Friday - May 16, 2025

Dr. Ron Yolo
Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive, Dignity Health Glendale

Ron E. Yolo is Chief Nursing Officer, California Region, for Common Spirit Health/Dignity Health Hospitals. He oversees the delivery and practice of nursing care and operations across 29 acute care hospitals throughout California and leads a workforce of more than 18,000 nurses.

Yolo received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from CSUDH. He earned a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the UCLA and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

He began his career in nursing as a nurse assistant in the Medical/Surgical unit at St. Mary’s in Long Beach, Calif. Yolo has held various staff and leadership roles in multiple departments. During his tenure as the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer, he successfully pursued the hospital designation, “LGBTQ Leader in Healthcare Equality” from the Human Rights Campaign. His ambulatory care experience includes HIV/AIDS clinical care management and physician practice administration. Yolo has coordinated over 100 HIV/AIDS pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical research trials.

He has partnered with CSUDH to create a model for workforce redesign, development, and pipeline expansion to strengthen the bridge between academia and clinical practice.

His doctoral interest involves a new discharge care model in the hospital, focused on effective patient care transitions to significantly reduce readmissions and improve patient satisfaction. During his free time, Yolo enjoys traveling and shopping around the world.

Yvonne Braithwaite Burke

In the course of her long career in public service, the Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke has made significant contributions to improving the quality of life for underserved communities. Burke earned a BA in political science from UCLA and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Southern California; she was admitted to the California State Bar in 1956.

Burke’s political career began in 1966, when she became the first African American woman elected to the California Assembly, representing the 63rd District. She served for three terms. Throughout her tenure in the legislature, she was an ardent supporter of prison reform, education, child care, and social equity. Burke served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979, becoming the first African American woman from California to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

 In 1979, Mrs. Burke was appointed to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors by Gov. Jerry Brown. She returned as a L.A. County supervisor in 1992, a position she held until her retirement in 2008. Throughout her tenure on the Board of Supervisors, Burke focused her efforts on improving the lives of children, encouraging economic development, and bettering transportation in Los Angeles.

 She became the first African American woman to serve as chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 1993, as well as the first woman of color to serve as vice chair of the Democratic National Convention in 1972. She has served as a past chair of the Los Angeles Federal Reserve Bank and as vice chair of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee. She has been selected Woman of the Year by UCLA and the Los Angeles Times.