Marissa Picchini, CPA, joined the Luthercare team as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Treasurer in 2020 and began serving as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on July 1, 2024. Marissa comes to Luthercare with over 20 years of financial experience within both public accounting and private industry, specifically in healthcare and supply chain. She was a Senior Manager with Baker Tilly and also worked for MMQ Accountants/Consultants and PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. Marissa most recently served as the CFO with Harkness Logistics Holdings-Kane Logistics, Inc., a private equity-backed, third-party logistics company. She is a graduate of The University of Scranton, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She earned her Six Sigma Green Belt Certification from Villanova and is a member of AICPA/PICPA.

Jim Walko, MBA, CPA, currently serves as Senior Vice President of Finance and Innovation at Luthercare in Lititz, PA. Jim joined Luthercare in January 2021 as Controller.

Jim has over 15 years of financial experience within both public accounting and private industry in multiple industry verticals, specifically in healthcare and retail management. Prior to joining Luthercare, he was a senior manager at Baker Tilly, specializing in senior living. 

Jim is a Certified Public Accounting in Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the Wilkes University, where he earned both his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Masters in Business Administration with a specialization in Leadership and Development. He is a member of the AICPA/PICPA. He serves on the Board of Directors of Your Neighborhood Connection, an in-home services and licensed home care agency. He resides in Lancaster County with his wife Karen and daughter Clara. 

Kristen Oleary joined Luthercare in 2018, bringing 25 years of experience to her role as Senior Vice President – Marketing & Development. In this position, Kristen promotes the ministry, mission and core values of Luthercare while fostering excellence in hospitality and customer service. With her clinical nursing, operations and marketing background, she directs and oversees all marketing efforts, including branding, advertising, digital marketing, market analyses, resident occupancy and satisfaction, metrics/ benchmarking and training. She provides creative leadership, oversees marketing strategies and maintains an active presence in all Luthercare communities.

Kristen holds Bachelor’s degrees in both Nursing and Social Services and has certifications in highly rated sales programs including Richardson’s and IMPACT team training. She has held a variety of positions within the senior living industry in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including as Personal Care Director of Nursing, Personal Care Administrator, Executive Director, Area Operations, and Regional Director of Sales and Marketing. Before joining Luthercare, she was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at United Methodist Homes, a not-for-profit organization with continuing care retirement communities in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York.

Daniel Deitzel III, Vice President of Operations, began his career as a social worker in skilled nursing after graduating with his master’s degree in counseling from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, South Carolina, in 1998. He has been in the long-term care field since then. He obtained his Nursing Home Administrator’s license in 2001. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Susquehanna University.  

Dan began serving in his current position at Luthercare in January 2025. Prior to this appointment, he spent the last nine years as Executive Director and Senior Director of Healthcare Services for Luthercare. Previously, he spent 15+ years in the for-profit sector of long-term care services. His experience has provided him with significant financial and regulatory expertise.  

Dan and his family live in Mount Gretna, Pa., and are active in the Mount Gretna United Methodist Church. They have one daughter, Elaina, and two dogs, Cooper and Dixie. In his spare time, Dan enjoys reading and spending time at their cabin in West Virginia. 

Tammy Schucker serves as Vice President of Clinical Operations and Center of Excellence. Tammy, a Registered Nurse, joined Luthercare in 2018 as the Director of Clinical Systems Integration and was tasked with implementing a new electronic healthcare record. In April 2020 she was appointed to Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance. As a result of the pandemic, changes were made to the Quality Assurance role in 2021, and she was named Director of Clinical Services, continuing with quality assurance, and helping to oversee the clinical aspect of resident care and assist in interpretation and implementation of the ever-changing regulatory guidance.  

