Latina leadership in healthcare Los Angeles highlights how community-rooted leadership is expanding access, shaping policy, and building pathways for the next generation.
Sandra Rossato didn’t come to Clínica Romero looking for her next move. She showed up during a transition, stepping in to support the Executive Director as a favor to a friend. It was supposed to be temporary.
Fifteen years later, she’s still here. “I wasn’t planning to stay,” she says.
What was meant to be a short assignment as Executive Assistant to the Executive Director became something much more. Her commitment and hard work, paid off later as she later became the HR Director, and subsequently Sandra was appointed as an Interim Executive Director, a position she held until April 30, 2018. Eight years later she’s the Chief Strategy Officer.
At the time, she had already built a strong career. On paper, stepping into an Executive Assistant role didn’t necessarily make sense. But something about Clínica Romero felt different the moment she walked in. Familiar. Grounded. Like home.
Long before joining the organization, Sandra understood what it meant to live without access, not just to healthcare, but to information, support, and direction.
There’s a moment from her childhood that never left her. Her mom had been in an accident, injured, bleeding, shaken. Instead of going to a hospital, she treated herself at home with what she had. Sandra remembers standing there, watching, unsure, carrying that feeling of not knowing what to do or where to turn.
“I remember not knowing what to do.”
Years later, walking into Clínica Romero, she saw that same reality in the patients being served every day.
That’s when it stopped being just a role. It became personal.
Why Clínica Matters
“I found a place that felt like home.”
Sandra didn’t come in looking for purpose, but she found it anyway. And not in a straight line.
She stepped into whatever the organization needed, when it needed it:
- Executive Assistant
- HR Director
- Executive Director
- Interim Chief Operating Officer
- Board President
- Chief of Staff & Chief Strategy Officer
“I’ve stepped into what the organization has needed and made sure it kept moving.”
Today, as Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer, Sandra is the right hand to the CEO and works closely with him, helping translate his vision into action, align priorities, and ensure the organization continues to grow in a way that reflects its mission and the needs of the community.
A lot of her work happens behind the scenes. But you feel it everywhere. Her leadership has evolved alongside the organization itself, from supporting leadership to helping shape it.
She’s also intentional about who comes up behind her. Sandra creates space, brings people into the room, and makes sure opportunities don’t stay out of reach for the next generation of women leaders.
Why the Community Needs This Work
“It’s an honor to serve this community,” Sandra says, especially as a first-generation Salvadoran woman.
She’s often in rooms where decisions are being made, and she’s thinking about who else needs to be in them.
Not later. Now. She wants the next generation to look at Clínica Romero and see themselves there. Not as an exception, but as part of what’s possible.
Because for Sandra, leadership isn’t about getting to the top alone. It’s about who you bring with you.
At Clínica Romero, the work is deeply personal. “For many of us, this work is not abstract. It’s lived.” That shows up in how people care, how they listen, and how they show up for the community.
Sandra’s proudest moment wasn’t a title. It was building the right team and watching them grow. She also helped lead Clínica Romero’s expansion from two clinics to six, increasing access for thousands of families.
“That moment felt extraordinary,” she says. Not just because of the growth, but because of what it made possible.
Why It Feels Different Here
What makes Clínica Romero different isn’t something you can train.
“We understand,” Sandra says. It’s lived. It’s seen. It’s personal. And that changes everything.
Sandra describes herself in one word: Orchestrator.
“I don’t just support. I align. I identify. I execute.”
She sees how everything connects and makes sure it moves forward with clarity and intention.
Her advice is simple:
If you’re stepping into a career or leadership role, decide if you’re all in. If you’re not, pivot. If you are, move. Stay aware. Go after opportunities. Be intentional about who you connect with.
And don’t take no for an answer.
