Press Releases: Southern California
January 2, 2012
Kaiser Permanente South Bay Names New Executive Director
HARBOR CITY, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center today announced the appointment of Lesley Wille, RN, as executive director of Hospital and Health Plan Operations. Wille brings more than two decades of leadership skills to her new position, including patient care, facility services and membership growth.
“This is an exciting time to be joining South Bay Medical Center as we become one of the nation’s best hospitals for care and service,” says Wille. “Over the next five years, we’re also rebuilding much of our 50 year-old hospital to serve future generations of our members.”
In her new role, Wille oversees hospital operations, hospital ancillary services, pharmacy operations, perioperative services, continuing care, business services and health plan operations. She is a member of the Medical Center administrative team.
Wille reports to Bill Caswell, senior vice president of Hospital and Health Plan Operations for Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region. Caswell notes: “Over the last two decades, Lesley has demonstrated a solid record of results in every role she’s held with Kaiser Permanente. She’s an outstanding choice to lead our South Bay Medical Center.”
Wille comes to South Bay Medical Center from Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center, where she has served as chief operating officer since 2009. As COO, she was responsible for operations serving 350,000 members throughout Riverside County. She has also held progressively more responsible roles at Kaiser Permanente Riverside since 2003, including department administrator of Orthopedic Services, Continuing Care leader and director of Hospital/Health Plan Operations for the new Coachella Valley Area.
A native of Scotland, Wille began her career as a staff nurse at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. After immigrating to the United States in 1988, she became a surgical-care nurse at Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center. During the next 13 years, she advanced to house supervisor, assistant department administrator of the emergency department and director of Utilization Management.
Wille holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Chapman University in Orange County and is an alumna of Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Program.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 3.5 million members in Southern California. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
