Meet Aaron
30 Years of Healthcare Leadership in North County
Meet Aaron
Born at Tri-City Medical Center and raised in Carlsbad, Aaron has lived in the three cities of the Tri-City Healthcare District his entire life. Despite coming from humble beginnings, Aaron has built a life and career of impact and distinguished himself as a transformational and influential healthcare leader and prolific community volunteer.
Aaron’s professional history includes:
- 7 years providing direct patient care in Emergency Medical Services
- 7 years advising state and local elected officials on health policy, and
- More than 15 years serving as a healthcare executive for both Tri-City Medical Center and UC San Diego Health
A specialist in healthcare strategic public affairs, Aaron is a widely regarded advocate and health policy expert, a talented communicator, and the creative designer of multiple best practice public health, advocacy, community relations, and workforce development initiatives.
Among his notable contributions to the local community, Aaron:
- Co-created the Student Opportunities for Career Awareness and Learning, or SOCAL, workforce development partnership and website.
- Authored Mental Health Policy and Practice Reform: A Local, State, and Federal Perspective which outlined 30 reform recommendations to improve the lives of those suffering from mental illness.
- Helped secure funding and partnership to build the new Tri-City Psychiatric Health Facility, a 16-bed inpatient mental health hospital.
- Launched GreatGen2.0, a speakers series that promoted intergenerational education and has positively impacted more than 7,000 students, thus far.
- Founded Hazel’s Army, a senior advocacy group that helped pass 13 state laws and four County policies to protect seniors.
- Served as founding co-chair of the Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force of San Diego County, creating a nationally-recognized model for addressing prescription drug abuse.
In recent years, Aaron held volunteer leadership positions with the following boards and commissions:
- San Diego North Economic Development Council
- Vista Chamber of Commerce
- City of Vista Community Safety Commission
- Palomar College Foundation
- North Coastal Prevention Coalition (NCPC)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- California Paramedic Foundation
- Health Professions Education Foundation
- San Diego County Taxpayers Association
He currently serves on the board of directors of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and was a Director/Coach for Champions League, a baseball league for youth players with special needs for a decade.
Consistently honored among the 500 Most Influential People in San Diego, Aaron, his teams, and organizations are the recipients of more than 125 awards and recognitions based on his efforts, including four Emmy Awards.
Aaron is the co-owner of Galvanized Strategies, a strategic public affairs and leadership consulting firm based in Vista and is pleased to count various coastal North County businesses as his clients.
He resides in Vista with his wife, Amanda, and their two children, one of whom was also born at Tri-City Medical Center.
