University Medical Center of El Paso is handing the keys to its day-to-day operations to one of its own, elevating longtime operations chief Maria Zampini to the role of chief executive officer as part of an internal restructuring. The move shifts frontline hospital leadership, while the El Paso County Hospital District retains a separate president and CEO, and the reorganization is aimed at aligning leadership across the district's hospital and affiliated entities.
In a press release, the hospital district described the move as an organizational restructuring and announced Zampini's promotion on April 17, 2026, according to KTSM. The release notes that Zampini, a native El Pasoan and Coronado High School graduate, has been a key leader at UMC for more than 30 years and has served as the hospital's chief operating officer since 2013.
UTEP's biography of Zampini underscores the operational portfolio she now brings to the CEO chair, highlighting her responsibility for facility renovations, bond construction projects, and clinic operations. The university notes she "successfully completed over $500 million in expansion projects" and helped open several large outpatient healthcare centers, according to UTEP.
Restructure Arrives Amid Major Expansion Work
The appointment lands as UMC presses ahead with bond-funded upgrades and new service lines, a roughly $396.6 million package voters approved in 2024 to build a cancer center, expand critical-care capacity, and add other services. UMC's communications have framed the capital program as central to the hospital's strategic priorities, per UMC Cares.
Who Reports to Whom
Under the new structure, Zampini will report to R. Jacob Cintron, who will remain president and chief executive officer of the El Paso County Hospital District. The district's administration listing shows Cintron as president and CEO and Zampini as the senior operations executive overseeing hospital operations, according to the El Paso County Hospital District.
Hospital leaders have framed the change as an internal alignment designed to sharpen operational oversight at UMC while the district continues to manage systemwide strategy, according to KTSM. District officials said they plan to share additional details with staff and the public as the reorganization moves forward.
