Dr. Ardel Guillamas Avelino, hospital executive, is Senior Director of Operations at St. Mary Medical Center, Dignity Health. A transformational leader, he has extensive experience in healthcare operations. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the hospital as incident commander and was designated as administrator in-charge to partner with the State of California to establish a community drive-thru testing site; 6,313 people in the community were tested. A product of the Long Beach Unified School District, he is also a proud alumnus of the Long Beach City College registered nursing program and served as an adjunct faculty/clinical instructor. Additionally, he holds a bachelors degree in nursing from Holy Names University, a masters in healthcare administration from California State University, Long Beach, and a doctorate in nursing/executive leadership from Baylor University. Dr. Ardel is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing, and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

A community leader and volunteer, he currently occupies the role of Chairman of the Board for Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County and as a board of governors member with the Long Beach City College Foundation. He also sits as an advisory board member for Terminal Island Federal Bureau of Prisons, Long Beach City College Allied Health and Sciences, and the Healthcare Administration Department at CSULB. Dr. Ardel is a staunch mentor who has guided students in the associate, bachelor, and master’s level programs in nursing and healthcare administration fields.  He is often invited as a panelist to speak with college students on healthcare trends and careers. His devoted work in mentorship has produced many advanced practice nurses and healthcare leaders. He is also an active mentor for Operations Jump Start, an organization that helps low-resourced, high-potential first-generation students to get in, stay in, and graduate from a four-year college. On occasional weekends, he can be seen sitting with and feeding the homeless population around the City of Long Beach.