Working in silos, change will not occur. WBC convenes with our Partners, Champions, and Sponsors to move faster together toward our action initiative goals.
Join us for Our Annual Action for Impact Summit!
WBC’s Annual Action for Impact Summit unites thousands of attendees on a fully interactive platform, enabling participants to network, connect, and exchange ideas, innovations, and impact in real time.
CEO, LifeLong Medical Care
Cecilia Aviles has been pushing the limits of healthcare operations and clinical services for 20+ years. A seasoned executive and former trauma nurse who balances business acumen with compassion, she is committed to making healthcare more accessible, equitable, approachable, and affordable for patients—while building profitable, high-growth organizations.
Whether she is launching first-of-their-kind programs or scaling existing operations quickly and sustainably, Cecilia views her work through the lens of patient experience. She is a champion for change at every stage of the patient journey—embracing technology breakthroughs, eradicating inefficiencies, and leading quality excellence. At the same time, she cares deeply about health equity and providing exceptional care to all communities.
In her current role as CEO for LifeLong Medical Care, a nonprofit that provides high-quality health, dental, and social services to underserved people of all ages, Cecilia drives long-term growth, sustainability, and alignment with the organizational mission. She shapes strategy and oversees a diverse, inclusive team of over 1,000 employees operating out of 14 primary care health centers, two mobile dental units, and five street medicine vans.
Previously as Operations Executive for Sutter Health’s Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), she guided hundreds of physicians, thousands of employees, and millions of patients through some of the toughest healthcare challenges in recent history. Performing in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the largest ambulatory division in Sutter Health, and serving in key line-of-business leadership roles for the multi-state, integrated health system with 24 acute care hospitals and 200+ clinics in urban cities and rural communities, she led her teams through organizational transformations, shifts in healthcare delivery models, and the rollout of new services.
While partnering with stakeholders at every level of the organization, Cecilia built a powerful and tireless workforce that launched innovative services and enhanced existing operations. Her achievements include developing the program that produced the highest-possible patient experience scores in the enterprise, and steering Sutter Health to receive two Integrated Health Care Association (IHA) awards with top 5-star ratings from the State Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA) for Medicare Advantage patient experience. She also embraced a position at corporate headquarters to seamlessly and costefficiently integrate five newly acquired oncology centers to the enterprise.
Cecilia made a similar energizing impact in prior roles as Vice President of Operations for PAMF’s Mills Peninsula Division and Executive Director of Operations for Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation.
Before joining Sutter Health, she influenced the success of St. Mary’s Medical Center in the San Francisco Bay Area as Director of Cardiovascular then Interim Director of the skilled nursing facility. Earlier, Cecilia jumpstarted growth in progressive leadership positions with Kaiser Permanente ambulatory clinics, including as Interim Medical Group Administrator—functioning as Chief Operating Officer (COO)—for the Redwood City location.
Cecilia’s early-career contributions began as a Staff Nurse in the emergency room, operating room, and trauma ICU. From there, she joined KPMG as a senior consultant (advising Fortune 500 clients in the life sciences industry), propelled growth for McKesson as Director of Corporate Strategic Planning & Business Development, and then moved to the University of California San Francisco to provide hands-on leadership and patient care as Clinical Nurse Supervisor/Manager.
Cecilia is a curious, lifelong learner with an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, BSN from San Francisco State University, and RN in the state of California. She is a recipient of the 18-month Carol Emmott Fellowship for Women Leaders in Health and 15-month Exceptional Women Alliance program, and earned the honor of Outstanding Hispanic-origin Female Nurse from the Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco. Her community-focused activities include a role on the Bay Area Ronald McDonald House Board of Directors as well as C200 (business leadership organization) and San Francisco Opera Guild. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
