UC Davis Health announces Jason Nietupski as new Executive Director of Design, Planning and Development

UC Davis Health is pleased to announce that Jason Nietupski has joined the health system on July 6 as its new Executive Director of Design, Planning and Development.

This position, previously held by Joel Swift until his retirement in April, provides essential leadership and expertise for the entire planning and design of the Capital Improvement Program, overseeing the departments of Facilities Design and Construction, Facilities Planning, and Facilities Expansion.

Nietupski comes to UC Davis Health with more than 26 years of experience managing large capital and facilities programs for hospitals and health care systems throughout the U.S. Most recently, he was Executive Director for Kaiser Permanente’s National Facilities Services, Mid-Atlantic States region, with a capital portfolio that includes 500 active design and construction projects.

With Kaiser Permanente planning to invest $4 billion to replace and add dozens of new medical centers throughout the region, Nietupski implemented an innovative planning and design approach to reduce design and construction duration and lower costs.

“Jason comes to us at a perfect time in our health system’s evolution,” said Tim Maurice, UC Davis Health Chief Financial Officer. “As we enter a period of growth and progress – in physical space and in mission – to meet the health care needs of our communities, Jason’s skills and experience will be tremendous assets. We’re thrilled that he’s joining our leadership team.”

Prior to Kaiser Permanente, Nietupski was the Director, Office of Facilities Planning and Development at the Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, where he managed the largest capital construction and capital lease portfolio in the history of the VA, comprising more than 150 active construction projects valued at $2.5 billion.

For Nietupski, who spent 17 years at VA Palo Alto Health Care System, a return to the West Coast is like a homecoming.

“While a native of Massachusetts, I always considered Northern California my home,” he explained. “Relocating to Sacramento is an amazing opportunity for my family to return to California.”

Professionally, Nietupski said he’s excited to collaborate on transforming the built environment across UC Davis Health and “implementing an ambitious capital program.”

“I hope we can adopt some of the same design concepts, which I implemented at both VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Kaiser Permanente, to reduce project cost and increase speed to market,” Nietupski said. “I look forward to working with the talented teams at UC Davis Health to deliver innovative results for our communities.”