Karen Grimley is the Chief Nursing Executive (CNO) for the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Health, leading over 6000 nurses, social workers, pharmacists, chaplains, and clinical support personnel as well as the planning, delivery, and management of all aspects of patient care, including nursing operations, professional practice and development to ensure the delivery of quality care to the health system and the communities served. She also serves as Assistant Dean for the UCLA School of Nursing, responsible for academic service partnerships.

Dr. Grimley chairs the greater Los Angeles March of Dimes. She is a member of the California HealthImpact coalition and of national advisory boards for The Beryl Institute, Press Ganey and Vizient; a member of the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing membership committee; and the Association of California Nurse Leaders healthy work environment committee. Dr. Grimley previously held leadership positions as CNO for University of California-Irvine, Senior Director of Clinical Consulting at Broadlane; and Vice President of Patient Care Services and CNO at Tenet Health.

Dr. Grimley holds a PhD from the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University, an MBA from Anna Maria College and a BSN from Saint Anselm College.