Daniel Gross

Year Graduated: 1988

Major: Nursing

Job Title: Executive Vice President, Hospital Operations, Sharp HealthCare

Daniel Gross (’88) started with the not-for-profit organization in 1979 as a clinical nurse and had served with the organization in many capacities on his way to the position of Executive Vice President of Hospital Operations.

He has been committed to health care for the last 43 years and that commitment is about caring for people and having a mission that everyone receives quality care. For Gross, at this time, given his history, he felt that he was in a position to provide value for Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, and the state. He couldn’t walk away at a time of greater need.

In his consultant role, Gross ensures that Sharp HealthCare’s facilities and staff are organized and coordinated for care and treatment of patients under investigation for COVID-19 and those who have tested positive for the illness. That includes preparation for accommodating an extraordinary patient volume if necessary.

Gross’s SDSU master’s degree was critical in terms of building his leadership and business knowledge as well as helping his critical thinking, his research knowledge and his ability to be analytical and evidence-based in decision-making. For him, it was that great combination of all those things coming together to help make him an effective leader, and not just for leadership within nursing, but really effective leadership for the entire health care system.

It’s one of the reasons he stays connected to the university as an adjunct faculty member and a member of The Campanile Foundation board of directors. “I have the greatest admiration and respect for San Diego State,” Gross said.

“I see the university as an amazing organization that brings immeasurable value to this community in preparing individuals academically to make certain we stay strong as a community, specifically relating to health care. Without San Diego State, we would not have the amazing workforce we have today.”