Saint Agnes Medical Center is pleased to announce Cheryl Harless, DNP, MBA, RN, as its new Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).
Cheryl is a highly-motivated and enthusiastic health care executive with more than 19 years of leadership experience in clinical settings, including 11 years as a Chief Nursing Officer. As a health care executive, Cheryl has maintained a sharp focus on developing unparalleled patient experience and creating strong colleague engagement.
Cheryl has a long history of service with Tenet Healthcare. She began her career as a clinical nurse at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto in the Intensive Care and Step-Down Units in 1997. She went on to be named Clinical Manager of the Progressive Cardiovascular Step-Down Unit and later Director of Patient Care Services.
She joined Sutter Health in 2011 and served as Chief Nurse Executive for Novato Community Hospital and later Eden Medical Center before returning to Tenet Healthcare in 2016 where she served as a Chief NUrsing Officer for eight years.
She served as the Chief Nursing Officer for Doctors Medical Center/Doctors Behavioral Health Center in Modesto where she oversaw all clinical departments including: laboratory, imaging, pharmacy, nursing, peri-operative services, emergency and trauma services, quality, infection prevention and behavioral health. Most recently, she served as Group Chief Nursing Officer for Tenet Healthcare of Northern California where she oversaw six acute care hospitals, one behavioral health hospital, two 1206d clinics and two outpatient imaging centers.
"I am extremely pleased to have Cheryl join the Saint Agnes team," said Gurvinder Kaur, MD, MHA, President and Market Leader. "She brings extensive experience to our ministry, both in a clinical setting given her CNO tenure, but also in organizational development, patient/family-centered care, and fiscal accountability. I look forward to working with Cheryl and am confident that she will be of great value to the Saint Agnes Leadership Team."
In her role at Saint Agnes, Cheryl will oversee clinical operations for the nursing staff and support organization strategic goals through the development of key interdepartmental relationships and ensuring a safe and effective environment for all patients and colleagues.
Cheryl received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Pittsburg and her MBA from Texas A&M University.
Cheryl assumed her new role as CNO on Monday, March 4, 2024. She will be relocating to Fresno to be closer to the team at Saint Agnes and to become part of our local community.