Jackson Health System CEO Carlos Migoya to step down May 31, 2026; David Zambrana chosen successor

Leadership transition set for Miami-Dade’s public health system

Jackson Health System’s longtime chief executive, Carlos A. Migoya, has announced he will step down effective May 31, 2026, marking the end of a tenure that began in May 2011. During a meeting of the Public Health Trust, the system’s governing body, trustees voted unanimously to appoint David Zambrana—currently Jackson’s president and chief operating officer—as the next chief executive.

Jackson is Miami-Dade County’s taxpayer-owned public health system and a nonprofit academic medical system governed by the Public Health Trust on behalf of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. The network is anchored by Jackson Memorial Hospital and includes additional hospitals and specialty facilities, as well as urgent care centers, clinics, physician practices, and long-term care services.

What is known about the successor

Zambrana has been serving as Jackson’s president and chief operating officer and has worked alongside Migoya for more than six years. His clinical career began at Jackson Memorial Hospital, including work as a bedside nurse at Ryder Trauma Center. Over the course of his career, he has held senior leadership positions across both public and private health systems, including prior chief executive roles at University of Miami Hospital and at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

The appointment means Jackson will not undertake an extended national search process for this transition, opting instead for an internal executive who has already been operating within the system’s top leadership structure.

Context: governance and scale

Jackson Health System traces its origins to June 25, 1918, when Miami City Hospital opened. Over the decades, it expanded into one of the nation’s largest public healthcare networks, operating a major safety-net function for residents regardless of ability to pay, while also supporting academic medicine through a flagship partnership with the University of Miami.

• Governing body: Public Health Trust (citizen volunteer trustees acting on behalf of Miami-Dade County government).

• Core role: public safety-net and academic medical services for Miami-Dade County.

• System footprint: flagship Jackson Memorial Hospital plus multiple community and specialty facilities and outpatient sites.

What happens next

Migoya is expected to remain connected to Jackson in an advisory and ambassador capacity after leaving the chief executive role. The leadership change comes as Jackson continues to operate in an environment shaped by ongoing operational demands typical of large public systems, including resource constraints and service-line decisions that have drawn community attention in recent years.

The transition is scheduled, with Zambrana set to assume chief executive duties after Migoya’s last day on May 31, 2026.

Jackson’s executive team structure already identifies Zambrana as the system’s president and chief operating officer, positioning him to lead day-to-day operations during the remaining months of Migoya’s tenure and to maintain continuity when the transition takes effect.