While that may have been a “late” start, it was the beginning of a decades long career in healthcare, providing direct trauma-informed, crisis and supportive services, supervising and training others, and promoting the profession of social work to countless interns, other healthcare professionals, and the general public. Her career in a municipal hospital system started in the outpatient HIV clinic, where disparities in life opportunities were obvious among the many different patients served, before the phrase “social determinants of health” was on everybody’s lips. She later became Social Work Supervisor in the Surgical Intensive Care and Burn Intensive Care units. Additionally, she served as Educational Coordinator, planning continuing education; leading seminars on inter-professional education; designing and teaching courses on clinical thinking and writing; and serving as liaison to multiple Schools of Social Work in the screening, placing and training of interns. In addition, she developed and led monthly joint training and support sessions for the interns at two hospitals.

In her initial post retirement career, Marcia became an Independent Living Donor Advocate at a large teaching hospital, where part of her responsibility was to advocate for equitable care for organ donors and recipients, focusing on ethical and unbiased treatment. While there she took on many leadership positions, including founding, developing and chairing a Clinical Supervision group to teach other clinical social workers how to supervise new social workers; setting up supervision schedules; recruiting new supervisors; and then providing supervision to the supervisors, with the mission of elevating all LMSW’s to the highest level of licensure, and the highest level of care within each patient encounter. She developed and co-chaired a hospital wide Bereavement Committee, which was on emergency call to provide services to staff alongside hospital chaplains. She became the facilitator of Schwartz Rounds—a nationally recognized set of seminars where staff can process the emotional impact of their work in a private and non judgmental setting—which she led alongside the former Dean of the medical school. Additionally, she was one of only two non-nurses nationally to become a certified trainer for Creative Healthcare Management Relationship-Based Training, designed to promote equitable and bias free care among primary nursing.

Marcia’s commitment to her profession and NASW are evidenced by her lengthy volunteer history with NASW- NYS, as membership committee member, Board Member at Large, Secretary to the Board, and finally President of the Board. She is currently a moderator of the Private Practice listserv of NASW-NYS, Private Practice Direct. She maintains a private practice in Larchmont, NY, focusing primarily on grief, loss and bereavement. Finally, she is a proud mother of 3 amazing adults and their 3 wonderful partners, grandmother of 4 grandchildren who keep her learning, and grateful wife to her partner of 29 years, Dr. Mark Cannon, who keeps her laughing.

Marissa is currently the Director of Specialized Programs at CancerCare and is responsible for delivering free services to people whose lives are affected by cancer, including individual counseling, support groups, and resource navigation. Her role includes program development and management, while maintaining a clinical practice from an intersectionality lens and inclusive framework.  She is dedicated to oncology social work and committed to improving outcomes for all people impacted by a cancer diagnosis. She maintains a culturally competent and inclusive practice by addressing health care disparities and celebrating diversity with her clients and colleagues alike.

Marissa graduated from NYU and has since received post-graduate training on topics including Clinical Supervision, Executive Leadership in Not for Profit Sector, and Clinical Trauma Competency.  As a life long learner, she is passionate about mentoring her supervisees, and received Seminar in Field Instruction certification to support social work interns and students during the beginning of their career.

Marissa is a member of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW), serving as a volunteer on the Awards Committee. As part of the National Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter, she is serving in her first term in the Delegate Assembly. In this role, she will be part of the decision-making body that sets organizational policy, establishes program priorities, and develops stances on public and professional issues.

Marissa has a passion for the written word. Her work has been featured in several publications on topics related to navigating cancer for diverse and vulnerable populations. These articles have ranged on topics including improving outcomes for patients and addressing disparities.

In 2020, she was recognized as an emerging leader with NASW-NYC. She was honored with a Leadership Award that showcased her achievements and commitments to social justice in the field. In 2021, she was awarded the 40 Under 40 in Cancer Award, recognizing the contributions being made across the field of cancer.

Owens was certified in Healing Centered Engagement in 2021 and has included that in his framework for addressing issues of racial justice and equity. He is currently working on transformative leadership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Wilson County Department of Social Services in North Carolina the Office of Administration Court in New Jersey. He is engaged locally with health care professionals in Schenectady and other municipalities in New York State. In 2022, he joined the Mary Pender Green Consulting Agency and will provide services to various programs and organizations in New York City.

Owens has provided training on Implicit Bias to the Albany Police Department, local community stakeholders, and the New York State Unified Courts and Bar Association. He has presented training sessions on the mind science of bias, anxiety and threat to the Mediation Centers in Columbia and Dutchess Counties, and Raleigh, North Carolina. He worked with municipal staff in Goldsboro, North Carolina on leadership, managing difficult conversations and bias.

In 2017, he provided leadership development sessions to program managers and leaders of federally funded health marriage and responsible fatherhood programs from across the nation.

He has worked with schools and school districts, facilitating sessions with administrators on Implicit Bias, Leadership, Cultural Competence and Mastering Difficult Conversations, and with the Albany Law School on Diversity and Inclusion efforts, facilitating listening sessions with faculty, professors, and students.

His work in health disparities includes convening the Albany Minority Health Task Force for the University at Albany, Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities, and consultation with the Adirondack Health Initiative, presenting workshops on health literacy and culture to stakeholders in the upstate region of New York State.

He was appointed to the NYS Board of Regents Workgroup to Improve Outcomes for Boys and Males of Color in 2015. He has participated as a member of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, the national advisory board on Improving Outcomes for African American Males in the Child Welfare System: Identifying Effective Programs and Services, and the Alliance Network of Social Service Administrators Committed to Racial Equity, and is an advisory board member of the Child Welfare Adoption Leadership Institute (CWALI):  Developing and Supporting Emerging Leaders of Color.

Owens has coached track and field, was the host of smooth jazz radio stations in the Capital Region for nine years, and has also worked as a treating clinician for the National Football League substance abuse program.

He received his BA in Sociology from Rider University and a master’s degree in Social Work specializing in Criminal and Juvenile Justice from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a soloist, and member of the male choir. He and Terry Owens have been married for 30 years, are active members and Deacons at the Macedonia Baptist Church. They are the proud parents of Kayla, a graduate of American University, Georgetown University and who is currently enrolled at George Mason University, where she is seeking a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution.