Staff reports
Beaufort Memorial has welcomed a new Chief Nursing Officer.
Marissa Jamarik, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, joins Beaufort Memorial from a nurse leadership position in Charleston, bringing with her extensive experience as both a CNO and System Vice President of Nursing across complex health systems.
She brings with her a proven record of transforming clinical operations, having successfully led organizations to achieve national nursing excellence designations by advancing quality, patient safety and the overall patient experience. She’s no stranger to leading through large-scale organizational growth and has deep expertise in workforce optimization and aligning nursing excellence with broad organizational goals to ensure smart, sustainable growth and maintain exceptional care delivery.
“As Beaufort Memorial continues to grow and innovate, strong nursing leadership is crucial,” said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley. “Our patients and families will benefit tremendously from Marissa’s focus on quality, safety and the overall patient experience, and her leadership will elevate nursing practice across our organization and strengthen the care we provide to our community.”
Throughout Jamarik’s career, she has been recognized for her leadership, mentorship and commitment to fostering a culture rooted in accountability, integrity and compassionate care, making her a match for Beaufort Memorial’s community-centered mission and vision for healthcare in the Lowcountry. Her leadership philosophy centers on service, collaboration and transparency, ensuring that frontline nurses have a strong and influential voice in shaping clinical practice and policy.
Nursing is a calling, Jamarik said, and as a nursing leader she is passionate about being the voice for frontline staff.
“The frontline is the backbone of healthcare,” she said. “I’m excited to enhance professional governance and leadership development so that every nurse at Beaufort Memorial feels supported, valued and connected to our mission.”
Jamarik’s career began in 1987 in northern Virginia, entering nursing in interventional radiology and intensive care. She eventually took on leadership roles in critical care and float pool before transitioning to executive nurse leader positions at the hospital, then the health-system level, earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Walden University in 2016.
In 2021, she began a Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive role in Charleston, where she oversaw 2,000 nurses as a part of a system that included four acute care hospitals, six emergency departments and more than 120 facilities across four counties.
She steps into the role previously held by Karen Carroll, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, whose 46 years at Beaufort Memorial (26 of them in the CNO role) helped shape the ethos of direct patient care and nursing leadership at the organization.
The CNO role oversees nursing practice across the growing Beaufort Memorial system, championing professional development, workforce initiatives and supporting the evolving organization’s continued commitment to clinical excellence and patient-centered care.
“Our responsibility as leaders is to create environments where nurses can thrive, even in complex times,” Jamarik said. “Supporting nurses and clinical teams so that they can provide exceptional, compassionate care is a responsibility I take very seriously, as well as a privilege.”