As the executive director of Pyramid Healthcare’s newest detox and inpatient treatment center, Michaela Resser is quickly discovering how different life in Newport News can be. After trading the rolling hills of York, PA for the Virginia beach life, Resser says she enjoys the slower pace of life that the east coast can offer.

“I’m definitely still getting acclimated to the scenery and the pace of life” she says. She’s already visited nearby Yorktown Beach and Williamsburg since arriving in Newport News, with plans to explore Richmond in the near future.

Despite the change in environment — from York’s all-male client population to a larger Newport News location — her job duties remain largely the same in Virginia: Lead facility growth at every stage.

“Oversight of project development” is the best way Resser can describe her many roles at the moment, though she’ll also admit she’s ready to handle anything that comes across her desk. Psychiatric floor operations, construction in the detox suite and community integration are only a few of the items on her agenda for the new year.

Today fully invested in Newport News operations, Resser wasn’t always on a dedicated path toward healthcare leadership. Before earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience, she was primarily focused on life as a counselor. Six months before graduation, she decided she preferred facility operations.

In the years to follow, Resser would quickly take steps toward healthcare leadership. After obtaining a master’s degree from Capella University, Resser would work as a mental health technician and a behavioral technician before running an entire acute care facility for clients receiving psychosis treatment.

Resser’s career journey would also inspire a healthy work life balance. When she’s not hard at work in and around Newport News, she spends time with her dogs Milo and Gypsy. She’s also eager to lose herself in a book, a television show or a Harry Potter movie marathon.

In 2022, Resser sees the Newport News facility broadening its local reach, and launching programs that teach critical life skills for clients at every stage of recovery. In tandem with a CRS and life skills specialist to be hired at Newport News, Resser wants to help clients re-enter society with skills like resume-building and interviewing — introducing thriving clients back into welcoming communities.

Despite the facility’s size, Resser strives to maintain a focus on quality care that focuses on each client who walks through her doors in Newport News. Whether she’s training new staff members, communicating with IT or ensuring smooth facility operations, Michaela Resser is on pace to grow Pyramid Healthcare’s reach across Newport News — and all of Virginia.