Her duties and responsibilities include serving as the chief operating officer for the health care system. She oversees one of the most complex facilities in VA, with an annual budget in excess of $1 billion, and more than 7,000 employees and volunteers.

VA Palo Alto health care is part of VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21), which serves Veterans in northern and central California, Nevada, Hawaii, the Philippines, and U.S. territories in the Pacific Basin. We operate 3 inpatient facilities in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Livermore, in addition to 7 community-based outpatient clinics in San Jose, Capitola, Monterey, Stockton, Modesto, Sonora, and Fremont. We also offer 2 residential homes for Veterans in the Compensated Work Therapy program. We operate approximately 800 beds, including 3 nursing homes and a 100-bed homeless domiciliary, all to serve more than 67,000 enrolled Veterans.

VA Palo Alto health care operates one of the largest integrated health care systems in VA in terms of specialized programs, research and graduate medical education; primarily affiliated with Stanford University School of Medicine. Comprehensive health care is provided through primary, tertiary and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. We are home to a variety of regional treatment centers, including Spinal Cord Injury, Polytrauma Rehabilitation, Blind Rehabilitation, Homeless Veterans Rehabilitation Program; and Men’s and Women’s Trauma Recovery Programs.

Our research program is the second largest in VHA with an annual funding of approximately $58 million. National VHA Research Centers at VA Palo Alto health care include: Cooperative Studies Program; Health Services Research and Development, Center for Innovation to Implementation, Health Economics Resource Center; Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center; Mental Illness Research Education Clinical Center; National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); VHA Performance Evaluation Resource Center; VHA National Center for Collaborative Health Care Innovation; Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center; VHA Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards, War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, and Office of Public Health Surveillance and Research.

Ms. Howard has served Veterans for 34 years in a broad range of administrative and executive management positions at VA facilities in Phoenix, New Orleans, San Diego, North Chicago, Las Vegas, Honolulu and Reno, as well as the VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21). She was awarded the 2020 Nevada Business Magazine Healthcare Administrator Award for northern Nevada. She has a 24-year old son, Brendan, who recently graduated from UNR. She spends her free time training for powerlifting competitions and judging meets, and she has a slight addiction to gardening and shopping for antiques. She has rescued many senior chihuahuas and parrots over the years, who assist her in her garden adventures.