Organization: Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center

Location: Aloha, OR

Araceli Gayton

CEO

Araceli Gaytan is the Chief Financial Officer at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, a nonprofit health organization in Oregon, where she has worked since 1987. She started her career as a Human Resources Manager in Mexico after completing her B.S. in Business Administration from Universidad de Mexico. She later pursued additional coursework at Portland Community College in accounting, management information systems, human resources, and business law.

Araceli is actively involved in the community and is part of various nonprofit organizations. She provides technical assistance to the Office of Performance Review (OPR) to improve access to quality healthcare and reduce health disparities. She serves as an Advisory Member in Oregon’s Department of Medical Assistance Programs (DMAP). She is also a consultant for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Araceli is a finance advisor member of the Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) Trillium, which provides guidance and advice to the BOD on financial matters. She firmly believes that an organization is a group of individuals functioning as one and that good leaders and advisors must guide each individual toward the agency’s mutual goal.

Araceli is passionate about keeping current on accounting policies, procedures, principles, and federal and state policies and regulations affecting financial governance. Under her leadership, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center has undergone only unqualified financial audits, a testament to her successful oversight of the organization’s financial management despite significant growth and change during her tenure.