Clinica Sierra Vista appoints UAG alumni as permanent CEO

Kern's largest chain of community health clinics has promoted its former chief medical officer to become permanent CEO, seven months after the nonprofit named her to the job on an interim basis.

Dr. Olga Meave, Clinica Sierra Vista's third CEO in about 2 1/2 years, was assigned to the top job after a unanimous vote of its board of directors, according to a late Thursday afternoon news release that said the appointment took effect immediately.

"The board's decision to appoint Dr. Meave as the permanent CEO was based on her passion for providing quality and accessible health care to the underserved populations of Kern and Fresno counties," board President Kris DeLano said in the release. He added board members were confident in their choice and look forward to supporting the new CEO.

Meave joined Clinica as a physician-in-training in 2015 after earning a medical degree at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and completing a residency at the UCLA-affiliated Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program in Bakersfield. She became associate medical director in 2018, then rose to become CMO in 2020, managing Clinica's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, she completed a fellowship with the UC Davis Center for Advancing Pain Relief and attended the Johnson & Johnson Health Care Executive Program at UCLA's Anderson School of Management.

Clinica did not make Meave available for an interview Friday, but in Thursday's news release, she said serving as CEO was among the greatest honors of her medical career.

"Caring for our patients and our team are my top priorities, and our mission, vision and core values affirm that," she stated. "I am energized about our future and humbled stepping into this new role."

Meave holds memberships at the American Academy of Family Medicine, the American Board of Family Medicine, the Kern County Medical Society, the California Medical Association, and the Honor Society of New York. She is an alumna of the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program.

Her interim appointment to CEO in April followed a turbulent period at the 51-year-old organization, which receives federal, state, and local support to provide medical, dental, and behavioral health care to about 200,000 people in Kern and Fresno counties.

Meave succeeded former CEO Stacy Ferreira, Clinica's former human resources chief. She took over after the April 2020 departure of former CEO Brian Harris, who after taking the job two years earlier was accused of unlawful discrimination and mismanagement.
Clinica and individual members of its board have consistently refused to address the departure of Ferreira or Harris.