Raymond P. Vara, Jr.

Raymond P. Vara, Jr. is the 2021-23 chairperson of the board of the American Heart Association (AHA). He previously served as treasurer of the Association from 2015-18.

Vara is president and chief executive officer of Hawai‘i Pacific Health in Honolulu, Hawaii where his responsibilities include executive oversight of Straub Medical Center, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Pali Momi Medical Center and Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai. Prior to joining Hawaii Pacific Health in 2002 as Executive Vice President & CEO of Operations, Vara served as CEO at Los Alamos Medical Center, a member of Banner Health System in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

As chairperson of the Board of Directors, Vara is the chief volunteer officer responsible for the oversight of the business affairs of the AHA and presides over meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Vara has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2011 and is current chair of the AHA Business Solutions Oversight Committee, a member of the Audit Committee, and was the 2015-18 chairperson of the Corporate Operations Coordinating Committee and Budget Review Subcommittee. He served as the 2009-11 chairman of the Association’s former Pacific Mountain Affiliate.

Vara holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Hawaii Pacific University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.