Dean and Chief Nursing OfficeSchool of NursingMercy University
Dr. Kenya V. Beard is the inaugural Dean and Chief Nursing Officer at Mercy University’s School of Nursing and a nationally recognized visionary leader in health equity, policy, and nursing education. Her leadership extends across policy reform, curriculum innovation, artificial intelligence in nursing, and institutional transformation. Dr. Beard is driving the integration of AI into curricula to prepare future nurs…
Dr. Kenya V. Beard is the inaugural Dean and Chief Nursing Officer at Mercy University’s School of Nursing and a nationally recognized visionary leader in health equity, policy, and nursing education. Her leadership extends across policy reform, curriculum innovation, artificial intelligence in nursing, and institutional transformation. Dr. Beard is driving the integration of AI into curricula to prepare future nurses for a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
Vice President and System Chief Nursing ExecutiveUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, Health
Dr. Jerry Mansfield has worked in healthcare for more than 40 years including 26 years in senior nurse executive positions in four major health systems in three states. Throughout seven successive inaugural leadership roles in for-profit and non-profit, inpatient and outpatient settings, union and non-union environments, multi-hospital systems and academic medical centers, he has guided improvements in patient and staff outcomes regionally and nationally.
Senior Vice President and Dean, School of NursingChief Integration Officer, University of Texas Medical Branch, Health
Dr. Deborah J. Jones is a nationally recognized healthcare leader who serves as Senior Vice President and Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and the inaugural Chief Integration Officer for UTMB Health. In these dual roles, she has advanced innovation, strengthened faculty development, expanded academic programs, and positioned UTMB as a leader in nursing education and health sciences integration.
Chief Clinical Officersymplr
Dr. Susan Grant brings a wealth of expertise to symplr, having held executive leadership positions at prominent healthcare organizations such as Wellstar Health System, Beaumont Health, Emory Healthcare, and the University of Washington Medical Center. Her distinguished career includes a strong focus on integrating clinical best practices with technology to drive meaningful change in healthcare delivery.
Dr. Mary K. Wakefield is one of the nation’s preeminent nurse leaders and an authority on health policy, rural healthcare, patient safety, and workforce development. Building on her career in academic nursing, she has served the nation in high-profile federal appointments, including Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Counselor to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Wakefield led and initiated program improvements at HRSA to further strengthen the healthcare workforce, build healthier communities, increase health equity, and provide healthcare to geographically isolated and medically vulnerable populations. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, she co-chaired the expert committee that produced the landmark report on The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing, she recently served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Georgetown University.
This award honors John P. McGovern for his noted clinical practice and research, and distinguished record of scholarship, skill, and service.
CEOAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science Brief
Sudip Parikh is the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals in January 2020. Most recently, Dr. Sudip Parikh chaired the Task Force on a Vision for American Science & Technology (VAST), an initiative of the Science & Technology Action Committee. Parikh has spent over two decades at the intersection of science, policy, and business a…
Sudip Parikh is the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals in January 2020. Most recently, Dr. Sudip Parikh chaired the Task Force on a Vision for American Science & Technology (VAST), an initiative of the Science & Technology Action Committee. Parikh has spent over two decades at the intersection of science, policy, and business as a Senate staffer, life science business leader, and in the policy community. He was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship while earning his Ph.D. in macromolecular structure and chemistry from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California and earned his BS in Applied Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dean and ProfessorSchool of NursingJohns Hopkins
Dr. Sarah Szanton is the fifth dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Most recently, as a leader in advancing medical and health research through science, advocacy, and policy, Dr. Szanton accepted a seat on the Research!America Board of Directors. Dr. Szanton holds a joint appointment in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of…
Dr. Sarah Szanton is the fifth dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Most recently, as a leader in advancing medical and health research through science, advocacy, and policy, Dr. Szanton accepted a seat on the Research!America Board of Directors. Dr. Szanton holds a joint appointment in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine In 2022, Dr. Szanton launched the impactful Policy Honors Program to help students develop advocacy skills in influencing policies that improve health. She is also chartering the creation of an innovative policy institute to advance health policy leadership and research for global nurse leaders and scientists.
Dean and ProfessorPenn NursingUniversity of Pennsylvania
Antonia M. Villarruel is the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Director of the School’s WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. Dr. Villarruel leads Penn Nursing to meet its core mission of advancing science, promoting equity, and demonstrating practice excellence. As a bilingual and bicultural researcher, her career has been grounded in the…
Antonia M. Villarruel is the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Director of the School’s WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. Dr. Villarruel leads Penn Nursing to meet its core mission of advancing science, promoting equity, and demonstrating practice excellence. As a bilingual and bicultural researcher, her career has been grounded in these values. As a bilingual and bicultural researcher, Dr. Villarruel has extensive research and practice experience with Latino populations, health promotion, and health equity. Dr. Villarruel holds many leadership positions in nursing, government, and healthcare.
President of SRP Consulting, LLCPresident Emerita of University of Puget Sound
Susan Resneck Pierce is President of SRP CONSULTING, LLC and President Emerita of the University of Puget Sound, where she served from 1992-2003. Under her leadership, Puget Sound entered the ranks of the national liberal arts colleges. Susan Pierce also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lewis & Clark College, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tulsa, Assistant Director of Educatio…
Susan Resneck Pierce is President of SRP CONSULTING, LLC and President Emerita of the University of Puget Sound, where she served from 1992-2003. Under her leadership, Puget Sound entered the ranks of the national liberal arts colleges. Susan Pierce also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lewis & Clark College, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tulsa, Assistant Director of Education Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities and Visiting Associate Professor at Princeton. She also served for a year as President of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation and Vice President for the Hospital.
As a consultant, Susan customizes her work for each of her clients. Susan has worked with a number of colleges, universities and other nonprofit organizations on multiple and diverse projects over a period of years, suggesting a vast range of expertise and a significant value boost agreed on by those who engage with Susan's work.
Senior WriterThe Chronicle of Higher Education
Lee Gardner is a senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Gardner joined The Chronicle in 2012 and served as editor of the now-defunct Finance and Policy section. Two years later, Gardner’s role in the newsroom shifted, and Gardner went back to the best job there is — reporter. Prior to The Chronicle, Gardner was editor in chief of the now-defunct Baltimore City Paper for a decade, and served in various roles at Ci…
Lee Gardner is a senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Gardner joined The Chronicle in 2012 and served as editor of the now-defunct Finance and Policy section. Two years later, Gardner’s role in the newsroom shifted, and Gardner went back to the best job there is — reporter. Prior to The Chronicle, Gardner was editor in chief of the now-defunct Baltimore City Paper for a decade, and served in various roles at City Paper and other alt-weeklies for more than a decade before that. Gardner describes his work at The Chronicle to cover how colleges operate in terms of their leadership and finances, how they manage change, and how the forces of change afoot in America today are reshaping the way they work. Gardner is especially interested in regional public universities and community colleges, the two arms of higher education in this country that serve the majority of its students but are often overlooked in media coverage.
Phone: 202-463-6930 | Email: conferences@aacnnursing.org | Website: www.aacnnursing.org/conferences