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Tickets now available for Honoring Mason Nurses to be held on April 28 at Fairfax Country Club.

Mason alumna Melissa Harvey, MSPH, BSN, RN, assistant vice president for Enterprise Emergency Operations for HCA Healthcare, will be the keynote speaker at event on April 28. The event will recognize the achievements and impact of Mason School of Nursing graduates, like Harvey, for all they do to support the health and well-being of Northern Virginia residents and beyond.

“Melissa is a Proud Patriot and we are looking forward to welcoming her back to Mason recognize her accomplishments and the contributions of all Mason nurses,” said interim Director of the School of Nursing Cheryl Oetjen. “Melissa embodies the values of a Mason nurse. She has an extensive background in nurse management and emergency preparedness, which uniquely positions her to share insights on the resiliency of nurses, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the future might hold for the profession as a whole.”

The College is excited to welcome back Harvey and all graduates, students, and friends of the School of Nursing at this event.

Harvey is also an advisor to the COVID Commission Planning Group, which is preparing the way forward for a nonpartisan National COVID Commission that could be initiated by the White House. In her current role at HCA Healthcare, Harvey is responsible for advancing healthcare system preparedness across the organization and developing next-generation response capabilities to ensure a more resilient healthcare enterprise. HCA Healthcare is the nation’s largest health system which is comprised of 185 hospitals and 2,000+ sites of care in 20 states and the United Kingdom.

Previously, Harvey served in various roles at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Nebraska Medicine, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Central Intelligence Agency, and Northwell Health in New York. She has clinical experience as an RN and an EMT. She attended Harvard University (MSPH), Boston College (BA), and ����AV (BSN). 

AARP is a platinum sponsor of Honoring Mason Nurses, Inova Health Services is a gold sponsor, and Kaiser Permanente is a sliver sponsor. Learn more about the event at

Melissa Harvey Bio

Melissa Harvey is the Assistant Vice President for Enterprise Emergency Operations for HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest health system, comprised of 185 hospitals and 2,000+ sites of care in 20 states and the United Kingdom. She is responsible for advancing healthcare system preparedness across the organization and developing next-generation response capabilities to ensure a more resilient healthcare enterprise.

Harvey also serves as an advisor to the COVID Commission Planning Group, which is preparing the way forward for a nonpartisan National COVID Commission that could be initiated by the White House, chartered by Congress, or privately funded, to preserve the lessons learned during the crisis and recommend solutions to safeguard the nation from future threats. 

Previously, Harvey served as the Director of Strategic Projects at the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Nebraska Medicine, where she developed public-private partnerships to advance the nation’s health security. She has more than a decade of federal healthcare experience, most recently at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she served as the Director of Health Systems. In this role, Harvey oversaw the Department's emergency care, electronic health records, and health security portfolios. During the COVID-19 response, she was detailed to the FEMA-HHS Healthcare Resilience Task Force, where she led the Hospital Team.

Until 2019, Harvey served as the Director of National Healthcare Preparedness Programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she developed and advanced the implementation of policies, capabilities, and performance metrics that aimed to improve the nation’s overall healthcare emergency readiness. She led ASPR’s domestic healthcare system response to Ebola, including developing a regional and tiered infectious disease strategy for the nation’s healthcare facilities. She also concurrently served as the ASPR Chief of Staff, facilitating the Office’s policy and legislative priorities and its $1.5 billion budget.

Previously, Harvey served at the Central Intelligence Agency, and was the Manager of Emergency Management for Northwell Health in New York. At Northwell, she was responsible for all-hazards planning and response for New York State’s largest healthcare system. Melissa has clinical experience as an RN and an EMT. She attended Harvard University (MSPH), Boston College (BA), and ����AV (BSN).