Dr. Wako is president and CEO of Swedish Health Services, the largest nonprofit health system serving the Seattle metropolitan area, encompassing five hospital campuses, more than 1,500 licensed beds, 48,000 annual inpatient admissions and $3.4 billion in revenue. Named to the role in November 2023, she is the first woman and the first African American executive leader in the organization’s 115-year history, having served Swedish over her career as a nurse, anesthesiologist, chief medical officer, COO and campus CEO. She secured board approval and launched construction of the largest expansion in Swedish’s history, a new medical tower on the First Hill campus that broke ground in January 2024, and developed the 2024 “Year of Accountability” initiative to strengthen financial sustainability through efficiency gains, reduced reliance on agency nurses and improved budget performance. Under her direction, Swedish implemented the “JUST Birth Network” and “TeamBirth,” and by late 2024 cesarean section rate disparities between Black and white women were eliminated. The share of women of color reporting their pain was addressed rose to 81% from 56%, and 73% of Black women reported clear discussion of options, compared with 25% previously. Dr. Wako serves on the boards of the Washington State Hospital Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Seattle branch and mentors emerging leaders through Women in Healthcare Leadership gatherings.
