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Featured Speakers


Welcome & Opening Plenary
Thursday, November 30 | 2:00-3:00 p.m.

image of melissa stockwell, a right leg amputeeMelissa Stockwell
American War Hero, Paralympian, and Business Owner

Melissa Stockwell is an American war hero who has triumphed over personal tragedy to achieve greatness, World Champion status, and she has dedicated her life to chasing remarkable accomplishments while giving back to others. She is the first female soldier to ever lose a limb in active combat and has been awarded both The Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. Following her accident, sports become the road to recovery for Melissa.


image of tracie rislingPlenary
Thursday, November 30 | 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Tracie Risling
Professor of Nursing at the University of Calgary, and Nursing Informatics Expert

Dr. Tracie Risling is an associate professor in the faculty of nursing at the University of Calgary and the President of the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association. She has been teaching in the post-secondary environment since 2005 and researches patient-oriented health informatics including study on artificial intelligence, social media, co-design, and patent access and use of electronic health records. Dr. Risling is a passionate advocate for increased nursing engagement in the development, deployment, and use of digital solutions.


Plenary
Saturday, December 2  | 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Sherry Chesakimage of sherry chesak
Nurse Scientist
Department of Nursing, Division of Nursing Research at the Mayo Clinic

Dr. Sherry Chesak is a Clinical Professor in the Population Health and Systems Cooperative Unit in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota. She is a recognized nurse leader and scientist who investigates resilience-promoting interventions for both professional and family caregivers. Her program of research is centered on care for the caregiver, and she primarily studies mindfulness-based interventions that promote resilience and mitigate stress among clinicians and family caregivers. She has led inter-disciplinary teams in the assessment of stress and burnout over time and identifying predictors of burnout.


Teri Pipe
Professor, School of Nursing and Core Faculty, Center for Health Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
image of teri pipe

Dr. Teri Pipe is the Richard E. Sinaiko Professor in Health Care Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing and core faculty in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Healthy Minds. She is the Founding Director of ASU's Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience. Dr. Pipe is an expert on well-being, with a focus on mindfulness and compassion. Her work focuses on implications of well-being within and beyond the healthcare and higher education sectors. She loves spending time in nature and exploring ways of bringing compassion and well-being more fully into our world. 


Closing Plenary
Saturday, December 2  | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

image of jason a schwartz

Jason A. Schwartz
Director of Outreach at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing

Jason A. Schwartz, MS, is the Director of Outreach at National Council of State Boards of Nursing where he shares accurate and timely information with stakeholders regarding NCSBN examinations, services, and other offerings. Prior to joining NCSBN in 2019, Jason spent 10 years with Pearson VUE supporting the NCLEX and other NCSBN programs in various roles at the executive level and brings more than 25 years of experience overall in high-stakes testing.  Jason holds degrees in mathematics from the University of Oregon and the University of California, Berkeley.
 

Nicole Williams
Associate Director, Examinations at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing

image of nicole williamsNicole Williams has over 30 years of experience as a nurse with ten years of management experience in the test development field. As Associate Director in the Examinations Department at NCSBN, she manages, directs, and ensures the content and test development services related to the NCLEX and all NCSBN examinations comply with industry standards. She blends her experience as a nurse with her test development expertise to assist with the strategic aspects of test content development providing unwavering leadership and expert guidance in developing NCSBN examinations. 

For questions, contact the AACN Conference Team today!