Speakers

Sharon L. Colley, PhD, DNP, RN, ACAC, CNE
Professor
Ferris State University School of Nursing

Dr. Sharon Colley has been a nurse for 34 years, working for many years in mental health as well as med-surg, rehab, and ambulatory care prior to moving into a faculty position in 2006. She earned a PhD in higher ed leadership and a DNP in nursing leadership. Dr. Colley has a passion for education and preparing nurses to be educators. She has earned certification as a nurse educator, as an advanced autism specialist, and as a neurodiversity professional. She has also earned several awards for her teaching, including the Ferris State University Distinguished Teacher Award in 2016.

Sharon’s interest in providing information sessions for healthcare professionals stems in part from her own experiences as the parent of a child with autism as well as her DNP project work that focused on improving healthcare environments for those with autism.

Speakers

Teri A. Murray, PhD, PHNA-BC, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Professor and Dean Emerita
Saint Louis University

Dr. Murray is professor, dean emerita, and the inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer at Saint Louis University School of Nursing, St. Louis, MO.

Dr. Murray is actively involved in workforce development and governmental affairs at the state and national levels. She skillfully uses regulatory, public, and legislative policies to promote and lead innovation in nursing education and healthcare. Appointed by Missouri Governors, Dr. Murray served on the State Board of Nursing. As state board of nursing president, she regulated nursing education and practice for Missouri and served on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to formulate policies for nursing education and practice in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Appointed by U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services, she served on the National Advisory Council for Nurse Education and Practice, which advised the Secretary and the U.S. Congress on policy issues related to nursing education and practice.

Dr. Murray has worked tirelessly to advance diversity in nursing education in faculty, student bodies, and the nursing workforce. She has been the project director of several U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Nursing Workforce Diversity Grants aimed at increasing diversity in the registered nurse workforce.

As a board-certified advanced public health nurse, her research and policy interests focus on the social determinants of health, and the interplay between the social environment, the political environment, and health outcomes.

Speakers

Kathleen Amos, MLIS
Director, Academic/Practice Linkages
Public Health Foundation

Kathleen Amos, MLIS, serves as the Director, Academic/Practice Linkages for the Public Health Foundation. In this role, she supports collaborative public health workforce development initiatives designed to strengthen connections between academia, public health practice, and healthcare. She coordinates the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice and its initiatives, including the Academic Health Department Learning Community and Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals, as well as other performance improvement efforts related to workforce development. Kathleen holds a Master’s degree in library and information studies, with post-graduate training in health sciences information services.

Nola Martz, EdD, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Truman State University

Nola earned her BSN and MSN (with clinical specialty in Public Health) from the University of Missouri - Columbia (MU). Nola completed her Doctorate of Education with William Woods University where her dissertation research was on the impact of accreditation to public health funding in Missouri. Following her early nursing practice in NICU, rural community hospital and physician practice settings, she has spent the majority of her career in public health nursing in rural and suburban local public health agencies, and with the State health department in Missouri at programmatic and administrative levels. Nola joined the Truman State University (TSU) Nursing Department in Fall of 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Nursing. She currently teaches the NU485 – Rural and Public Health Nursing course and the NU250 Life Span Development course. She has also taught Pharmacology I and II for TSU. Prior to joining the TSU Nursing faculty, Nola taught for 6 years as adjunct instructor and full time as Visiting Assistant Professor for the graduate Master in Public Health (MPH) online program at MU where she instructed Applied Epidemiology in Community Assessment, and Introduction to Research Methods courses. At MU, she additionally served as a Public Health Consultant for the MU Extension Community Health Team. Nola currently serves on the Missouri Public Health Association Board.

