U of A names chief of staff for President Suresh Garimella

Former Pima County deputy administrator and chief medical officer Dr. Francisco Garcia was named chief of staff for the University of Arizona’s president Monday.

UA President Suresh Garimella announced the appointment while highlighting Garcia’s work “creating teams and processes that enabled organizational success for units providing services through Pima County.”

“I will depend on Dr. Garcia’s abilities and partnership as the university community begins an effort to shape, communicate and implement a shared vision for our service to the state of Arizona,” Garimella said in a news release Monday.

Garcia’s position as chief of staff to the president is newly created, combining two former senior administrative roles that will not be filled, said UA spokesperson Mitch Zak.

Zak said the new position includes responsibilities previously managed by Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Jon Dudas and Vice President Craig Henderson. Dudas has retired and Henderson will retire from the UA on Jan. 10.

Garcia will be paid $300,000 a year. Dudas’ salary, by contrast, was $472,570 while Henderson’s was $293,543, Zak confirmed.

Garcia’s responsibilities will include supervising the staff of Garimella’s office, being the primary liaison with the Arizona Board of Regents, and coordinating work among members of Garimella’s senior team. Garimella joined the UA, which is dealing with a budget deficit, on Oct. 1, 2024.

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“President Garimella is the bold leader that the future of the University of Arizona needs at this time. It is an honor to work with him and his leadership team,” Garcia said in the UA’s news release Monday.

“The U of A has immense strengths in its amazing faculty, staff and students, and our role as administrators is to enable their success. I have seen the university’s positive impact both as a faculty member and community partner, and I very much look forward to contributing to its future success.”

Garcia studied at the UA, receiving his bachelor of science in psychology and doctor of medicine degrees there.

He also served as a distinguished outreach professor emeritus in public health and obstetrics and gynecology for 19 years.

In Garcia’s former role as deputy Pima County administrator from 2019 to Jan. 3 this year, his responsibilities included overseeing the Health Department, the Pima County Library System, the Department of Environmental Quality and the Pima Animal Care Center.

His most notable achievement was his leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Pima County news release in December announcing his departure.

Elected a fellow of the National Academy of Medicine in 2023, Garcia is an expert in public health preparedness, border health and women’s reproductive health.

He has also served as a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of Scientific Counselors, after being appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services secretary.