Dr. Marissa Ruff has spent nearly 20 years in human services, guided by the core belief that people with disabilities deserve to be fully included in their communities.

Today, she’s the Vice President of Seven Hills Rhode Island, but she didn’t start there. She started on the front lines as a Direct Support Professional (DSP), not knowing it would become her calling.

“I walked into the doors of Seven Hills and knew nothing about the I/DD community,” Marissa told CPNRI in an exclusive interview. “I knew nothing about children with special health care needs. I just said I’ll take a chance.”

And that chance changed the course of her career and life.

Finding a Calling By Chance

“I didn’t care about making millions of dollars. I just wanted to make a difference.”

Marissa Ruff

Marissa was in college, unsure of what she wanted to do. 

“I didn’t care about making millions of dollars,” she said. “I just wanted to make a difference. And if I could do that in one person’s life, then I knew I was doing the right thing.”

It was one of her first shifts supporting a child that left a lasting impression. That moment led her to change her academic focus to psychology. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and went on to work across children’s services, early intervention and adult services.  

Those experiences gave her a full-lifespan perspective on disability support and shaped how she helps people today.

Supporting People Through Every Chapter

Working with people of all ages showed Marissa just how overwhelming disability services can be to navigate, especially for families.

“Before I had kids, I had no idea the challenges that parents face when working with school departments and trying to get services and navigate a newly diagnosed toddler,” she said. 

During her career, Marissa saw firsthand how much the field has changed over time.

“We’ve come so far,” Marissa said. “And despite anything that’s coming, like cuts and federal issues, we just keep our eye on what matters and you just keep going.”

From DSP to Vice President

Leadership was never something Marissa set out to chase. Even now, after years in the field, she says her mindset hasn’t really changed.

“I still think of myself as a DSP a lot of times,” Marissa says.

When a leadership position opened up, she didn’t immediately see herself in that role. It took encouragement from the people around her to take the leap.

“I didn’t even realize that I was having influence on colleagues until colleague after colleague came into my office and said, ‘You need to go for this,’” she shared.

Marissa stepped into an assistant vice president role, where she learned more about the business side of the organization with the support of a strong mentor. In 2021, still in the COVID-19 pandemic, she officially became Vice President.

Even now, the title doesn’t always feel real.

“I am somebody that has certainly been a victim of imposter syndrome throughout my career. My kids will tell people my mom’s a vice president,” she said. “And it’s just wild to me.”

What Marissa enjoys most about leadership isn’t the title. It’s developing other people.

“I don’t ever want anybody to think that I’m leading from an ivory tower somewhere and I’m not reachable and accessible,” she said. “I try to always be with people.”

For Marissa, leadership means being present and accessible.

Becoming Doctor Ruff 

Just before the COVID-19 lockdown, Marissa had an idea. Surrounded by colleagues with doctorates, she asked herself, “Why not me? If I don’t do this now, I never will.”

 In October 2025, Marissa officially became Dr. Ruff, earning her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University.

“I did this for me,” she said. “I never thought in a million years anybody would ever call me a doctor.”

Balancing her doctoral studies, leadership work and parenting through the pandemic was no easy task. But the experience was meaningful because her research focused on the field she works in every day.

“It was incredible to represent the state, the disability community, the providers and all the great work that we are doing,” she said.

Why She Keeps Coming Back

After nearly 20 years, what keeps Marissa going is simple: the people and the opportunity to make change.

“I get flooded with pictures pretty much every weekend,” she said, laughing. “Seeing that people are enjoying their lives just brings me so much joy.”

As her career has grown, Marissa has found herself in a once-unfamiliar place: The State House.

“I never thought I’d be spending as much time as I do testifying and advocating, “Marissa says. “That is 100% because of CPNRI showing us we have these opportunities to make a difference.”

And if there’s one takeaway Marissa wants to share with anyone interested in a career in the disability community, it’s this: “Don’t stop. The amazing things you do will always outshadow the hard days. This is the most rewarding work.”

From her first shift as a DSP to leading one of Rhode Island’s largest human services organizations, Dr. Marissa Ruff’s journey is rooted in showing up for people.

The title may say Vice President. The degree may say Doctor.

But at her core, she’s still doing the same work she started nearly 20 years ago: helping empower the best in the people around her.

And for Marissa, that work is far from over.