Tammy started her nursing career in 1997 as a medical surgical and orthopedic nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Reading. After gaining that experience, she found her passion in senior living. Creating relationships with residents, family members, and team members became just as important to her as taking care of the residents’ health and psychosocial needs. In her career in senior living, Tammy has experience as medication nurse, RN supervisor, RN unit manager, Staff Development Nurse, Infection Preventionist, Registered Nurse Assessment Coordinator, Assistant Director of Nursing, and Director of Nursing. Intermixed with her senior living tenure, she also returned to hospital nursing for a short time as a casual staff member at Reading Hospital on the orthopedic and urologic floors. Tammy holds certification as a Quality Assurance Certified Professional (QCP). 

Tammy has resided in Berks County her entire life, is married 33 years to her high school sweetheart, has two adult sons, one grandson, three dogs, one cat and a fish tank full of fish. 

The Rev. Glenn A. Beard, Jr., is an ELCA pastor under call as the Vice President of Church Relations and Pastoral Care at Luthercare. Pastor Beard has been in the ministry since 1990. From 1990 – 1995, he served as pastor of the St. John Lutheran Parish – two congregations in Mt. Pleasant Mills (Snyder County) and Richfield (Juniata County), PA – and Salem Lutheran Church in Reamstown, PA, from 1995-2002. Pastor Beard achieved Board Certification with the Association of Professional Chaplains and served as chaplain with Hospice & Community Care, Lancaster, from 2002-2014. In October of 2014, Pastor Beard accepted his current call at Luthercare.

Pastor Beard has had a strong interest in and passion for disaster response ministry and critical incident stress management. He served on the Lancaster County Critical Incident Stress Management Team for ten years, responding to serious traumatic events locally and nationally, including 9/11 and the Nickel Mines School Shooting. It was during his response to the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City that he felt called to chaplaincy. Pastor Beard has been serving as Coordinator of the Lower Susquehanna Synod’s Disaster Response Network since 2015. Since 2007 Pastor Beard has personally led more than 20 disaster response mission trips with volunteers from across the Lower Susquehanna Synod and has trained and equipped others to do that same.

In his spare time Pastor Beard manages the Heidelberg Brass Band, a small band begun by his father and two uncles in 1954. The band plays throughout the local region and is becoming increasingly popular for its “Polka Mass with the Heidelberg Brass Band.” Pastor Beard and his wife, Lisa, live in Ephrata.

Ryan Fisher is Luthercare’s Vice President, Philanthropy and Community Impact. His leadership journey began when he joined the Luthercare team in 2019, responding to God’s calling. In his role, Ryan oversees the Office of Philanthropy, community engagement initiatives, and our childcare and early learning programs. His passion is in forging relationships between donors and the mission of the organization, ensuring that the transformative act of generosity blesses the donor, the organization, and those served. During his time at Luthercare, he learned how giving plays a crucial role in overall health and longevity.  

Ryan graduated with honors from Wheaton College and has more than 10 years of experience in the non-profit world. He discovered his passion for philanthropy while working at faith-based, non-profit organizations. During his career, he witnessed lives completely transformed through the kindness of others and learned the importance of lifting each other up during challenging times. He is operationally minded, and his skillset includes major-level donor cultivation, planned giving, event planning, and grant writing.   

Ryan and his wife, Monica, live in Lititz with their children, and they are active members of the Worship Center in Leola. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys spending time with friends and family, outdoor activities, cooking, and reading. He is always open to a deep conversation and never passes up an opportunity to learn something new. 

Heather Dennis, Senior Executive Director of Campus Operations, oversees all aspects of campus life at Luther Acres and St. John’s Herr Estate. A licensed Personal Care Home Administrator and Licensed Practical Nurse, Heather has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare field.

Heather joined the Luthercare team as a Personal Care Home Administrator in 2015. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of St. John’s Herr Estate, where she was driven to ensure residents and team members alike felt supported and valued.

Heather, who began her career as a personal care assistant, is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is currently working to obtain a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in healthcare. She is a 2024 graduate of the LeadingAge PA Fellows in Leadership program, where she was able to network with other nursing professionals to expand on her leadership skills and knowledge.

Heather resides in East Petersburg with her husband, Mike, their two children and two dogs. She is an avid reader and enjoys being on a beach or adventuring to see new places.