Executive Management Team
| Interim President & CEO | Gene Ma, MD, FACEP |
| Chief Financial Officer | Ray Rivas, CPA, MBA |
| Interim Chief Nursing Executive | Donald Dawkins, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Chief Medical Officer | Pending |
| Chief External Affairs Officer | Aaron Byzak, MBA, FACHE |
| Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer | Roger L. Cortez, JD |
| General Counsel | Susan M. Bond Esq., LLM, RN |
Dr. Gene Ma – Interim President & CEO
Dr. Gene Ma was named interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Tri-City Healthcare District beginning in late March 2023. Prior to that, Dr. Ma has served served various leadership roles within Tri-City Healthcare District, including as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) from 2019 to 2023.
An emergency department physician at Tri-City Medical Center for over 20 years and a 10-time honoree as one of San Diego Top Doctors in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Ma has served in numerous physician administrator roles within the medical center, including as the chief of staff, a role which he held from 2015-2017. In 2012, Dr. Ma was named CEO of WorkPartners, overseeing the turnaround of what would become the region’s dominant occupational health practice.
He brings into his new role as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Tri-City Healthcare District a wealth of experience in business and practice management, along with demonstrated prowess in adapting to a constantly changing medical field to provide quality care. Dr. Ma’s background includes work in healthcare affiliations, mergers and acquisitions, executive leadership in private equity and healthcare IT startups. He joined Tri-City Emergency Medical Group in July of 2000, subsequently becoming their executive director and managing partner.
Additionally, Dr. Ma serves on numerous boards including for an Independent Physician Association (IPA) and an investment capital firm.
Dr. Ma attended undergraduate school at the University of California, Irvine, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology, followed by medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. He then completed his internship at Stanford, followed by a residency in Emergency Medicine at University of California, San Diego. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP).
He resides in Carlsbad with his family.
Ray Rivas – Chief Financial Officer
Ray Rivas joined Tri-City Medical Center in 2012 as Senior Director of Revenue Cycle Integrity and in March 2016 assumed the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Ray has a finance background that includes over 25 years in the healthcare sector with a proven track record of improving profitability and streamlining processes. During his time at Tri-City, Ray has successfully led initiatives to improve cash collections and reduce patient registration waiting times. He was also an integral part of the team responsible for securing a $25 million line of credit for the hospital.
Ray has held CFO roles at Suburban Medical Center in Paramount, Calif., Western Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif., and Chapman Medical Center in Orange, Calif. He has an Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University and is registered as a Certified Public Accountant with the State of California.
Donald Dawkins – Interim Chief Nursing Executive
Donald Dawkins, RN, BSN, MBA, joined Tri-City Medical Center as the new Interim Chief Nursing Executive in April 2023. Donald is a senior healthcare administrator with over 37 years of nursing experience, with nearly a decade in prior TCMC leadership roles.
His passion is to discover and execute best practices through the ongoing critical analysis of operational strategies to maximize service, growth and quality. A vocal proponent of nursing excellence, Donald has fostered multiple initiatives to support patients, families and his community and has achieved significant improvements in growth, operations, margin, efficiency and quality by incorporating systematic planning and execution with local, regional, national and international stakeholders.
Donald earned his MBA from CSU San Bernardino, and earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both Health Science and Nursing from Loma Linda University. He sits on multiple boards and provides consulting and guidance for business development. He loves swimming, cycling and best of all has a passion to help others succeed. He lives in Oceanside and delights in his lovely wife and children.
Aaron Byzak – Chief External Affairs Officer
Aaron Byzak joined Tri-City Medical Center as the Chief External Affairs Officer in May 2018. In this role, Aaron is responsible for the healthcare district’s marketing, communications, government affairs, and community engagement activities.
For more than two decades, Aaron has served in positions of progressive leadership in Emergency Medical Services, health policy, healthcare management, and consulting. He has received numerous best practice awards and national recognitions for his leadership and work in healthcare, public health, advocacy, and communications including four Emmy Awards. Aaron was recognized by the Health Care Communicators of San Diego County with the Communicator of the Year Award in 2017.
Aaron is also founder and chief advocate of Hazel’s Army, a community advocacy and education group that in 2014 helped pass the most comprehensive assisted living reform agenda in California’s history.
He earned his Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management and policy from UC Irvine’s Merage School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Chapman University. Additionally, Aaron earned certificates in leadership from Cornell University and UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He is Board Certified in Healthcare Management as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Aaron resides in Vista with his family.
Roger Cortez – Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer
Roger Cortez joined Tri-City Medical Center as Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer in November 2019. In this role, Roger is responsible for developing and leading internal processes to promote and embed compliance with laws and regulations into the core of the organization.
Roger has an extensive background in healthcare compliance and operations. Prior to joining Tri-City, Roger was Director of Compliance Operations for the University of California at San Diego Health System. He began his career in healthcare by assisting veterans with obtaining critical services on both the federal and state level for over 15 years. During his tenure at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Roger collaborated with leadership to ensure delivery of effective compliance and risk programs for a network of medical centers and outpatient clinics. As a veteran himself, Roger served in the United States Marine Corps for 6 years retiring as a Sergeant.
Roger earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and is certified in Healthcare Compliance by the Compliance Certification Board.
Susan M. Bond – General Counsel
Susan Bond joined Tri-City Medical Center August of 2017, as General Counsel. She began her career as a Registered Nurse working in all areas of critical care including the Emergency Department, Critical Care ICU – Adult and Pediatrics, and the Critical Care Burn Unit.
After working as a nurse, Susan attended law school at Western State University, and began her law practice in Los Angeles, CA, focusing in medical malpractice including defense for hospitals and doctors, employment and labor law, unexpected birth defects or injuries, and elder abuse. In addition to these specialties she also dealt in associated practice involving products liability, business, general liability, contract management, clinical trials, and sexual assault allegations. She drafted successful oppositions to pivotal motion for summary judgment in medical malpractice, involving more than $10 million in damages, and is accomplished in depositions strategy. Susan also has experience working within hospitals in support of privacy, compliance, regulatory, and risk management.
In addition to her law degree, Susan holds a bachelor’s degree in health services from the University of St. Francis and earned her Master of Law in Health Law and Policy from Loyola University of Chicago.