Joann Hoganson, MSN, RN
Director of Community Wellness
Kent County Health Department

Joann Hoganson is the Director of Community Wellness at the Kent County Health Department in Grand Rapids, MI. Prior to this, Joann, along with her husband and four kids, served in Brazil, South America as a missionary nurse for sixteen years. A primary focus of her efforts in Brazil was providing holistic and redemptive care to children and families living on the streets of Salvador, Bahia. Through this experience, she honed her administrative skills, learned the importance of community collaboration, and deepened her passion and commitment to bringing quality, holistic care to those who most need it. Additionally, she has worked as a Nursing Instructor at Grand Valley State University and Davenport University.

Joann is originally from Danbury, Connecticut, and received her Bachelor’s Degree from Cedarville University in Ohio, majoring in Biology and Chemistry. She then received a Master’s Degree in Nursing from Pace University in Pleasantville, NY, just outside of New York City. Joann has a deep commitment to the future generations of nurses and finds joy in passing her acquired knowledge on to future nurses who are diverse, well-prepared, innovative, and culturally competent. These are the people she hopes will carry the nursing torch after her retirement.

Moderator:

Susan M. Swinder, PhD, PHNA-BC, FAAN
Professor
Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing
Rush University

Susan Swider is a Professor in the Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing at Rush University in Chicago. Dr. Swider has practiced in acute care, home health care and public health settings over the past thirty years. Her research has focused on program development and evaluation of community health workers, engaging urban communities in health promotion, and health policy to support health promotion efforts. She has taught public health nursing at the pre-licensure and graduate/specialty level at several universities, and co-directed 10 years of HRSA supported work to develop an online doctoral program in Advanced Public Health Nursing, ensuring that it met the Quad Council competencies for Public Health Nursing practice. She is a member of a number of public health and public health nursing organizations, and is a past president of the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE). In her role with ACHNE, she served on the Quad Council for Public Health Nursing organizations, and was a member of the Task Force that revised the Competencies for Public Health Nursing (2010-2012). In 2011, Dr. Swider was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion and Integrative and Public Health, a group designed to advise on the development and implementation of the National Prevention Strategy. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. In 2016, she was appointed to serve on the Community Preventive Services Task Force of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Speakers

Cecilia Sorensen, MD
Director, Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health
Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Columbia University

Cecilia Sorensen, MD is the Director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia Irving Medical Center and Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Dr. Sorensen received her Doctor of Medicine from Drexel University College of Medicine and completed a four-year emergency medicine residency at Denver Health. Following residency training, she completed a 2-year fellowship in climate change and human health policy with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Her work focuses on the intersection of climate change and health and how policy solutions, clinical action and education can build resilience in vulnerable communities. She currently serves on the working group for the National Academy of Medicine’s Climate and Human Health Initiative. She was an author for the U.S. Fourth National Climate Assessment and serves as a technical advisor for the Lancet Climate and Health U.S. Policy Brief. She is the co-editor of the textbook Climate Change and Human Health: From Science to Practice.

Teddie M. Potter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP
Clinical Professor/Coordinator, Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership
Director of Planetary Health; Pauline A. Vincent Chair of Public Health
Directorate, Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership
School of Nursing
University of Minnesota

Dr. Potter is deeply committed to climate change education including co-founding Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, membership in the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, and membership on the American Academy of Nursing Environment and Public Health Expert Panel. She is a member of the Coordinating Committee of Columbia University’s Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education and a Fellow in the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. She chairs Clinicians for Planetary Health (C4PH) and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Planetary Health Alliance at Harvard.

At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Potter designed and co-teaches an interdisciplinary course titled “The Global Climate Challenge: Creating an Empowered Movement for Change”. In addition, she co-leads a Health Sciences initiative titled, “Climate Change and Health: An Interprofessional Response”. In 2019, Dr. Potter was appointed the first Director of Planetary Health for the School of Nursing.

In addition, Dr. Potter is Executive Editor for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies; a peer-reviewed, open-access, online journal promoting interdisciplinary collaboration as a solution for solving society’s grand challenges.

