Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News are profiling the McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction honorees daily July 6 through Aug. 9. To see the 2021 McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction awards ceremony, register for free here. For additional profiles of McKnight’s Women of Distinction, visit this page.

Marissa Harth headshot
Marissa Harth

From registered nurse to regional nurse to vice president of clinical reimbursement, Marissa Harth is determined to leave her mark on the nursing home field. In 2012, Harth completed the difficult task of earning her licensed vocational nurse to registered nurse bridge while raising her daughter as a single parent. 

After earning her RN degree, Harth worked in various roles in the industry until she became vice president of clinical reimbursement at Summit in 2017. As VP, she has overseen the company’s massive growth — it nearly doubled in size in the past two years. She also facilitated two hurricane evacuations since starting at Summit LTC Management, as well as managed COVID-19 safety precautions. During the pandemic in 2020, she developed company policies and systems from the ground up and was able to avoid any large spikes in losses that year.

Over the past year and half, Harth is credited with putting staff members’ and residents’ needs above her own. On Christmas day in 2020, after learning that a few members of the staff had been infected with the virus at a facility four hours away, Harth decided to drive to the facility to assemble a team to take the place of the affected staff members, to prevent residents catching the virus from staff.

Beyond the pandemic, Harth’s devotion to her work, residents and Summit is apparent to others. Her co-workers have said she always strives to do the right thing and that she has blessed countless lives as a nurse, mother, friend, manager and board member.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. The program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare, and the Roundtable Sponsor is Paycor.