Jose Lozano

37 Chief of staff, vice president of corporate services and governance Hackensack Meridian Health, Edison, N.J.

Five years ago, Jose Lozano took his first job in healthcare as vice president for corporate services and governance at Hackensack Meridian Health. Prior to that, he had a 10-year run in government at the state and federal levels, most recently as the deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lozano faced quite a learning curve switching industries, but has found the two environments to be more alike than different. “In both jobs, you have to deal with a lot of crises that fall outside of the 9-5 working hours, and it’s all about the quick learn and leaning on team members around you,” Lozano said. At Hackensack Meridian, he was put in charge of the communication and rollout of the 2016 merger between Hackensack University Health Network and Meridian Health, one of the largest mergers in New Jersey. “Typically, in interactions like that, someone has the upper hand, but this was a merger of equals and we had to devise a structure and a framework to support that challenge,” he said. Part of his challenge now is serving as chief of staff to two CEOs, because both were retained in the creation of the new organization. “It’s a bit like being a single parent to twins. I’m managing two of everything, but both our CEOs are visionary and inspiring guys and part of the success of this dual-CEO model is that we have one center point for both of them, and that’s me.” Lozano also managed the design and construction process for new corporate offices of the merged entity that houses approximately 250 employees, a project that was finished on time and below budget. “What energizes me is being part of an organization that is moving the ball forward on improving healthcare,” Lozano said. “Some days it’s a half-inch, some days it’s a few feet, but we are always striving to change and improve the way healthcare is delivered.”

“What energizes me is being part of an organization that is moving the ball forward on improving healthcare.”