Dorothy Biberman, MPH, CPH
Director of Global Engagement and Executive Initiatives
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

Speakers

Anita Catlin, PhD, FNP, CNL, FAAN
Manager of Nursing Research
Kaiser Permanente

Anita Catlin is Manager of Nursing Research at Kaiser Permanente, Vallejo, California. Anita taught in the CNL programs at both Touro University and University of San Francisco, becoming a CNL by challenge exam. Anita uses her CNL skills daily as mentor to nurses at all levels, and in several countries, in advancing their academic and clinical careers. Anita’s role includes writing grants to obtain funding for projects and she has multiple publications in research, ethics and in clinical care. She is currently the Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing. She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau in both California and Portugal. Dr. Catlin is a 2022 CNC CNL Innovation in Practice Award Winner for her project entitled, International Study of Pediatric Nurses Caring for Adult Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sorayah Bourenane, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL
Clinical Nurse Leader
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

At the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Sorayah Bourenane has developed educational content and served as a subject-matter expert on Oncologic Emergency Nursing for the Board of Certified Emergency Nurses. She co-authored a chapter in a medical textbook for Oncologic Emergencies and assisted in the development of the institutional sepsis program at MD Anderson, which has resulted in decreased mortality. She also serves as Speaker of the Nursing Platform for the Global Sepsis Alliance and has presented nationally and internationally on oncologic emergencies, end-of-life care in the emergency department and in-flight medical emergencies. Sorayah is a 2022 AACN and CNC CNL Vanguard Award Winner.

Lauren Salinas, MSN, RN, CNL, CCRN
Clinical Specialist
Texas Children’s Hospital

Lauren Salinas is a Clinical Specialist certified as a CNL at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). Since graduating as a CNL, she has worked to improve patient outcomes and the patient-family experience while in the CICU through her coordination of care, quality initiatives, and innovation at the bedside. Lauren incorporated her knowledge as a CNL to decrease central line associated bloodstream infections through her innovative quality improvement projects surrounding central line care and quality rounding. Lauren has presented her quality projects at local and national conferences. She is passionate about incorporating the CNL focus of care coordination and transitions of care into her complex patient population. Lauren is a 2022 AACN and CNC CNL Vanguard Award Winner.

Speakers

Barbara A. Fowler, EdD, PhD, RN
Professor of Nursing
Wright State University

Barbara A. Fowler holds an EdD in Curriculum Instruction & Design from Teacher’s College at the University of Cincinnati, OH in 1988 and later earned a PhD from Rush University – College of Nursing in Chicago, IL (2003). She has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and mentoring the next generation of nurses across programs (non-licensure BSN, RN-BSN, accelerated BSN, MS and DNP) on providing equitable and evidence-based nursing care to racial/ethnic minorities and marginalized groups (i.e., immigrants and homeless) in underserved urban communities. She has received the Graduate Teaching Excellence Award in the College of Nursing and Health at Wright State University on several occasions. Dr. Fowler’s program of research is funded by the American Nursing Foundation (ANF), Oncology Nursing Society and Bristol-Myers Squibb Community Health Research Grant, Sigma Theta Tau – Honor Society of Nursing/Beta Iota Chapter (Cincinnati, OH) and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (Population-Health Grant) on health disparities faced by racial/ethnic minority females in accessing preventive breast health screenings in underserved urban communities. Recent research on systemic or structural barriers to leadership development and career advancement for minority nurses in public health nursing departments was published in Public Health Nursing in 2020; the findings were presented (virtual) via poster at the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Annual Conference in April 2021 and oral/podium (virtual) presentation at the Association of Public Health Nursing (APHN) Annual Conference in May 2021. Dr. Fowler was an inaugural member of the AACN subcommittee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in 2019, and later played a leadership role on the Campus Climate & Intergroup Relations portion of the Diversity Tool Kit by compiling available data and co-authoring a scoping review of the literature on systemic, structural barriers and implicit biases affecting racial/ethnic minority nurses across practice settings. In 2020, Dr. Fowler was appointed by the Interim Dean in the College of Nursing and Health to serve on the President's Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence at Wright State University.

