With more than a decade of experience at VCU Health, Carissa Etters steps into a newly created communications leadership role.

Carissa Etters has been named the inaugural associate vice president for VCU Health Marketing and Communications.

She has been serving as the interim associate vice president of VCU Health Strategy and Marketing since October 2025. This new role reflects a more unified approach to communications, marketing and strategy across VCU Health, bringing together responsibilities previously split across separate leadership positions to better support the organization’s mission, brand and storytelling. 

“Carissa has already made a strong impact through her thoughtful leadership, strategic instincts and commitment to excellence,” said Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health. “She brings people together and understands how to advance our mission through storytelling and brand leadership. We are fortunate to have her in this role.”

Carissa joined VCU in 2014 as public relations manager for VCU Health and has held several leadership roles over her 12-year tenure, including assistant director of Public Affairs and most recently associate vice president of enterprise communications for VCU Health. In her most recent role, she established VCU Health’s executive and internal communications strategy and built a dedicated team focused on strengthening the enterprise brand, enhancing the team member experience and advancing organizational priorities.

“Carissa has brought energy, sound judgment and steady leadership to the interim role over the past five months. I know that will continue with this appointment,” said Grant J. Heston, vice president for Enterprise Marketing and Communications for VCU and VCU Health. “She leads with integrity and a spirit of partnership, while bringing her trademark optimism and good humor to those around her. She’ll keep our momentum moving forward.”

Prior to VCU Health, Carissa held internal communications and media relations roles at Vidant Health (now ECU Health) and spent nearly a decade in broadcast journalism at WNCT, a CBS affiliate in Greenville, North Carolina, where she rose to content brand manager and executive producer.

Carissa received a Bachelor of Science in Communication from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She previously served as an instructor for the Virginia Executive Institute, a committee co-chair with the Society for Healthcare Marketing & Development, and a member of the Executive Committee for the Center for Animal-Human Interaction. Her work has been recognized with multiple Public Relations Society of America Awards of Excellence and Merit, as well as an NCAP Outstanding News Operation award.

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