Paulette Anest, DNP, RN, CENP, NEA-BC
Healthcare Executive & Workforce Strategy Leader
Caritas Colleague
Paulette Anest, DNP, RN, CENP, NEA-BC, is a highly accomplished nurse executive with extensive experience leading clinical operations, quality improvement, workforce strategy, and patient-centered care within complex healthcare systems. She has held senior leadership roles in both hospital and corporate healthcare environments, driving large-scale operational transformations, ensuring regulatory excellence, and developing innovative care delivery models.
Paulette is highly regarded for her ability to enhance clinician readiness, improve patient outcomes, and provide effective leadership during periods of both growth and crisis. She possesses substantial expertise in aligning healthcare operations with the broader needs of the community, fostering trusted partnerships, and translating the organization’s mission, data, and strategy into actionable initiatives. Furthermore, she actively engages in advancing the nursing profession through board service, scholarly contributions, and leadership development. Her leadership portfolio includes enterprise operations, regulatory preparedness, professional development, and client engagement, underscored by a proven track record of guiding organizations through significant transformations.
Paulette is a strategic advisor on board governance for the Nurses on Boards Coalition and serves on the board of Home Start, Inc supporting the Audit and Philanthropy Committees. Her dedication to health policy and equity is demonstrated through volunteer advocacy with Women’s Health Advocates, including service on their Maternal Health and
Menopause Committees. Community service is a core value for her family. She is the ministry lead for Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve (FOCUS) at her parish, Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, supporting people experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
Paulette earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the MGH Institute of Health Professions, an MSN from UCLA, and a BSN from The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She is board-certified as a Nurse Executive Advanced (NEA-BC) and as a Certified Executive Nursing Practice (CENP).
Paulette enjoys living in San Diego, California, with her daughter Kathryn, who attends middle school and is a competitive gymnast. She also enjoys traveling, exploring the arts, spending time in nature with her Aussiedoodle, Denver, practicing yoga, gardening, making Greek cuisine, and entertaining family and friends with Eleven Eleven Wine from Napa Valley.