New leadership at Kaiser Permanente’s Greater Southern Alameda Service Area

Valerie Powell-Stafford, FACHE, has been named senior vice president and area manager of the Kaiser Permanente Greater Southern Alameda service area, which has more than 6,700 employees and serves more than 366,000 members.

Powell-Stafford will have oversight of and is responsible for hospital operations and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan for the area that includes two hospitals and four medical offices in San Leandro, Fremont, Hayward, Union City, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, and Newark.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to work alongside our exceptional clinical teams as we focus on improving the health and overall well-being of our patients, members, and communities we have the privilege to serve,” Powell-Stafford said. “This opportunity will allow me to continue focusing on building high-performing teams, improving operational performance, and advancing exceptional patient care in our southern Alameda community.”

Powell-Stafford has more than 25 years of leadership experience in health care. Most recently, Valerie served as Hartford Market President of Trinity Health, in Connecticut. Prior to that role, she held a variety of executive leadership positions in health care systems including HCA Healthcare across Florida and Connecticut. As a mission driven leader, Powell-Stafford is guided by integrity, excellence, and teamwork.

“Valerie is an experienced health care leader, who will build upon the work already being done to continue providing our members and patients with high-quality , exceptional care,” said Kathy Bressler, MN, RN, senior vice president, Hospital and Health Plan Operations for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. “Her strong record of building high-performing teams will be an asset as she collaborates with our clinicians to ensure our patients, members, and the communities we serve remain healthy.”

Powell-Stafford earned a Master of Health Services Administration degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Indiana University. She is board certified in health care management and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). She previously served on the ACHE Board of Governors and currently chairs the ACHE Ethics Committee. She is also a recipient of the ACHE Exemplary Service Award.

Powell-Stafford succeeds Debra Flores, RN, who retired in April 2026.

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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, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.9 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group 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 about.kp.org.