Kaiser Permanente NCAL welcomes new chief nursing executive

Toby Marsh, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, is the new Regional Chief Nursing Executive and Vice President, Clinical Integration for the Kaiser Permanente Northern California region.

An accomplished nurse executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience, Marsh will oversee nursing practices in Northern California including recruitment, hiring and staffing efforts, clinical quality, patient safety, nursing standards of care, and education and professional development.

“I am honored to be leading our team of compassionate, extraordinary front-line caregivers who give of themselves every day to put the needs of our members and patients first,” Marsh said. “I look forward to leading the thousands of nurses in our 21 Northern California hospitals who continue advancing the delivery of excellent, compassionate care for our members across the continuum, and boldly transform care to improve the health of our communities.”

Kaiser Permanente Northern California is committed to being the best place for nurses to work. In his role, Marsh will continue to focus on recruiting and hiring front-line staff as well as supporting the nurse residency program. This work has resulted in Kaiser Permanente Northern California hiring 1,060 new nurses and adding 328 nurse residents since the beginning of 2022.

Marsh will also oversee professional development opportunities for nurses, which include career pathways for staff through specialty training programs, as well as certification and tuition support for those wanting advance degrees.

“We are excited to have Toby join our team and continue to build on the momentum of hiring and staffing our talented nurse community,” said Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region. “Toby’s experience and dedication to the field of nursing will serve our organization well as he continues to expand upon our commitment to nursing excellence.”

Marsh joins Kaiser Permanente Northern California from UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento where he most recently served as the Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer for the 646-bed hospital. He held progressive nurse leadership roles during his 18-year tenure with the organization, including Assistant Nurse Manager, Cardiac ICU; Relief Nurse Supervisor; Nurse Manager, Medical Surgical ICU and ENT; and Director of Patient Care Services.

Prior to UC Davis, he spent 7 years in the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force, he served as a Personnel Programs Officer and Squadron Section Commander.

Marsh earned a BS in Health Sciences at California State University, Fresno; an MSA in Human Resources from Central Michigan University; an ADN Nursing from Pacific Union College; and an MSN in Health Systems Leadership from Gonzaga University; and will complete a DNP-Nurse Executive program at Old Dominion University in 2024.

He succeeds Ann Williamson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, who is retiring from Kaiser Permanente in January 2023.