By Cynthia Hubert

February 10, 2026

How did Yolanda Richardson parlay a Sacramento State bachelor’s degree in Social Science into a job running a billion-dollar health care agency?

Confidence. A can-do attitude. And a “servant leadership” style that emphasizes collaboration and sharing power.

“It’s never about you or your personal agenda,” said Richardson, chief executive officer of San Francisco Health Plan, which provides affordable medical coverage to more than 180,000 low-income families in the Bay Area. “We are all better together.”

It is a philosophy that has guided Richardson throughout her career.

Prior to taking her current position in 2022, Richardson served in health care roles for various agencies, including Covered California, before becoming secretary of the California Government Operations Center. Just two days into the role in March 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in response to the Covid pandemic.

The governor named Richardson the state’s “vaccine czar,” responsible for helping to transition employees to telework, procuring personal protective equipment, and ensuring that Californians could access Covid tests and receive inoculations against the deadly virus.

Richardson never could have anticipated the task ahead of her.

“Now you are in the middle of a crisis that no one has ever seen before, and you’re responsible for doing everything you can to fix that,” she recalled.

It was overwhelming, but she embraced the challenge. Working days that often stretched to 15 hours, she led a widely praised effort to deliver necessary vaccines and equipment in the state.

The governor’s leadership, and the hard work of medical and community groups across the state, were critical to the effort’s success, Richardson said.

“We were all aligned, we were all focused. We knew our charge, and we came together and got things done,” she said.

In April 2022, Richardson left that position to become CEO of San Francisco Health Plan. It was her second stint at the agency, where she earlier had served as Chief Operations Officer. The plan covers residents who otherwise would be unable to afford health care for themselves and their families.

Throughout her career, Richardson has found herself at conferences and around conference tables with professional peers who had climbed the academic ladder, earning one or more doctoral degrees. Richardson got all she needed from her undergraduate degree and teaching credential from Sac State.

She has risen in her career because she masters her subject, listens carefully to the people she serves, and acts as a “servant leader,” she said.

“You cannot be a good leader if you don’t have a servant heart,” she said. “You have to approach the task with the idea that you’re there to provide something.

“I have things that I am personally passionate about and concerned about, and I try to find ways to make those things work. But at the end of the day, I’m here to serve others, and I think that is what has made me successful.”

Richardson cultivated those values during her upbringing in the tiny town of Weed, in Siskiyou County, and later in Sacramento.

Along with her grandparents, one of her early mentors was a church pastor who preached and demonstrated the importance of caring for others.

“Both of my grandparents would volunteer to do things in the community,” she recalled. “Everyone helped one another. If somebody needed something, everyone showed up to help. I have been able to translate that into the work that I do in urban settings.”

Richardson has gained a reputation as someone who never flinches from a daunting task.

“If Yolanda says she’s going to do something, she’s doggone going to do it,” she said. “If you’re working with her, she’s going to be a good partner. There will be transparency and support.

“I hope that when people talk about me, these are the types of things they say; that they feel my authenticity in wanting to be a servant leader. I strive for that every day.”

Her approach to work also translates into her presence on the state’s Racial Equity Commission, on which she serves with Sac State President Luke Wood. The commission’s goal is to correct past injustices rooted in institutional racism.

“The commission is doing a fantastic job of actually asking people what equity means to them, and then supporting them with the academic resources and other tools that can support their desired outcomes,” she said.

“We will never be able to erase all of the injustices,” she said. “But we can give people the tools and the power to move forward.”

Outside of her career and volunteer work, Richardson indulges her love of wrestling and basketball.

“I love WWE,” she said. “I have a picture of my favorite WWE people over in the corner of my office.”

Both of her children are basketball coaches in Roseville, where they family lives. Both, Richardson said, are considering attending Sac State. She offers a powerful endorsement.

“I have always been so proud of my degree from Sac State,” Richardson said. “I have my Sac State flag, and I drink my coffee every morning out of my Sac State mug. So, yes, I am pitching Sac State. I definitely am a great advertisement.”