Clinica Sierra Vista appoints third CEO in two years
Apr. 26—Clinica Sierra Vista has appointed its chief medical officer to become the third person in about two years to lead the Bakersfield-based chain of community medical clinics.
On April 6, the nonprofit's board of directors named family physician Dr. Olga Meave to the position of interim CEO, according to a copy of an email obtained by The Californian. Her appointment was not announced publicly, and Meave did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Meave replaces Stacy Ferreira, Clinica's former chief human resources officer, who took over as interim CEO in April 2020. Ferreira replaced former CEO Brian O. Harris, whose two-year tenure was marked by accusations of unlawful discrimination and mismanagement. Ferreira was named permanent CEO in June 2021.
Ferreira is no longer listed as an executive on Clinica's website, which identifies someone else as chief HR officer. It remained unclear Monday whether Ferreira still works for the nonprofit.
There has been no response to more than 20 messages left for Clinica's administrative and board leadership during a period of more than two weeks. Neither has there been any sort of reply to a list of about 30 questions — including what happened to Ferreira — that was emailed to the organization April 7 at the request of a Clinica spokeswoman.
The board's April 6 email said it was pleased to announce Meave's appointment, and that the board would start searching for a permanent CEO.
Meave has "firsthand experience, understanding and commitment to the heart of (Clinica's) missions and values," the email stated. "With Dr. Meave at the helm, the board will tirelessly work with her to ensure Clinica Sierra Vista continues to serve the underserved communities that it has for over 50 years."
Clinica will focus on engaging its employees to make it "the ideal employer," the email added, noting its success "will always be dependent on how it treats its employees."
A number of questions have been left unanswered since Harris' sudden exit after a turbulent tenure that saw the departure of several high-ranking and long-serving employees.
A former board member turned in a letter of resignation in February 2019 complaining Harris had an "incredibly chaotic" and directionless first year on the job, during which major decisions have been made without first consulting the board. Another board member defended Harris, saying the letter by former board member John M. Means mischaracterized and misrepresented actions taken at Clinica.
Harris also was accused in a June 2019 lawsuit filed by Clinica's former chief financial officer of discriminating against older workers and promoting younger employees to replace them.
In May 2020, shortly after Ferreira's temporary appointment, a former senior official at Clinica sent the board a letter asking about a shakeup that saw the exit of at least four senior executives within a span of a few days. The letter's writer, Dr. Jeff Hanrahan, who served as medical director of pediatrics before he left the organization in mid-2020, said he received no response.
Clinica owns and runs a chain of federally qualified health care clinics serving people in Fresno, Inyo and Kern counties.
