Danita Smith, RN, MBA

Danita Smith, RN, MBA, DHA(c)

Danita Smith, RN, MBA, DHA(c), is a nursing and healthcare executive with nearly three decades of experience spanning clinical nursing, healthcare operations, nursing leadership, education, and entrepreneurship. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, she has built her career around improving healthcare delivery, strengthening clinical operations, developing teams, and expanding access to quality care.

Throughout her career, Danita has held leadership roles with responsibility for clinical operations, regulatory compliance, quality improvement, staff development, and organizational performance. Her experience includes nursing administration, hospital-based management, long-term care leadership, healthcare education, and business ownership. Earlier in her leadership career, she helped develop and expand a hospitalist program from a single-physician operation to a multidisciplinary department of more than a dozen providers.

Danita is also the founder of My Blooming Health Lab, a Missouri-based healthcare company created to improve access to convenient diagnostic and laboratory services. Building the company provided her with firsthand experience in healthcare entrepreneurship, operations, compliance, business development, and the complexities facing small healthcare organizations.

Her commitment to developing future healthcare professionals has also extended into higher education, where she served as a BSN Clinical Instructor and helped nursing students translate classroom knowledge into safe, compassionate, and professional clinical practice.

Currently pursuing a Doctor of Health Administration (DHA), Danita’s doctoral work explores Medicare fraud prevention and early detection within small healthcare businesses. Her research reflects a broader professional interest in healthcare compliance, organizational accountability, quality improvement, and the systems that support ethical and sustainable healthcare delivery.

As she continues her career, Danita is focused on advancing into senior healthcare executive leadership and applying her combined clinical, operational, business, and academic experience to improve organizational performance and patient outcomes.

Outside of her professional work, Danita enjoys entrepreneurship, coffee, spending time with her new husband, volunteering, and finding new ways to grow personally and professionally.

Professional Accomplishments:

Honors & Awards

2024 MBDA Tribute to Women Business Leaders — Missouri MBDA Center
Recognized for outstanding entrepreneurship and leadership within the healthcare sector.

Academy of Excellence Alumni Award (2022) — McKendree University
Honoring distinguished alumni who exemplify professional achievement and community impact.

Entrepreneur of the Year (2021) — National Black Nurses Association
Awarded for excellence and innovation in nurse-led business ventures.

Distinguished Alumni Award (2021) — Alton High School
Recognized for professional success, community service, and leadership excellence.

Excellence in Healthcare Award (2017) — St. Louis American Foundation
Honored for advancing patient-centered care and innovation in healthcare delivery.