Heather Johnson
Heather Johnson, MBA is a Business Development Manager at Select Medical, where she leads community outreach, referral relationship development, and strategic growth initiatives across Northeastern annd Central Indiana market. In her role, she serves as a connector between healthcare providers, community organizations, and patients—aligning resources with need and strengthening partnerships that elevate care delivery. Known for her collaborative approach and brand ambassadorship, Johnson prioritizes mutually beneficial relationships and sustainable growth strategies that support both clinical excellence and operational success. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare, Johnson began her career on the clinical side as a medical assistant and phlebotomist before advancing into nursing and teaching clinicals. Over time, her natural leadership abilities led her into administrative and management roles, including surgery coordinator, clinic manager, and business development leader within healthcare staffing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she played a pivotal role in scaling a newly acquired staffing firm from approximately $100,000 in annual revenue to more than $1.5 million in under four months, reaching $8.5 million by the 2nd year, and expanding operations across Indiana, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina. She later launched an independent healthcare consulting practice, helping senior living and home health organizations reduce agency dependency, improve census growth, and strengthen marketing performance—achieving client lead close rates as high as 92 percent and rapid census growth. Johnson holds a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from Western Governors University and previously studied nursing at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Her professional philosophy is grounded in growth mindset leadership, adaptability, and practical problem-solving, blending clinical insight with business acumen. Recognized for her impact, she has been selected for inclusion in the Influential Women 100 list for 2026. Whether hosting healthcare networking initiatives like “Stronger Together,” supporting local community partnerships, or building referral alliances, Johnson remains driven by a simple principle: when partners thrive, communities grow stronger—and everyone succeeds together.
• CPR/AED/First Aid
• Western Governors University
What do you attribute your success to?
I definitely attribute my success to having the grit to push through the hard things - I've overcome so many. You've got to have a growth mindset, looking to control what you can control, accept what you can't, and then how are you going to find your path through those obstacles and be productive. I think fostering that growth mindset has been a game changer for anywhere that I've lead a team and left that impact. Fostering that growth mindset in my teams has been one of my biggest achievements. I'm very proud of being able to build amazing, efficient teams across different environments or cultures where there's not that cohesiveness; Breaking things down to find out where the deficits are, finding solutions and get the team all rowing the same direction, everybody getting along, everyone seeing the goals, understanding the why.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the ophthalmologists I worked for years ago, Dr. Barbara Schrader, saw something in me before I could see it and put me in a clinical leadership role when they really needed one. She taught me so much about mindfulness, especially when you're in a clinical setting. Things can get tense when you're short-staffed, have a bunch of people to take care of, and you've got to do it with a smile even when everything's falling apart around you. She taught me so much about how to be present, curious, and to always be learning. She taught me about the judger pit and emotional bank accounts; making transactions with people, and making sure that our interactions were not gonna just withdrawals, but also making meaningful deposits.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be teachable. Set goals - they're so important to have a direction. Be adaptable, so you can pivot anytime you find this isn't my path, or you're not satisfied with a direction you thought you wanted to go.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Relationships are very important to me, and they have to be mutual. I don't want to only be the one benefiting, I want to see how I can help you. When I'm working with referral partners, I focus on finding out what they need, getting their needs met, and then also asking them, what can I do to help elevate your business? If they're successful, I'm going to be successful, and if I'm helping them, that helps secure trust. I'm not just looking to get my needs met, I'm also looking to meet theirs as well.
In my personal life, when I'm not working, I love shopping and traveling - I like exploring other cultures and getting to know people and understand what their challenges are, and just be more worldly. Too often we get stuck in our bubble and get comfortable, and we forget that there are real struggles out there that we could never understand. I've raised my kids to be that way as well. My two daughters are adults now, and we're really close. I pride myself on that - again, it's just building relationships. My husband and I spend any time we can with them, and we try to do something at least once a month to connect and catch up on life.