Patricia G. Francis-Johnson, DNP, RN
Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Patricia Francis-Johnson is an Assistant Professor and Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). She received her DNP with a concentration in Executive Leadership from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. She has over twenty years of experience in traditional and online education, clinical teaching, quality improvement, patient safety, and interprofessional teamwork. Dr. Francis-Johnson is also a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer who conducts training classes for students, faculty, and staff. Dr. Francis-Johnson led a diverse group of faculty and staff to design and implement Shared Governance at the School of Nursing, which resulted in the development of an Academic Shared Governance Model for Nursing Education. She serves as the inaugural Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Nursing to increase diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff and students. She represents the School of Nursing (SON) on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Dr. Francis-Johnson is a member of the search committee for the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion (VPDEI) position at TTUHSC. She is a member of the AACN Diversity Equity, Inclusion Leadership Network (DEILN) and participated in developing the AACN Diversity Toolkit. She represents TTUHSC as an Executive Board member of the Texas Tech University/ Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTU/TTUHSC) Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA), which includes faculty and staff from the Texas Tech System. She also chairs the Texas Nurses Association Leadership Succession Committee. Dr. Francis-Johnson has participated in Unconscious Bias training and attended a webinar on National Inclusive Excellence. She serves as a member of various admissions and progressions committees, bringing the perspective of diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias into the process. Dr. Francis-Johnson has led the dissemination of educational innovation through invited presentations to various groups.

Antonea’ Jackson, PhD, RN, CNE
Director of Undergraduate Programs
Prairie View A&M University

Antonea’ Jackson is a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs at Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing, where she has served as faculty since 2009. She is a Certified Nurse Educator, and has been recognized a nominee for the President’s Teaching Award Service Learning Award from Prairie View A&M University. In 2020, Dr. Jackson received her PhD from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and completed both her undergraduate and graduate studies at Prairie View A&M University. Her research interests include nursing education, cultural competence of nurse educators, and health disparities and health equity. She is currently the PI of the Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach and Education Grant designed to reduce vaccine hesitancy in communities of color, and the Co-PI of the Nursing Innovation Grant Program funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board designed to improve interprofessional communication via telehealth in nursing students. Dr. Jackson has presented at professional conferences on the national level and is an active member of several professional nursing organizations including Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, Eta Delta Chapter. Dr. Jackson has a passion for nursing and nursing education, and believes in educating students by providing opportunities that foster student success academically and professionally. She values education and the opportunities it creates, specifically for students of disadvantaged backgrounds.

Janelle R. Sokolowich, PhD, MSN Ed, RN
Academic Vice President, Dean
College of Health Professions
Western Governors University

Dr. Sokolowich is an accomplished visionary academic leader. She has been an academic leader for over a decade, having held various roles, including dean of academic operations, interim dean, and faculty. In her current role as the Academic Vice President/Dean for the College of Health Professions at Western Governors University (WGU), her goal is to close the equity and access gap in the health professions by providing degree programs and certifications to student who seek to advance their education. Her passion for student success, specifically the underserved, is marked by her drive for innovation to reach all who desire a degree. Her research includes the successful orientation of nursing faculty and intentional, focused academic support of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Dr. Sokolowich has presented nationally and internationally, highlighting the use of technology in the classroom, non-academic support strategies for high-risk students, and cultural inclusivity in the classroom. She is a member of the inaugural American Association of College of Nursing, Diversity Equity and Inclusion leadership network, National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, and numerous other academic societies. She serves as an American Nurses Association Mentor and is a National League for Nursing Writing Scholar. Dr. Sokolowich earned her bachelor's and master's in the science of nursing degrees from the University of Phoenix and Ph.D. in Education, with Distinction from Capella University.

