Spotlight on Women in Healthcare Leadership: Maija Williams
- Lauren Zebro
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
In this edition of Everly’s Women in Healthcare Leadership Spotlight Series, we sit down with Maija Williams, Chief Operating Officer of The Rockefeller University Hospital. With over 25 years in healthcare spanning community health, public health, and executive leadership, Maija has built a career that reflects both remarkable depth and steady progression.
What sets Maija apart is the through line connecting her earliest work in HIV prevention and community health education to her leadership today, a deep, unwavering commitment to service. Her story is one of intentional growth, purpose-centered leadership, and the ability to evolve while staying grounded in what matters most.
Career Beginnings & Finding Her Path
What first inspired you to pursue healthcare, particularly starting in community health and education?
“What inspired me to pursue a career in healthcare was my passion to serve. I like to say I have a servant heart.”
From a young age, Maija knew she wanted to work in healthcare initially setting her sights on becoming a doctor. But a pivotal moment during her junior year of college changed everything. Sitting in an organic chemistry class, she had what she describes as an epiphany: she wanted healthcare, but not medicine.
Shaken, she walked to her next class, Africana Studies, and confided in her professor.
“She said, ‘Have you ever considered public health?’ And I had no idea what public health was. I said, ‘What’s that?’ And she said, ‘Research it.’”
She did and found her path. Public health’s breadth and focus on the whole person aligned perfectly with how she was wired.
“I chose community health education because it didn’t limit me in terms of what I could do. It was broad and focused on the whole, not just one discrete discipline.”
Leadership Journey & Pivotal Moments
What were some pivotal moments that shaped your path to becoming COO?
A defining turning point came in 2006, when Maija was asked to step into a newly created Administrative Director role at The Rockefeller University Hospital and its Center for Clinical and Translational Science. She wasn’t actively seeking a new opportunity but recognized what this role represented.
“That transition moved me from being a strong functional manager to being the person ultimately responsible for how the entire research hospital operated on a day-to-day basis.”
She suddenly owned multimillion-dollar budgets, led large multidisciplinary teams, and became the primary liaison to regulatory bodies and national research organizations.
“Navigating that role showed me that I was not just supporting senior leaders, I was capable of being one. It felt like a natural progression rather than a leap.”
Leading with Purpose
How have your early experiences in HIV prevention and public health influenced your leadership style today?
“My early work in HIV prevention and community health is, I like to say, really the foundation of how I lead today.”
At Settlement Health and Medical Services in East Harlem, Maija designed HIV prevention and health education programs, managed grants, and led frontline outreach teams. The work demanded something that has stayed with her ever since.
“That work taught me to lead with equity, cultural humility, and deep listening because programs only worked when they were co-created with the communities we serve, grounded in data and not assumptions.”
It also shaped her into a systems thinker early in her career connecting program design, funding, and measurable outcomes while staying responsive to real-world needs.
Today, she carries that same mindset into executive leadership, aligning strategy with impact and ensuring that the voices most affected remain part of the decision-making process.
Balancing Strategy & Execution
How do you balance strategic vision with day-to-day execution?
“I think of my role as both the architect and the general contractor.”
As the architect, Maija translates institutional priorities into clear operational, financial, and workforce plans. As the general contractor, she stays closely connected to execution leading daily check-ins with her team to monitor performance, address challenges, and make real-time decisions.
“Sometimes they last five minutes, sometimes they last an hour. This is where we identify issues early, make decisions, and keep things moving.”
She is equally intentional about prioritization ensuring new initiatives move forward without disrupting core operations.
“Compliance, quality, and equity are built into the work from the start. That balance of clear direction, follow-through, and transparent communication is what allows me to deliver on both strategy and day-to-day performance.”
Growth, Longevity & Staying Inspired
What has kept you motivated and growing within the same institution for nearly two decades?
For Maija, the answer lies in both the work and the environment.
“The scope of the work has continually expanded in ways that keep me challenged and engaged.”
Equally meaningful is the culture at Rockefeller, an environment where collaboration and curiosity thrive.
“I love that you can walk on campus and see a Nobel Prize winner and have a real conversation. How’s your family? What are you working on next?”
That alignment between mission and personal values has made it easy to stay committed over time.
