Cynthia J Hecker
June 2025
Cynthia J
Hecker
,
BSN, RN
Administration
University of Washington Medical Center
Seattle
,
WA
United States
Cindy leaves an indelible legacy of excellence in nursing and executive leadership
For over 40 years, Cynthia J. Hecker (Cindy) has had an unparalleled impact on the delivery of healthcare in the Seattle area, and it is my honor to recount some of her significant contributions for your consideration.
After completing nursing school in 1980, Cindy began her career as a Staff Nurse on the General Surgical Acute Care Unit at Harborview Medical Center (HMC). HMC is the only Level 1 trauma center in Washington State and serves trauma patients from Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Cindy quickly rose through the ranks, becoming an Assistant Nurse Manager of the unit just one year after graduation. She then assumed leadership roles with progressively broader spheres of influence, including Nurse Manager, Assistant Administrator of Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).
After serving as CNO for HMC for 11 years, Cindy was selected to lead system integration work for UW Medicine. In this role, she identified and deployed best practices for process improvement across the four-hospital system. Following this, she became the Interim and then permanent CEO for Northwest Hospital and Medical Center. This role was critical, as she led the Northwest team in developing new services and facilitated their full integration into the UW Medicine system.
Cindy was recognized for her strong leadership skills and laser focus on executing process improvements, ensuring that all patient care was delivered with excellence and compassion. When she became the Interim Chief Health Systems Officer, it was immediately clear that Cindy valued honest dialogue and open discussion when making key decisions. She would actively call on quieter team members to ensure that all perspectives and concerns were voiced. Cindy celebrated team successes and consistently pushed everyone to strive for improvements in patient care outcomes, patient experience, and staff and provider engagement.
In 2018, it was decided that Northwest Hospital and UW Medical Center would merge into one hospital. This required an enormous amount of logistical planning involving UW Medicine’s clinical, legal, finance, and supply chain teams. Cindy led these meetings with both efficiency and compassion as teams worked to integrate operations and culture. She cultivated strong relationships across the enterprise, and when the merger took effect on January 1, 2020, it was seamless, serving as a testament to Cindy’s transformational leadership.
Just weeks later, on January 20, 2020, the first patient with COVID-19 in the United States was diagnosed one county away in Snohomish, Washington. Shortly thereafter, UW Medicine opened a Command Center and became a resource for Washington State and the rest of the nation. Cindy worked alongside our teams during this time, spending seven days a week at the medical center as policies and procedures were rapidly developed and widespread training efforts were launched.
There was a pivotal moment in those early months of the pandemic. Like many hospitals, our supply of PPE was limited, and there was great concern that our healthcare teams might not have the protection they needed. Cindy collaborated with UW Medicine’s Chief Medical Officer to pause elective surgeries, which preserved PPE and ensured staff safety. As a result of her leadership and the team’s heroic efforts, no healthcare worker at UWMC lost their life to COVID-19.
Cindy is selfless. She works tirelessly for her team and is available around the clock. Her wide breadth and depth of knowledge are rooted in her extensive career as a nurse leader. She understands the intricacies of clinical care delivery and consistently advocates for what is best for patients and their families. Cindy models transparency and compassion in her communication with team members. Time after time, no matter what the challenge may be—whether a pandemic, census surge, heat wave, or flooding caused by an aging physical plant—Cindy skillfully mobilizes her team to ensure that clinical care remains uninterrupted and that they have the information, tools, and equipment they need.
In summary, Cindy leaves an indelible legacy of excellence in nursing and executive leadership. The UW Medicine nursing community and the entire Puget Sound region owe Cindy a deep debt of gratitude for her exceptional leadership throughout her more than 40-year career.
After completing nursing school in 1980, Cindy began her career as a Staff Nurse on the General Surgical Acute Care Unit at Harborview Medical Center (HMC). HMC is the only Level 1 trauma center in Washington State and serves trauma patients from Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Cindy quickly rose through the ranks, becoming an Assistant Nurse Manager of the unit just one year after graduation. She then assumed leadership roles with progressively broader spheres of influence, including Nurse Manager, Assistant Administrator of Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).
After serving as CNO for HMC for 11 years, Cindy was selected to lead system integration work for UW Medicine. In this role, she identified and deployed best practices for process improvement across the four-hospital system. Following this, she became the Interim and then permanent CEO for Northwest Hospital and Medical Center. This role was critical, as she led the Northwest team in developing new services and facilitated their full integration into the UW Medicine system.
Cindy was recognized for her strong leadership skills and laser focus on executing process improvements, ensuring that all patient care was delivered with excellence and compassion. When she became the Interim Chief Health Systems Officer, it was immediately clear that Cindy valued honest dialogue and open discussion when making key decisions. She would actively call on quieter team members to ensure that all perspectives and concerns were voiced. Cindy celebrated team successes and consistently pushed everyone to strive for improvements in patient care outcomes, patient experience, and staff and provider engagement.
In 2018, it was decided that Northwest Hospital and UW Medical Center would merge into one hospital. This required an enormous amount of logistical planning involving UW Medicine’s clinical, legal, finance, and supply chain teams. Cindy led these meetings with both efficiency and compassion as teams worked to integrate operations and culture. She cultivated strong relationships across the enterprise, and when the merger took effect on January 1, 2020, it was seamless, serving as a testament to Cindy’s transformational leadership.
Just weeks later, on January 20, 2020, the first patient with COVID-19 in the United States was diagnosed one county away in Snohomish, Washington. Shortly thereafter, UW Medicine opened a Command Center and became a resource for Washington State and the rest of the nation. Cindy worked alongside our teams during this time, spending seven days a week at the medical center as policies and procedures were rapidly developed and widespread training efforts were launched.
There was a pivotal moment in those early months of the pandemic. Like many hospitals, our supply of PPE was limited, and there was great concern that our healthcare teams might not have the protection they needed. Cindy collaborated with UW Medicine’s Chief Medical Officer to pause elective surgeries, which preserved PPE and ensured staff safety. As a result of her leadership and the team’s heroic efforts, no healthcare worker at UWMC lost their life to COVID-19.
Cindy is selfless. She works tirelessly for her team and is available around the clock. Her wide breadth and depth of knowledge are rooted in her extensive career as a nurse leader. She understands the intricacies of clinical care delivery and consistently advocates for what is best for patients and their families. Cindy models transparency and compassion in her communication with team members. Time after time, no matter what the challenge may be—whether a pandemic, census surge, heat wave, or flooding caused by an aging physical plant—Cindy skillfully mobilizes her team to ensure that clinical care remains uninterrupted and that they have the information, tools, and equipment they need.
In summary, Cindy leaves an indelible legacy of excellence in nursing and executive leadership. The UW Medicine nursing community and the entire Puget Sound region owe Cindy a deep debt of gratitude for her exceptional leadership throughout her more than 40-year career.