El Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) Board of Directors voted 5-0 to appoint Aaron Byzak as interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. This strategic decision was made during a special meeting of the Board on March 10.
Byzak co-owns and serves as Chief strategist for Galvanized Strategies, a strategic public affairs and fractional executive leadership firm with offices in California and Texas. In this capacity, he has been the communication strategy consultant for Grossmont Healthcare District for the past seven months. Prior to his consultancy, he served on the executive team for Tri-City Healthcare District from 2018 to 2024, most recently as Chief strategy officer. Before joining Tri-City, he was a member of the leadership team at UC San Diego Health from 2009 to 2017.
Over the course of Byzak’s three-decade career in healthcare he has received numerous accolades for his contributions to public affairs and healthcare leadership. He is a five-time honoree on the San Diego Business Journal’s annual list of the 500 Most Influential People in San Diego and was recognized as the region’s Outstanding Social Responsibility Executive of the Year in 2022. He is also a four-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer, among other awards and honors.
In his capacity as Interim CEO, he will lead a team of 15 professional staff and report directly to the District’s five-member Board of Directors. His term is initially set for a minimum of three months, during which he will also help facilitate the Board’s search for a permanent CEO.
“Grossmont Healthcare District truly is a national leader that is redefining what success looks like for healthcare districts and the communities they serve,” Byzak remarked. “It is an honor to be asked to help during this transition period.”
This leadership transition follows the Grossmont Healthcare District Board of Directors’ decision not to extend the employment agreement of former CEO Christian Wallis beyond its current term. In a recent statement, the board expressed appreciation for Wallis’s contributions to the Grossmont Healthcare District and thanked him for his years of service.
The Grossmont Healthcare District is a public agency created in 1952 that supports the health and wellness of East County through oversight of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital, the operation of a public Health & Wellness library, healthcare career scholarships for local students, and a community grants and sponsorships program.
The District is governed by an elected Board of Directors who represent approximately 520,000 people residing within 750 square miles.
