Speakers

Dawn Mueller-Burke, PhD, CRNP, NNP-BC 
Assistant Professor/Neonatal Nurse Practitioner 
University of Maryland Baltimore 
University of Maryland Medical Center

Dr. Mueller-Burke has a clinical focus in the Neonatal Intensive Care arena where she spent most of her career as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) PhD program with a focus in neonatal neurophysiology. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in a developmental genetics laboratory with a focus in stem cell biology. Her research sought to better understand neonatal brain injury and to identify potential interventions, including hypothermia and stem cell therapy to improve outcomes after neonatal brain injury. She shifted her focus to leadership and educational-based endeavors once joining the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in 2004, where she teaches across degree programs, specifically in the NNP program. 

She is nationally certified as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, with a per diem practice in the NICU at the University of Maryland Medical Center. In 2011 she served as the Faculty Chair of the DNP Transition Task Force incorporating the AACN Essentials, leading all the APN Master’s specialties at UMSON to the doctorate (DNP) beginning Fall 2014. She is currently the Chair of the Curricular Revisions Taskforce at UMSON, transforming entry and advanced practice programs to the 2021 Essentials. As an AACN Essentials Champion and Coach, and the co-lead for the AACN Essentials Curricular Workgroup, as well as a member of the NONPF Curricular Leadership Committee, she is part of the national dialogue and consultant on curricular revisions and speaks at various venues around implementation of the AACN Essentials and the move to competency-based education. 

Jacquelyn McMillian-Bohler, PhD, APRN 
Assistant Clinical Professor 
Director, Institute for Educational Excellence 
Duke University

Dr. Jacqui McMillian-Bohler is an Assistant Professor and the Director for Educational Excellence at the Duke University School of Nursing. She received a BSN from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, an MSN in Nurse-Midwifery from Vanderbilt University, and a PhD in Nursing Education from Villanova University. Grounded by her Masterful Educator Model, she mentors faculty and presents nationally on faculty development, fostering inclusive learning environments, and employing impactful teaching strategies. Her efforts extend to guiding nursing programs toward competency-based education and researching effective teaching practices and health equity. Beyond academia, she advances health equity through Cultural Intelligence workshops and a culturally concordant doula training initiative. 

Speakers

Fara Bowler, DNP, APRN
Associate Professor, Assistant Dean of Clinical Simulation Science Sr. Director of Clinical Partnerships and Placements
University of Colorado Anschutz 

Dr. Fara Bowler is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, where she serves as Assistant Dean of Clinical Simulation Science and Senior Director of Clinical Partnership and Placements. A recognized leader in clinical and simulation-based education, she has advanced academic-clinical integration through her dual leadership roles. She is serving her second elected term on the INACSL Board of Directors, where she champions international member engagement through the International Community of Practice, and was an author of the 2021 INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation?. Dr. Bowler has also contributed as a member of the Standards Committee, served as liaison to the Governance and Financial Oversight Committees, and was an early collaborator in developing INACSL’s innovative Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice Endorsement™.

Ashley Franklin, PhD, RN
Polly & Tex Rankin Endowed Professor of Nursing  
Texas Christian University

Dr. Ashley Franklin serves INACSL as the Immediate Past President and liaison to the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice Endorsement™ Committee. Her experience as a simulation leader at Texas Christian University includes curriculum, faculty development, program evaluation, and competency assessment in formative simulation. Dr. Franklin is a past author of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice®.

Speakers

Michael Clark, MPA
Policy Director
Convenient Care Association

Michael (Mike) Clark serves in multiple roles in state and federal policy arenas, spanning several legislative disciplines advocating for the future of health and human services. He is currently the Policy Director for the Convenient Care Association, the international trade association of companies and healthcare systems that provides consumers with accessible, affordable, quality healthcare in retail-based locations. He also serves as Policy Director for the Reference Based Healthcare Association and holds a Policy Fellowship at Woods Services. He holds several consulting and advisory roles with regional collective impact initiatives, international and domestic impact investing funds, human service non-profit agencies, and K-12 schools. Mr. Clark holds an MPA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Scranton’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.

