Carmela Coyle is president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, which represents roughly 400 hospitals and health systems serving the nation’s most populous state.
Since taking the role in 2017, Ms. Coyle has guided California’s hospitals through the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of significant financial pressure while advancing priorities in behavioral health, coverage expansion and affordability. She brings a more than 40-year career in health policy and association leadership.
Before California, Ms. Coyle served nearly a decade as president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association, and earlier spent about 20 years at the American Hospital Association, including 11 years as senior vice president of policy. She began her career as an analyst at the Congressional Budget Office, giving her deep grounding in federal health financing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish literature from Carleton College and completed health-policy coursework through programs at the University of Michigan and Yale.
Ms. Coyle serves on the American Hospital Association board of trustees and received the 2026 AHA Board of Trustees Award. She is regarded as one of the most respected hospital-association executives in the country, earning recognition for steady leadership during periods of crisis and change.