Kaiser Permanente Hawaii appoints Diana “Jill” Riggs to chief administrative officer

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii announced that Diana “Jill” Riggs, RN, MSN, has been appointed to chief administrative officer and senior vice president of Care Delivery Operations for Hawaii Permanente Medical Group. She replaces Sally Lee, RN, MSN, who is retiring after a 15-year career at Kaiser Permanente.

Riggs will start the position this March. She will be responsible for coordinating and directing the execution of safe, high-quality patient care; ensuring the successful operational implementation of strategic priorities in clinical and inpatient settings; developing strategies to deliver service-oriented, compassionate and affordable care; and promoting collaborative partnerships that improve Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s operations.

Riggs has been with Kaiser Permanente for 12 years, most recently serving as the director of Clinic Operations on Maui and the Wailuku Ambulatory Surgical Center administrator. In these roles, Riggs oversaw clinic management and led administrative operations that focused on key regional initiatives to improve member satisfaction and quality of care on Maui.

Riggs will replace Lee, who is retiring from Kaiser Permanente after 15 years of service. Lee was appointed to chief administrative officer position in April 2022 after serving as the interim chief administrative officer since October 2021. She started her career at Kaiser Permanente as a clinic manager and supervisor and progressed to senior director of Clinic Operations overseeing various specialties. She served as the vice president of Clinic Operations before her chief administrative officer track. In addition to her chief administrative officer duties, Lee is also the senior vice president of Care Delivery Operations at Hawaii Permanente Medical Group.

“Sally has been a tireless and compassionate advocate for our members and patients, in addition to our physicians, providers, nurses, and administrative specialists,” said John Yang, MD, the president and medical director of Hawaii Permanente Medical Group. “We’re extremely grateful for her commitment to exceptional care, and she’ll be greatly missed. Jill will bring her knowledge of neighbor island operations to this important leadership role at Kaiser Permanente. She was instrumental in the Maui Emergency Operations Center for the wildfire response and has proven consistently in her years of experience in clinic and surgical center operations that she is a dedicated, resilient and dynamic nurse leader and a valuable member to the team.”