Two New Members Elected to Scripps Health Board of Trustees

Jolene Koester, Rick Bregman to join board

Jolene Koester, past interim chancellor of the California State University system, and Rick Bregman, retired San Diego president of Bank of America and former national co-head of its health care banking, have been elected to the 18-member Scripps Health Board of Trustees, which provides guidance and oversight for the San Diego-based health system. 

“We’re honored to welcome these two highly qualified individuals to the Scripps Health Board of Trustees,” said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health. “They bring a wealth of knowledge and leadership experience that will prove invaluable to the board as Scripps continues to grow and evolve.” 

Both new members of the Scripps Health Board of Trustees will begin serving their three-year terms Jan. 1, 2026. 

“Our new board members have successful track records leading large organizations that operate in complex environments,” said Kevin Hamilton, chair of the Scripps Health Board of Trustees. “With the rapid-fire pace of change happening in health care today, it’s important that our board has a wide variety of perspectives to draw from as we chart our future.”

Jolene Koester 

Koester served as interim chancellor of the California State University system from May 2022 through September 2023. She also worked as an independent consultant for a decade and was president of California State University Northridge from 2000 to 2011. Before that, Koester held several roles at California State University Sacramento, including vice president for academic affairs and provost.  

She has served on budget and finance and parks and recreation commissions for the city of Solana Beach, as well as on the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the Los Angeles Economy and Jobs Committee and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Her community service also includes serving on the Southern California Biomedical Council and the Northridge Hospital Community Board. Koester has held leadership roles on dozens of higher education boards and committees and has received recognition and awards for her professional and academic accomplishments. 

Koester earned her bachelor’s degree in speech communications from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in speech communications from the University of Minnesota. 

Rick Bregman 

Bregman is retired San Diego president and national co-head of health care banking for Bank of America, where he served for 34 years. His prior roles include working as a commercial banker at Security Pacific Bank and as a commercial banking analyst at Union Bank. 

He has been active and engaged in the San Diego community for the past 20 years. Bregman serves on the boards of the Campanile Foundation at SDSU, the National Conflict Resolution Center and BIOCOM. Bregman was a member of the San Diego Chairman’s Competitiveness Council, an organization focused on maximizing the economic competitiveness of the San Diego region. He is a past chair for the San Diego Chamber of Commerce and has previously served on the board of directors of CONNECT, the Zoological Society of San Diego (Foundation), the YMCA of San Diego County and the United Way of San Diego. 

Bregman received his bachelor’s degree in international relations-management from Claremont McKenna College.

ABOUT SCRIPPS HEALTH  

Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a nonprofit integrated health care delivery system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats more than 650,000 patients annually through the dedication of more than 3,500 affiliated physicians and nearly 18,000 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, more than 70 outpatient and specialty locations, and hundreds of affiliated physician offices throughout the region. 

Recognized as a leader in disease and injury prevention, diagnosis and treatment, Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research and is the only health system in the region with two level 1 trauma centers. With highly respected graduate medical education programs at all five hospital campuses, Scripps is a longstanding member of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Scripps has been ranked seven times as one of the nation’s best health care systems by Premier. Its hospitals are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation’s best, and Scripps is recognized by the Advisory Board, Fortune and Working Mother magazine as one of the best places in the nation to work. More information can be found at www.scripps.org.