“They say time flies when you’re having fun and here I am, still having fun.”
Leadership Insights
What skill do you think every healthcare leader should have?
“The most important skill is the ability to lead clearly and calmly in complex, multidisciplinary environments.”
For Maija, that means bringing diverse voices together, making thoughtful, data-informed decisions, and maintaining focus on patients, staff, and outcomes.
“When leaders do that consistently, they build trust, alignment, and real momentum in the organization.”
What advice would you give to early-career professionals especially women who aspire to leadership roles in healthcare administration?
“My advice would be to network, seek mentorship, and peer-to-peer mentorship. You’d be surprised what that does.”
But she’s clear that networking must go beyond surface-level connections.
“Build relationships not just LinkedIn connections. Have real conversations. That’s how you build your network so you can build your net worth.”
She also emphasizes the importance of sponsorship, not just mentorship, as a critical factor in career growth.
Getting to Know Maija
If you could host a dinner party with three people living or not who would you invite?
Maija’s list came easily: Barack Obama (“I would love to talk books, music, community organizing, and sports, nothing political, that is all I would want to talk about”), Prince (“I’m a lover of music I would invite Prince and just listen to his creative mind”), and the late poet and activist Nikki Giovanni. “I would love to hear her tell stories and maybe even engage in a poetry slam with her.”
A fitting choice: Maija delivered her own 2024 TED talk on healthcare as a right entirely in poetry slam form. When organizers told her it had never been done that way, she replied: “That’s the only way I’m going to memorize it.”
What’s a book that has recently inspired you?
Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less by Tiffany Dufu a reflection on balance and redefining productivity.
She’s also reading Successful Women Think Differently by Valerie Burton a reflection on resilience, identity, and building a personal brand.
Planning or instinct?
“I’m a planner. I’m an organizer. I plan all my family vacations, trips, date nights, group date nights you want it done, I plan it. I even plan the drinks because I’m the mixologist.”
She leads the same way but always leaves room for spontaneity. Her friends, she laughs, always wait for the Excel spreadsheet. “I do love a good ‘you only live once.’ I’m a time-and-place person if the time and place calls for it, I will do it. But I will try my best to think, process, strategize, and then execute.”
If you weren’t in healthcare leadership, what would you be doing instead?
Spin instructor without hesitation. Maija loves spinning and actually took a course to find out what it takes.
“I was like, oh my God, this is hard work. They make it look so easy on Peloton.”
She deeply admires her friend who built Harlem Cycle into three studios across Harlem and New Jersey, and marvels at the artistry behind curating a great class.
What keeps you grounded?
“For me, meditation. I definitely try to meditate almost every morning, it helps set my tone for the day.”
Maija works out six days a week always before waking her son, protecting that time as her own. She also belongs to a weekly women’s group that meets every Monday at 6:15 AM for a 10-minute grounding check-in, reading a passage together that sets the tone for the week. On weeks when the group can’t meet, members send the passage to each other to stay accountable.
“Always make sure you take time to keep yourself grounded daily. I think that’s really important.”
Do you believe in the supernatural?
“I believe there are supernatural spirits out there. Sometimes I think they are seen, but we choose to ignore them for fear of being labeled.”
Maija describes the inner moral compass she feels when making decisions a quiet but unmistakable sense of guidance.
“I always say I have that good cop, bad cop on my shoulder. Somebody’s giving you something and where it’s coming from definitely has to be from some sort of supernatural, spiritual being that either knows you or is getting to know you.”
A Motto to Live By
“My motto is: Use your tools and talents to build your community and leave a legacy of service your ancestors would be proud of.
I serve in my career and in my community because I believe that the service you put in on this earth is the foundation for success both professionally and personally and ultimately shapes who you are as a leader.”
Final Thoughts
Maija Williams’ story highlights the power of leadership rooted in service, equity, and an unwavering sense of purpose. From community health education in East Harlem to executive leadership at one of the world’s leading research hospitals, her journey demonstrates how mission-driven work at every level builds the foundation for lasting impact.
At every stage of her career, Maija returns to what matters most: the communities she serves, the people she leads, and the legacy she is building. Her story is a powerful reminder that healthcare leadership is strongest when it is grounded not just in strategy but in service, purpose, and heart.
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