The Monterey County Board of Supervisors and Natividad Medical Center Board of Trustees
announce the appointment of Dr. Charles (Chad) Harris as interim Chief Executive Officer. He
will step into this temporary position as Dr. Gary Gray, the hospital’s longtime CEO retires.
Dr. Harris was selected as a candidate for the interim CEO position through an internal
recruitment. Dr. Harris has been with Natividad Medical Center since 2011, beginning his career
at the hospital as a Family Medicine Staff Physician and moving through the ranks to the
hospital’s current Chief Medical Officer - Quality Assurance, a position responsible for the
Quality, Patient Experience, Infection Prevention, Clinical IT, IT Applications, and Health
Information Management departments. In 2018, Dr. Harris also served as the Chief of Staff
elected by his peers for the approximately 400-person medical staff for a two-year term.
“Chad Harris is the ideal person to step in and lead Natividad as interim CEO,” says Monterey
County Supervisor and Chair of the Board Wendy Root Askew. “He has spent the last ten years
working in all areas of the hospital, giving him a deep understanding of not only hospital
operations, but its culture of inspiring healthy lives and service to the community.”
Dr. Harris graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in History. He attended
medical school at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University in
Richmond, Virginia and did his residency at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez,
California. He served as a physician at an FQHC and emergency departments in Chicago and at
the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez, California before coming to Natividad in
2011.
“I am thankful and proud to have served our patients and community as a physician and
administrator at Natividad for the past 10 years,” Dr. Harris said. “Natividad is a special place,
and I strongly believe in our commitment to providing mission-driven health care and our
passion for excellence. I look forward to leading with the Natividad family as interim CEO.”
“I am absolutely thrilled Dr. Harris will be interim CEO,” said Natividad Board Chair Marcia
Atkinson. “During his decade at Natividad, he has earned the trust and respect of the Board of
Trustees and his colleagues. Dr. Harris truly cares about other people, and his background as a
physician and administrator make him a fantastic and qualified person to step into this leadership
position.”
Dr. Harris will begin his new position on June 5, 2021.
About Natividad
Natividad is an acute care hospital and trauma center providing high-quality health care to
everyone in Monterey County, regardless of their ability to pay. Located in Salinas, Calif.,
Natividad is a public health care system offering a wide range of inpatient, outpatient,
emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. Founded in 1886, the 172-bed medical center
has more than 10,000 admissions and nearly 50,000 emergency visits annually. Home to the
area's only Level II Trauma Center, the hospital's specialized personnel, equipment and services
provide a vital local community service that saves lives and keeps patients close to home.
Natividad's Baby-Friendly® facility delivered around 2,200 babies each year and is affiliated
with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. It also operates an accredited Level III Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit, giving the tiniest and most fragile babies — some as small as one pound —
the best chance for a healthy start. Through its UCSF-affiliated Natividad Family Medicine
Residency, Natividad is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast. For more information,
please call (831) 755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com
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