Dr. Nicole Barnett was named Planned Parenthood Northern California’s (PPNorCal) President and Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2025. Her roots with the organization are deep, having spent a year as Chief Operating Officer, and seven years on the board of directors, including three years as chair of the board. She is especially thankful to Planned Parenthood Fairfield for hosting her as a student preceptee during her training as a sexual assault response nurse, early in her career.
Before joining PPNorCal, Dr. Barnett held key leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente, including COO/Chief Nursing Executive of Richmond Medical Center and Regional Director of Nursing for Northern California. She led major health equity initiatives, focusing on equitable, accessible care and community outreach to underserved populations. Dr. Barnett has a long history of supporting local schools of nursing and public health in the Bay Area. She has been a member of the nursing school faculty at the College of Marin since 2017, teaching medical-surgical clinicals, the preceptorship and leadership. She is also committed to advancing health equity and highlighting the unique role of the nurse in ensuring culturally responsive care. For her efforts, she was the recipient of the Daisy Health Equity award in 2024. Dr. Barnett studied biology at Oberlin College, earned her registered nursing (RN) education from Contra Costa College, a Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) and MBA from CSU Dominguez Hills, and a Doctor of Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University.
