Health sciences to the C-suite: Karisha Summers’ Highlander journey

Karisha Summers '17 found her calling in leadership long before she held an official title.

After beginning in nursing, the licensed nursing home administrator realized her strengths lay in steering teams and operations. That insight, paired with the healthcare-focused curriculum at Jefferson College of Health (now Radford University Carilion), set her on a fast track. Today, Summers is the administrator of Pine Lodge in Beckley, West Virginia, a Genesis HealthCare facility where she focuses on resident-centered care.

Right after graduation, Summers moved to the Oregon coast for a role she thought would be strictly clinical outreach.

"When I traveled across the country and got my first job, I had the keys and I had the title 'executive director' at the age of 22," she said.

Since then, she has led assisted living, memory care and nursing home facilities, bringing a caring touch and a leader's mindset. Many assume her job is purely clinical, she noted, but the work demands staffing, finance and strategy, which is a blend that keeps residents' well-being at the center while sustaining the organizations that serve them.

The Jefferson-to-Radford transition has only deepened her connection to the Highlander network. Active in alumni chapters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and now Virginia, Summers says the community bridges legacy and opportunity. "I've never felt more welcomed from another college."

Looking ahead, she is excited about growth within the health sciences at Radford, including the expansion of Waldron College. For aspiring leaders, Summers believes, the combination of hands-on experience and a health-science foundation is transformational. The evidence, she says, is in her own path: The education she received "has set me up for success in my career."