Leadership

Skelly Wingard, MSN, RN, PHN, is the Chief Executive Officer of By the Bay Health, Northern California’s largest independent nonprofit provider of hospice, palliative, and home health care. A forward-thinking leader with deep clinical roots, Wingard is widely recognized for her innovative approach to care delivery and her dedication to strengthening the healthcare workforce.

Since joining By the Bay Health, Wingard has led the successful merger of three nonprofit hospice organizations—creating a unified, sustainable model that protects and expands access to community-based, nonprofit care. She also spearheaded Pathways to Care Careers, a groundbreaking workforce development initiative that brings together educators, healthcare providers, and nonprofits to cultivate the next generation of nurses and healthcare professionals in response to the region’s aging population.

Wingard’s impact extends beyond her organization. She serves on several prominent boards, including the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California Advisory Board, the Schools to Careers Board at the Marin County Office of Education, the Marin Forum Board of Directors, and the By the Bay Health Board of Directors. A respected voice in the industry, she is frequently invited to speak at conferences and is a trusted media commentator on topics including healthcare leadership, workforce development, and system innovation.

Wingard began her career as a bedside nurse and earned her Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of San Francisco. She has held progressive leadership roles across major healthcare systems, including Kaiser Permanente, where she served as Vice President of Continuum of Care for the Mid-Atlantic States, overseeing strategy and operations across hospitals and post-acute services in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Her earlier roles at Ensign Services and North American Health Care further shaped her expertise in clinical operations and senior care.