FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2026
Contact: Jennifer Murray 831-515-2802
Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board Appoints Tim Moran as Watsonville Community Hospital Interim CEO
Board also establishes committee to recruit permanent CEO
WATSONVILLE, CA, June 25, 2026 — Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH) today announced it has appointed Tim Moran as interim CEO. Mr. Moran brings more than three decades of healthcare leadership experience and a reputation for steady, collaborative and results-driven leadership to the community-owned healthcare provider during a key transition period.
The elected board of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, the public healthcare district that owns the hospital, unanimously selected Moran at its meeting on Wednesday, June 24.
Moran will succeed current CEO Stephen Gray, who announced his resignation earlier this month. Gray’s last day will be July 10. Moran’s hiring is effective July 11. He will serve as interim for the next six months as the Board searches for a permanent CEO.
“At this critical moment for Watsonville Community Hospital, our community needs and deserves a leader who can provide consistency and will support staff and physicians, while prioritizing clear communication and the ability to create trust, build financial stability, maintain momentum, and guide the hospital through this period of transition. We found that in Tim,” Board Chair Tony Nuñez said.
Moran, who previously served as interim CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital from December 2011 to March 2012, is an experienced healthcare executive with a proven track record of strategic leadership, operational transformation and organizational growth across hospitals and integrated health systems in multiple states. He has led complex initiatives in physician integration, service line expansion, and partnerships with major health systems and academic institutions, earning recognition.
Most recently, Moran served as CEO of Chino Valley Medical Center, a 116-bed acute care hospital in San Bernardino County, where he was brought in to provide stability, strengthen operations, secure a new union contract, and advance a new strategic direction following a challenging leadership transition. He previously served as CEO of Tri-City Medical Center, a 397-bed public district hospital in Oceanside, where he led strategic planning, physician recruitment, service-line growth, community outreach and partnership development, including an affiliation with UC San Diego Health System.
“Tim understands hospitals, public accountability, people, and the importance of earning trust inside and outside the organization,” Nuñez said. “As we move through this transition, our Board is focused on continuity, operational stability, and maintaining the progress Watsonville Community Hospital has made for the Pajaro Valley and South County.”
The process of searching for a permanent CEO is underway. At the June 24 meeting of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board of Directors, the Board formed the CEO Recruitment Ad Hoc Committee to lead Watsonville Community Hospital’s search for a permanent CEO. Directors Emily Balli and Aleandra Friel were appointed to the Committee.
The Ad Hoc Committee will guide the development of a thoughtful recruitment process for the hospital’s next permanent CEO. This will include engaging staff, physicians, labor partners, community partners, and the public to shape the leadership profile for the role; coordinating the recruitment process; and bringing qualified candidates forward for review by the full Board of Directors. The search is expected to take several months, with the final appointment made by the full Board of Directors.
“The process to recruit a permanent CEO will be collaborative and will include meaningful opportunities for input from staff, physicians, partners and the community,” Nuñez said. “Our next permanent CEO must lead as a trusted community partner who can strengthen relationships, listen deeply, and help ensure the hospital continues to meet the needs of the Pajaro Valley today and into the future.”
In recent months, Watsonville Community Hospital’s financial position has improved significantly, with operations now generating positive revenue and more than $10 million in emergency state funding awarded. The hospital also earned top marks on a national patient safety rating earlier this year, reflecting continued progress in quality and care.
In addition, several Measure N-funded projects such as new imaging and surgery equipment are nearing completion, and — through the District’s health clinic system — physician recruitment efforts are expanding access to care and strengthening services for the Pajaro Valley and the Central Coast.
About the Pajaro Valley Health Care District
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District is a public healthcare district formed to ensure continued access to high-quality, equitable healthcare for the Pajaro Valley community. Established in 2022 to help preserve and strengthen local hospital services, the District oversees Watsonville Community Hospital and is governed by a publicly elected five-member board committed to supporting sustainable operations, expanding access to care, and improving community health outcomes. For
more information, pvhcd.org.
About Watsonville Community Hospital
Watsonville Community Hospital is a public, non-profit community healthcare provider; a 106-bed acute care facility serving Watsonville and the surrounding culturally diverse tri-county area along California’s Central Coast. The hospital offers a wide range of quality medical and surgical services including cardiac care, diagnostic imaging, emergency services, maternity services, orthopedics, pediatrics, rehabilitation services, robotic surgery, urology, vascular surgery, women’s health services, and wound care. With 650 employees and more than 300 physicians, the hospital strives to exceed patient expectations, deliver the highest quality care, and be a place of healing, caring and connection for patients and families in the community we call home