Margarita Baggett, RN, MSN

Chief Nursing Officer
Interim Chief Operating Officer, UC San Diego Health System

Margarita Baggett is the chief nursing officer (CNO) and interim chief operating officer (COO) for UC San Diego Health System. In her role as CNO, she provides leadership and direction for the nursing staff and is responsible for planning, organizing, directing and controlling all functions of Nursing Services, Pharmacy Services, Care Coordination and Volunteer Services. As the interim COO, Ms. Baggett’s responsibilities include the day-to-day operations for a staff of more than 5,500 along with key participation in strategic planning for growth.

A highly accomplished nursing leader with extensive experience in quality management, service excellence, patient throughput, staff recruitment and retention, and regulatory affairs, Ms. Baggett was first recruited in 2006. With more than 27 years of progressively responsible experience in the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, N.Y., she has previously served as deputy executive director, nurse executive, and associate executive director for Patient Care Services and Care Coordination.

Throughout her career, Ms. Baggett has been involved in many professional organizations and was recently elected to represent San Diego in the 2011–2013 Board of Directors for the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL). She is currently an active member of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care, and Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek Advisory Board Southern California. Additionally, she has given several presentations at professional conferences and been published in the journal, Nursing Management.

A graduate of the Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellows Program in Management for Nurse Executives, Ms. Baggett earned her Master of Science from Adelphi University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Molloy College, both in New York State. She is married and lives in La Mesa with her husband, Frank.