Emily Hazen: From Operations Leader to CEO of Aya Healthcare
Emily Hazen represents a modern leadership story built on operational depth, consistency, and long-term commitment to one organization. Rising from payroll management to the executive suite, her career reflects how deep process knowledge and people-first leadership can translate into enterprise-scale impact. Today, she serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Aya Healthcare, one of the most influential healthcare workforce solutions companies in the United States, headquartered in San Diego, California.
Who Is Emily Hazen?
A U.S.-Based Healthcare Executive With Deep Operational Roots
Emily Hazen is an American healthcare executive based in San Diego, California. She is best known for her long tenure and steady progression at Aya Healthcare, where she has spent more than eleven years building expertise across payroll, operations, process optimization, and workforce solutions.
Unlike leaders who enter at the executive level, her credibility comes from working through nearly every operational layer of the organization. This background has shaped her reputation as a leader who understands both frontline systems and enterprise strategy.
Emily Hazen at Aya Healthcare
A Career Built From the Inside Out
Emily Hazen joined Aya Healthcare in October 2014 as a Payroll Manager, overseeing payroll systems and compliance in a fast-growing healthcare staffing environment. Over time, she assumed increasingly complex responsibilities, reflecting both organizational trust and measurable performance.
Early Leadership Roles
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Payroll Manager → Senior Payroll Manager (2014–2017)
She managed payroll operations at scale, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and reliability in a highly regulated industry. -
Director of Payroll and Collections (2017–2018)
In this role, she expanded her oversight to include collections, strengthening cash flow discipline and operational controls.
Strategic Operations and Optimization
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Vice President, Process Optimization (2018–2022)
Emily Hazen began shaping enterprise-wide efficiency initiatives, focusing on scalable systems, cost discipline, and workflow redesign. -
Executive Vice President, Process Optimization (2022–2025)
At the executive level, she led cross-functional transformation efforts, aligning technology, operations, and service delivery.
Emily Hazen as Chief Operating Officer
Leading Workforce Solutions at Scale
In October 2024, Emily Hazen was appointed Chief Operating Officer for Workforce Solutions at Aya Healthcare. This role placed her in direct charge of the company’s core business operations, including staffing delivery, operational performance, and internal execution.
As COO, she was responsible for ensuring that Aya’s rapid growth remained sustainable, compliant, and aligned with healthcare providers’ evolving needs across the United States.
Emily Hazen as Chief Executive Officer
Appointment as CEO in May 2025
In May 2025, Emily Hazen was named Chief Executive Officer of Aya Healthcare. Her appointment marked a significant leadership milestone, as she became CEO after more than a decade of internal advancement within the organization.
As CEO, she now oversees company-wide strategy, culture, financial performance, and long-term growth. Her leadership reflects continuity rather than disruption, reinforcing Aya’s operational strengths while positioning the company for future innovation in healthcare staffing and workforce technology.
Professional Experience Before Aya Healthcare
Operations and Healthcare Services Background
Before joining Aya Healthcare, Emily Hazen built her foundation in healthcare operations and people management.
Pacific Dental Services
As an Operations Manager from 2013 to 2014, she held profit-and-loss responsibility, managed budgets, developed staff, implemented operational best practices, and ensured regulatory compliance. This role strengthened her financial and leadership capabilities in a fast-paced healthcare services environment.
Sunrise Senior Living
From 2009 to 2013, she worked at Sunrise Senior Living in La Jolla, California, first as a Business Office Coordinator and later as an Assisted Living Coordinator. Her responsibilities included staff scheduling, payroll processing, resident care planning, hiring, training, and billing coordination. These roles gave her direct exposure to patient-centered care environments and workforce management challenges.
Early Career and Community Engagement
Special Olympics Internship
Emily Hazen began her professional journey with an internship at Special Olympics in Santa Barbara County, California. There, she supported athletic programs, managed volunteer databases, partnered with local businesses for fundraising, and created press materials. This early experience highlights her long-standing connection to service-driven organizations.
Education and Academic Background
University of California, Santa Barbara
Emily Hazen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara between 2005 and 2009. Her academic background in communication has supported her leadership style, particularly in stakeholder engagement, organizational alignment, and executive decision-making.
Leadership Style and Professional Strengths
Operations-Driven, People-Focused Leadership
Emily Hazen is widely recognized for her strengths in:
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Process optimization and operational efficiency
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Workforce management and payroll systems
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Regulatory compliance in healthcare environments
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Talent development and internal leadership pipelines
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Scalable growth strategy grounded in execution
Her leadership approach blends analytical discipline with human-centered management, a critical balance in healthcare staffing organizations operating at national scale.
Why Emily Hazen’s Career Stands Out
Emily Hazen’s professional journey stands out because it demonstrates how operational excellence, consistency, and institutional knowledge can translate into executive leadership. Her rise to CEO was not sudden; it was the result of years of internal impact, trust-building, and results-driven execution.
As healthcare workforce challenges continue to evolve in the United States, her background positions her to lead with credibility, stability, and long-term vision.
Final Thoughts
Emily Hazen’s career is a case study in organic leadership growth within a complex, regulated industry. From payroll systems to the CEO role, she has built a leadership profile rooted in execution, accountability, and people management. Her journey reflects the value of deep operational expertise in shaping effective, resilient healthcare organizations.
