Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center administrator wins North Bay Business Leadership Pride award
Paul-Louis Maillard, Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center medical group administrator, is a winner of North Bay Business Journal’s inaugural Pride Business Leadership Awards.
Professional background: Paul-Louis, or “P.L.” as he is known in professional settings, has served as the medical group administrator for the Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa Medical Center since February 2018. As the chief administrator for The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG), P.L. serves as the administrative partner for TPMG’s Physician in Chief for Santa Rosa, Dr. Michael Shulman, providing oversight for 1,500-plus employees and over 400 physicians.
P.L. previously worked as assistant medical group administrator (AMGA) in Santa Rosa since 2106, where he had oversight for primary care, the Emergency Department, hospital-based medicine, and the ambulatory care experience program. P.L. also served as an AMGA in the Southern California Region at Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center (LAMC) for 12 years prior to his relocation to Northern California.
P.L began his career as a physical therapist, working in acute rehabilitation settings where he specialized in the treatment of neurological diagnoses, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke.
Education: University of California, Berkeley – Bachelor of Arts Dramatic Art/Dance, Kinesiology; University of California, San Francisco/San Francisco State University (Joint Program – Master’s in Physical Therapy; University of Phoenix – Master’s in Healthcare Administration ; Harvard Business School – Kaiser Permanente Executive Leadership Program (ELP)
Tell us your story in your words: I live in Sebastopol and am the father of three grown daughters. My hobbies include gardening, beekeeping, and enjoying the outdoors in beautiful Sonoma County! I am an avid animal lover, volunteering with Forget Me Not Farms - Animal Rescue & Youth Mentoring Program and serving on the North West board of directors for Canine Companions for Independence.
I am a dual national with France, having been born in New York City to French Nationals. I have lived in both countries, and this bi-cultural perspective has provided me with valuable insight into my life and work.
As a gay man who grew up in the 1970s and came of age in the 1980s, much of my early life was about developing a sense of myself as someone who was different but belonged and was valued, then navigating how to feel seen and heard in the world.
I came out in high school, and shortly after that, many friends and mentors in my community began to die from AIDS, and this crisis and the response from the LGBTQ community very much influenced my early adulthood. Becoming a father as a co-parent with a lesbian couple — two of my best friends from college — was thus such a joy-filled and life-affirming journey to embark upon following that time.
My first career was that of a professional dancer, after which I went back to school to earn a master’s in physical therapy and a second master’s in health care administration. As I transitioned into leadership, like those from any under-represented group, I felt a lot of pressure to be a role model to show that an out-LGBT person could be successful in a corporate environment.
I am so fortunate to have such a loving family that has been such a tremendous source of support for me throughout my life.
Personally, what have you learned about yourself within the past year -- with its economic and social challenges -- and how will it change the way you live going forward?
I learned I needed to shift my perspective from that of a traditional ‘heroic leader’ responsible for all decisions and strategy to one whose chief responsibility is to develop the tremendous potential of my team. We have been through all kinds of disasters in recent years here, from fires that led to the evacuation of our hospital and clinics not once but twice, along with PSPS events and floods.
However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to quickly adapt and change virtually every aspect of how we provided care to keep our people, patients, and community safe.
With the vast scope of what was before us, it was immediately clear there was no way we could continue at that pace, and as a leader, there was absolutely no way I could do everything on my own. I had to face my limitations.
At the same time, I was presented with a phenomenal opportunity to develop my people. I witnessed and supported their growth as they stepped into key leadership roles in the various aspects of our pandemic response. I’m incredibly proud of how we have and will continue to keep our community safe. This work continues, and so do the remarkable achievements of my team. I am incredibly grateful for this lesson which has forever changed the way I lead.