Melissa Miller Christman - MHA, MBA
Melissa Miller Christman, MHA, MBA, is a healthcare executive and senior living leader with more than two decades of experience in the assisted living industry. She currently serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of NuCare Senior Living LLC, a company focused on partnering with owners and investment groups to improve the quality, compliance, and operational efficiency of senior living communities. Since entering the senior living field in 2000, Melissa has built a reputation for strengthening struggling organizations, reducing staff turnover, and helping communities meet regulatory compliance while maintaining high standards of resident care.
Before launching NuCare Senior Living, Melissa held leadership roles across multiple assisted living organizations throughout Wisconsin. She began her career as a community director and quickly gained recognition for her ability to turn around underperforming communities, improving operations, increasing census, and stabilizing staffing. Over time, she was frequently recruited to help facilities facing regulatory challenges or operational issues, where she implemented effective systems and strengthened teams to achieve long-term stability and compliance. Earlier in her career, Melissa also worked as a firefighter EMT, an experience that helped shape her approach to healthcare leadership and resident care.
In addition to her executive work, Melissa serves on the board of the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association, supporting facilities across the state through advocacy and education. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Ashford University and a Master’s Certification in Health Care Leadership from Cornell University. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to improving the quality of life for seniors and supporting the caregivers who serve them, while continuing to innovate within the senior living industry.
• Certified Firefighter/EMT
• Cornell University- Master's
• Ashford University- M.B.A.
• Upper Iowa University- Bachelor's
• Award for Being One of the Best Communities in the Madison Metro Area
• Wisconsin Assisted Living Association Board Member
What do you attribute your success to?
I was raised by my grandparents, and hard work was always instilled with us. I think I would contribute it back to that. We were always raised to be thankful to have a job and thankful to have an income, and I've just always been a hard worker. I love what I do, so it isn't necessarily work sometimes. Again, it's few and far between, I think, when you meet people like that today. It's definitely different generations, but yeah, I would contribute that back to just how I was raised.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice Melissa has received is to stay curious and always ask questions. She believes continuous learning—from both personal experiences and the people around you—is essential, especially when working in complex industries like healthcare and senior services.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say it definitely has its challenges. I would say to them, ask questions. Ask a lot of questions, because this is one of those careers where you're constantly learning. I would say to them that it's definitely hard work, but it is a reward like no other.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think some of the biggest challenges that I face are dealing with people. You're dealing with a large pool of different people in the workforce that we employ, and I think that is the biggest burnout and the biggest challenge that I would say we face. On the opportunities side, I definitely think some of the opportunities are learning how to evolve with what senior living is, because what senior living is today isn't what it was even 5 years ago. So, I think, as we grow and people need more care, and their health declines faster than it has before, it's definitely an opportunity to view how we manage things and how we care for people.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Most important to me is making sure that I am working very hard to change how we see senior living and definitely ensuring that the residents we have are taken care of, not just with us, but across the board. I'm really looking forward to changing how senior living is and connecting with other people, even in other states, that feel the exact same way. I want to make sure that while I'm here and my time is here, I'm connecting with other people that can help change what things look like today. The seniors I work with are great people, amazing people, and I think they really bring a lot of value and knowledge and education to a world that is so different than how they were raised and how they grew up. The morals that they carry and the dignity, I just don't think it's something we necessarily see today. It's inevitable that all of us are going to be in this position one way or another, and I just want to make sure that while I'm here and my time is here, I'm connecting with other people that can help change what things look like today.