked for Univision, the number one Spanish-Language television station in the U.S., in the Los Angeles, Sacramento and Phoenix markets as a general assignment news reporter and producer. She received her Bachelor degree in Broadcast Journalism from California State University Northridge and is a candidate for an MHA at the University of Phoenix.

Castro previously served on the Board of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives as the Chair of Marketing and Communications and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

 

Name: 

Cesar Rivas

Board Role:

President Elect

Professional Title:

Strategy and Business Development Officer

Organization:

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

Bio:

Cesar Rivas-Sanchez serves as the Strategy and Business Development Officer for Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), where he leads the hospital’s strategic planning, service line development, legislative affairs, and physician contracting initiatives. Prior to joining ARMC’s team, he spent several years at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals, as a senior strategy consultant.

Prior to his work in strategy, Cesar completed an Administrative Residency with the Clinical Services department at CHLA and worked as a Research Coordinator with the USC Keck School of Medicine, where he was responsible for various industry sponsored clinical trials, a telemedicine study, and a national registry.

Cesar holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies with a minor in Health Policy and a master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Southern California. He is currently a Board member for the local chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and President-Elect for the Southern California chapter of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE).

 

Name: 

Leticia Valadez, MBA

Board Role:

Immediate Past-Chair

Professional Title:

Clinic Manager

Organization:

Tia

Bio:

Leticia Valadez is a Clinic Manager for Tia, the modern medical home for women enabling every female to achieve optimal health as defined by herself. In this role she leads all operations and team development for Tia’s primary care, gynecology, and wellness clinic in Silverlake in Los Angeles, CA. She joined Tia in November 2021.

Prior to Tia, she served as a Division Administrator at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, which is also where she completed her Administrative Fellowship.

Leticia earned her MBA with an emphasis in Leadership and Managing Organizational Change from the Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School and earned her Bachelors in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives. Outside of healthcare,

Leticia serves on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of Los Angeles (JLLA). As a Board Director she co-chairs JLLA’s Focus Areas Working Group which examines the civic and social needs of Los Angeles to identify areas of focus for volunteer efforts and community impact. She enjoys leading teams, group facilitation, public speaking, and community service.

She is a native Californian, born and raised in Los Angeles, and in her free time, Leticia enjoys her home and community in Silverlake. She loves dining at new restaurants across Los Angeles and enjoys working on home improvement projects, cooking, cycling, watching a good scary movie, and most importantly spending time with family and friends.

Name: 

Ernesto Rodriguez

Board Role:

Treasurer

Professional Title:

Program Administrator, Innovation

Organization:

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Bio:

Ernesto Rodriguez was born and raised in Los Angeles and brings in his experience as a leader where he leverages his unique thought-process abilities, insight, and leadership skills to enhance his work. Most recently, he joins the NALHE SoCal Chapter as Treasurer bringing with him his knowledge and expertise having previously served as NALHE’s Senior Director of Operations and as a Leadership Summit committee member.

Ernesto’s prior experience includes working in education, government and community relations settings including working with populations in underserved and low-income communities. His keen attention to detail has allowed him to successfully lead and partake in various initiatives.

Equally important as a team’s mission, he also believes that promoting a positive, team-oriented work culture helps to advance the overall success of an organization. When he is not busy thinking about the next step to take, during his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends going on scenic drives and outdoor sightseeing.

 

Name: 

Stephanie Flores, MPS

Board Role:

Secretary

Professional Title:

Faculty Development Project Associate, Office of Academic Affairs

Organization:

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Bio:

Stephanie Flores is the Faculty Development Project Associate for the Office of Academic Affairs at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She supports faculty development programs, while collaborating with CHLA and USC Keck School of Medicine departments to streamline the faculty promotions process.

Stephanie has previously supported career and educational development programs as Assistant Program Manager for A Better Chance, Inc. She was also member of the Human Resources, COVID-19 Task Force within American Honda Motors, Inc., implementing local and national safety policies.

She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Southern California, and a Master of Professional Studies, with a focus in healthcare administration and gerontology. Her interests remain in supporting programs that would enhance healthcare quality and equity.

 

Name: 

Matthew Gomez, MHSA

Board Role:

Leadership Advisor

Professional Title:

Compliance Consultant, National Compliance Office

Organization:

Kaiser Permanente

Bio:

Matthew Gomez is the Leadership Advisor to the 2022 NALHE SoCal Chapter Leadership Board. Having served the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives Board of Directors as the Co-Chair of Membership, and with his inaugural Founder and President role of the NALHE SoCal Chapter, as well as his many years of experience working alongside healthcare executives, Matthew brings extensive leadership intel, insight and experiences to the Chapter!