Center for Elders’ Independence Appoints New COO

OAKLAND, California—The Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI) announced the appointment of Maria Lozzano as its new chief operating officer (COO). Lozzano joined CEI’s executive leadership team effective Jan. 12, reporting directly to President and CEO Maria Zamora.

As COO, Lozzano will oversee organizational operations, collaborating with clinical and administrative leaders to enhance operational excellence and support growth.

“I believe senior care’s future depends on leaders who are disciplined about systems and deeply committed to people,” Lozzano said. “Having been raised by my grandparents, this work is personal to me. As COO at CEI, my approach is to be hard on problems and soft on people, building strong, accountable teams and reliable operations that support dignity, independence and trust, so older adults can live safely and purposefully in their communities.”

Lozzano brings more than 20 years of health care experience across value-based care organizations, including Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), home health, hospice, pharmacy and specialty infusion services.

Most recently, Lozzano served as president of pharmacy services at InnovAge, overseeing pharmacy operations and advancing the organization’s enterprise pharmacy strategy across multiple states. She previously held executive roles at InnovAge, including corporate COO and chief business development and operations officer, managing national operations, market development, mergers and acquisitions integration and enterprise oversight.

Earlier in her career, she served as COO at VNA California, leading operational transformation across home health, hospice and palliative care. She also held senior leadership roles within specialty and home infusion pharmacy organizations.

“CEI has experienced significant growth over the past few years, and we eagerly look forward to the continued expansion of our mission,” said Zamora. “As we step into our 44th year of operation, now is the right time to bring a seasoned COO into our organization. I am delighted to have an operations leader of Maria’s caliber join our executive team.”