Member Spotlights
One of the key reasons CAPA has grown and thrived over the past 50 years is our members. This page is dedicated to CAPA members, past and present, who have contributed to the evolution of CAPA and helped bring so many successes to fruition.
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CAPA Leader Spotlight: Cyndy Flores, PA-C
Airanna Campbell, DMSc, MPH, PA-C, CAQ-EM, DFAAPA | CAPA President (2026-2027)
About Cyndy
Cyndy Flores served as CAPA President in the late 1990s, and her impact on CAPA, on PAs in California, on PAs across the US, and on my own career, has been enormous. I had the privilege of interviewing Cyndy as part of CAPA 50th Anniversary activities, and it was inspiring to learn about her various roles in leadership as well as her takeaways from her time in leadership.
From the Pool to the Boardroom
Cyndy excelled in leadership at CAPA. It is interesting to note that her CAPA leadership journey started when she was with friends enjoying time at the pool at the CAPA conference in Palm Springs. A current board member suggested she go to the board meeting to learn more about CAPA leadership, and she never looked back after that (and coincidentally never got as much time at the pool). Quickly thereafter she ran for Secretary, and then eventually became President in 1998-1999. At that time, she and the CAPA BOD successfully fought for changes to the PA Act to enable PAs in California to obtain DEA numbers. She continued as CME Committee Chair for quite some time thereafter, sustaining robust and well-attended CAPA conferences.
Opening Doors at Vituity
Cyndy also helped to pioneer PA practice as we know it at Vituity, which is a very large multispecialty medical partnership in the United States, partnering with hospitals to deliver high-quality, patient-centered acute care with physicians working side by side with PAs. At Vituity, Cyndy was awarded the Service Excellence award and was the first non-Physician to receive this prestigious award. She also served as the first Senior Director of Advanced Practice, a position she continued for many years. In her role as Senior Director, she set the foundation for Vituity to be awarded Employer of the Year for PAs. She notes that of all the awards she received, the one for which she is most proud was to be recognized with Dr. Elaine Nelson as National MD/PA of the Year.
As Mentor and Role Model
On a personal note, Cyndy volunteered to be my preceptor in 1999. She was CAPA President at the time. She had great influence on my clinical practice and on my vision of leadership. There have been various times I have reached out to Cyndy for guidance throughout my 27-year career. She made an impression on me early in my career when I ran into her at a CAPA conference and she suggested I move into Emergency Medicine. She provided guidance for me many years later when I was looking to get more involved at CAPA and in healthcare leadership in general.
“Every major advancement our profession has made in California—from legislative changes and regulatory improvements to protecting our scope of practice and creating new opportunities—has required years of advocacy, relationship-building, and persistence. Those changes don't just happen on their own.
I think one of the biggest things California PAs need to understand is that CAPA is their voice. The profession we enjoy today wasn't given to us—it was built by PAs who chose to get involved. CAPA is how we continue building it for those who come after us.”
It's About the People
Cyndy has also been a mentor in my preparation to serve as CAPA President this year. Her reflections on her journey in leadership will stick with me. She states the most important thing is and has always been “about the people”. She mentions the importance of Mike Scarano, our previous CAPA lawyer, on our ability to practice as we do today. She mentions Gaye Breyman and the enormous impact Gaye has had on CAPA over the years. We talked about the special MD/PA relationship with Dr. Elaine Nelson that helped define real collaboration with physicians. And she talks about the endless support of her husband, Pat van Mullem, with whom she was traveling the country in a camper van while we talked.
Be More Like Cyndy
There is so much to learn from Cyndy and her distinguished career. At CAPA, we should be inviting people in, like Cyndy was invited to join from the pool. Great things, life-changing things happen at CAPA conferences; we should make sure to attend as often as we can. Most importantly, we need each other, as PAs in California, to go after the things that matter. Cyndy inspired me to go after positions that have not been carved out for PAs, to lead through positivity and connection, and to always look to lift others up and invite others in. These lessons have shaped my own career, and I feel honored to share some of her story with CAPA membership.
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