Speakers

Kendra M. Barrier, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE
Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Louisiana State University Health New Orleans School of Nursing

Dr. Kendra M. Barrier is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, serving as the inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Louisiana State University Health New Orleans School of Nursing. She is also an Associate Faculty for the School of Graduate Studies at LSU Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC). She is a National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator. In her administrative role she engages in quality improvement and programmatic development in creating and sustaining an inclusive, an equitable, and a respectful academic environment for students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders. She has a passion for the recruitment and academic success of underrepresented and underserved students.

Dr. Barrier has more than 20 years of nursing experience and over 12 years in academic nursing education. Her clinical expertise spans from emergency and intensive care, to quality management, and school nursing. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and podium presentations of her research interests of simulation, diversity, equity, inclusion, mentoring, emotional intelligence, and cultural competence, at local and regional conferences. Dr. Barrier has served in several leadership roles and chaired councils and committees within the SON. She has received many honors and awards. She has been accepted into the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing (ELAN) Cohort III (2021 to 2022) and the AACN Diversity Leadership Institute (2022).

Dr. Barrier mentors and coaches through her dedication to a life of service to the profession and community at large. She currently serves as the President of the New Orleans District Nurses Association (2019), a member of the Louisiana State Nurses Association (LSNA), serving on several committees and subcommittees, a member of the Steering Committee and Communications Subcommittee for the Organizational Leadership Network (OLN). She is a member of the Steering and Nominations Committees for AACN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Network (DEILN), as well as a member of The New Orleans (LA) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.

She earned a Bachelor of Science (2000) and a Master of Science in Nursing (2009) in Nursing Education from LSUHSC. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy (2016) in Nursing Education and Administration from William Carey University.

Linda Haen, EdD, MSN, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor/Faculty Success Coordinator
United States University

Dr. Linda Haen is an Assistant Professor and Faculty Success coordinator at United States University teaching in the graduate nursing program. She has been a nurse for 42 years and an FNP for 21 years. Her clinical practice has been primarily in women’s health. She began teaching full time in 2018 and earned her doctorate in Education with a specialty in adult education in December 2020. Her capstone project was titled “Nurse Educators and Implicit Bias: Does Critical Self Reflection Change Practice?”. She has served on AACN’s diversity, equity, and inclusion group since its inception. She also serves on the DEIG at United States University.

Kae Rivers Livsey, MPH, PhD, RN
Western Carolina University School of Nursing

Dr. Livsey has been a nurse educator for more than a decade, with a scholarship focus on community based service learning experiences. She has extensive experience in policy and advocacy and serving underserved populations. Since 2016, Dr. Livsey has been leading development of innovative primary care focused experiences for BSN-RNs and is serving as PI on a HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant.

Speakers

Michelle DeCoux Hampton, RN, PhD
Associate Professor
Special Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Valley Foundation School of Nursing
San Jose State University

Michelle DeCoux Hampton is the College of Health and Human Sciences Special Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Associate Professor in The Valley Foundation School of Nursing at San Jose State University. She joined SJSU in 2018, but has 16 years of experience in academia and 27 years as Registered Nurse. Her teaching experience has focused on decreasing stigma and promoting a recovery mindset in psychiatric mental health nursing, as well as preparing prelicensure, Master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice students for evidence based practice in her research courses. She served as an administrative leader in Doctor of Nursing Practice programs and provided university and departmental leadership with regard to faculty development. Her goal is to contribute to improving health equity for underserved populations by increasing access to health professional education for members of underrepresented communities, and by educating current students and practicing professionals.

Speakers

Margaret Rauschenberger, MSN, RN
Professor, Dean of Nursing Emerita, and Associate Dean
School of Adult Learning and New Initiatives
Alverno College

Peg Rauschenberger, MSN, RN, is an associate dean in the School of Adult Learning and New Initiatives in charge of health related programming, and the dean emerita of Alverno College's JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions. She has been consulting and lecturing since 1997, and has presented numerous workshops nationally and internationally on topics including ability-based education, nursing education, child and adolescent mental health care, nursing in corrections, conflict resolution, stress management and the effects of stress on health.

