MD500 | Healthcare

Emily Holliman

Organization

Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States

Title

Interim Regional President, Chief Operating Officer

A healthcare executive with more than two decades of leadership experience, Emily Holliman serves as interim regional president and chief operating officer at Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States, overseeing strategy and operations across Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Holliman joined Kaiser Permanente in 2023 as chief operating officer for the mid-Atlantic before assuming her current role. She holds dual master’s degrees in health administration and business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed an executive leadership program at Harvard University in 2025. Holliman is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

Healthcare has become too fragmented. It is becoming more expensive to provide and more difficult to access. Especially in the mid-Atlantic, our population is aging rapidly, and we have a combination of affluent and underresourced communities, which creates entrenched health inequities. We need to improve how we care for our most vulnerable, medically complex patients. When we can eliminate health inequities, we can make health care more cost-effective for everyone and improve health outcomes for all patients.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I’ve ever received is to listen first — because understanding always comes before being understood. As the saying goes, “You have two ears and one mouth; use them in that proportion.” When you truly listen, you learn what people need, build trust faster and make better decisions. It also helps you catch what’s not being said — the assumptions, concerns and context behind the words. It’s simple, but it changes every conversation.

How do you define success?

I define success by the people you touch and the positive change you help create in their lives. Many define success in terms of achievements, but the real achievement is making a meaningful impact in whatever your role may be. For me, that means investing in people — listening, mentoring and creating opportunities that help others grow. When the people around you are better because you were there, that’s success.