Judeen Schulte, PhD, RN
Professor
JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions
Alverno College

Judeen Schulte, PhD, OSF, is a professor of Nursing at Alverno College where she has taught since 1980. In addition to her nursing expertise, Schulte has given presentations on Alverno’s abilities-based curriculum across the country, as well as around the world. She has also served as a consultant to several universities here and abroad on performance assessment, student learning and abilities-based curricula.

Ann Van Eerden, MSN, MS, RN
Associate Professor
JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions
Alverno College

Ann Van Eerden, MSN, MS, RN, CNE, NCSN, is an associate professor of nursing in the JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions at Alverno College. She also serves as the director of both the Undergraduate Nursing Program and the Health Education Program. She has nearly 40 years of nursing experience and has been teaching since 2008.

Speaker

Colleen Leners, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAAN FAANP
Director of Policy
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

Dr. Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), which serves as the national voice of academic nursing. Dr. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 25 years and has served our country in the United States Army Nurse Corps, which after multiple deployments overseas was honorably discharged. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military, she has been inducted as a Fellow Academy of Nursing, Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas.

Dr. Leners has served as the Traumatic Brain Injury Program manager, created a nurse-managed primary care clinic for Wounded Warriors at Navy Medical Center San Diego. She has also been a registered nurse and nurse practitioner for three decades. She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Speaker

Colleen Leners, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAAN FAANP
Director of Policy
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). AACN serves as the voice of academic nursing, encompassing education, research, and practice. Dr. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 25 years and has served our country in the United States Army Nurse Corps, which after multiple deployments overseas was honorably discharged. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military, she has been inducted as a Fellow Academy of Nursing, Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas.

Dr. Leners has served as the Traumatic Brain Injury Program manager, created a nurse-managed primary care clinic for Wounded Warriors at Navy Medical Center San Diego. She has also been a registered nurse and nurse practitioner for three decades. She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Speakers

Colleen Leners, DNP, APRN,FAAN, FAANP
Director of Policy
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C. AACN serves as the voice of academic nursing, encompassing education, research, and practice. Dr. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. Colleen serves on the Case Western Reserve Alumni Board and many committees for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 26 years and has served our country in the United States Army Nurse Corps. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and in American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Leners was awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas.

She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Emily Turek, BA
Policy Assistant
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

As Government Affairs and Policy Assistant for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Emily assists in policy and legislative initiatives pertaining to health policy and higher education issues that impact nursing schools. Prior to AACN, Emily was a United States Senate staffer, and focused on health care strategies and policy in fellowships with think tank and lobbying organizations.

Emily earned dual BA degrees in Public Relations and Policy with a focus on Economic Systems from Drake University.

Speaker

Colleen Leners, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP
Director of Policy
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C. AACN serves as the voice of academic nursing, encompassing education, research, and practice. Dr. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. Colleen serves on the Case Western Reserve Alumni Board and many committees for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 26 years and has served our country in the United States Army Nurse Corps. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and in American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Leners was awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas.

Dr. Leners served as a Traumatic Brian Injury Program manager, created a nurse-managed primary care clinic for Wounded Warriors at Navy Medical Center San Diego (C5). She has also been a registered nurse and nurse practitioner for nearly four decades.

She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Speakers

Rachel Stevenson, MA
Director of Government Affairs
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

Rachel Stevenson, joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2018 as the Director of Government Affairs. Rachel leads the Association’s daily advocacy efforts and works closely with Members of Congress, their staff, coalitions, and AACN membership to advance health and health care through a nursing lens. Rachel compliments these efforts as the Executive Director of the Nursing Community Coalition, which is convened by AACN. The Nursing Community Coalition is a 63-member organization that is a cross section of nursing education, practice, research, and regulation.

Prior to her arrival Rachel spent eight years as a Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Assistant at Polsinelli and Wheat Government Relations, respectively. In those roles, she provided critical advice and advocacy on behalf of a wide-array of health care clients, including AACN.