Nicholas Torres, MEd
President
The Network Toward Unity for Health

Nicholas Torres is a seasoned and successful Business, Healthcare and Human Services Executive with over 25 years of experience in C-suite executive leadership, serving in CEO and C-Suite Consulting roles throughout his career in startup, small, and large social sector organizations. Nicholas works at the cross-section between the private sector, government, and not-for-profits, aligning them toward action on mutually agreed upon strategies and goals. He has designed, founded, led and managed multiple for-profit, not-for-profit, and cross-organization/system social ventures that are driven by social impact, financial sustainability, and systems change. Nicholas serves as President of The Network: To wards Unity for Health, a non-state actor in official relations with the World Health Organization; CEO of Social Innovations Partners, which publishes the Social Innovations Journal and oversees the regional Social Innovations Awards process to drive financial capital to community changemakers; and teaches at The Fels Institute of Government, Social Policy, and Nursing School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Tine Hansen-Turton, MGA, JD, FCPP, FAAN
President and CEO
Woods System of Care and Woods Services

Tine Hansen-Turton serves as President and CEO of Woods System of Care. Woods System of Care is a population health management organization that, through its network of providers and partners in PA and NJ and 8,000 staff, provides life-cycle care to meet the lifelong needs of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A), acquired brain injuries, and /or mental health challenges who may also have complex medical and genetic conditions.

She is a seasoned and successful Healthcare and Human Services Executive with 30 years of experience in C-suite executive leadership, serving in CEO, CSO, and COO roles throughout her career in Nonprofit, Private and Government Organizations. She has founded and led several nationally recognized health, human services, and related trade associations and has secured multi-billion dollars in new business. She is a founder and publisher/facilitator of a social impact/innovation journal and incubator lab, and continues to serve as the founding Executive Director for the Convenient Care Association, the national trade association of the over 3,000 private-sector retail clinic industry, serving 50 million people with basic health care services nationwide.

Nancy L. Rothman, EdD, RN, FCPP
Professor Emerita
Temple University

Nancy L. Rothman is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Nursing, College of Public Health, Temple University. She taught in the BSN and DNP programs and represented the Department of Nursing on the Temple University Health System Executive Nurse Committee toward building a recognized Academic Practice Partnership. Over her 25 years at Temple University, as the Independence Foundation Professor of Urban Community Nursing, she worked toward reducing environmental exposures related to lead poisoning, asthma and safe and healthy homes and the establishment of nurse-managed models of care under the original National Nursing Center Consortium, including nurse-managed primary care, the Nurse Family Partnership and placing nurse practitioners in schools. She is a consultant on policy and quality for RL Health at Wood Services, Inc., as they have initiated a patient-centered medical home primary care practice to serve adults and children with disabilities in residential care and met the outcomes needed to be recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Speakers

Shannon K. Idzik, DNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN 
Professor, Associate Dean for the DNP Program 
University of Maryland School of Nursing

Dr. Shannon ldzik is a Professor and Associate Dean for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, where she has served on faculty since 2005. She previously directed both the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (NP) Program and the DNP Program. She led the school's transition to a BSN-to-DNP model and consults nationally with institutions developing or evaluating DNP programs.  

Dr. ldzik is the current President of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) and served as ls Treasurer. She was a member of the 19-rnember national task force that revised the Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs, the national standards for NP education. She is a former member of the AACN Task Force on Implementation of the DNP and continues to serve as a Collegiate Commission on Nursing Education (CCNE) site visitor.

Her scholarly work focuses on advanced practice nursing education and NP workforce policy. She has given more than 100 presentations on these topics and more than 50 publications. She has served as principal investigator on more than $2.2 million in grant funding on these initiatives and served as key personnel on more than $20 million. She has held leadership roles on statewide organizations and national committees, including past-president of the Nurse Practitioner Association on Maryland, Maryland's Health Services Cost Review Commission workgroups, and the National Clinical Care Commission, a federal advisory commission on diabetes care. She maintains clinical practice as a nurse practitioner in the Comprehensive CARE Center at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, caring for underserved and medically complex populations. She has received multiple national awards, including the AANP State Award for Excellence and the NONPF Policy Award.  

Carolyn Rutledge, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN 
Professor and Eminent Scholar, Executive Director of Faculty Development, Innovation, and Research
Old Dominion University, Ellmer School of Nursing

Dr. Carolyn Rutledge is Professor and Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University (ODU). She has collected data, created policy initiatives, and provided testimony to support nursing.  She has published over 70 articles and received 32 grant applications totaling over $28 million focusing on new models of care. She is a sought-after national consultant in telehealth and published the book, “Telehealth Essentials for Advanced Practice Nursing”. She led development of the ODU Center for Interprofessional Education and the development of two Nurse Practitioner-led free ODU clinics - the PiN Clinic for the homeless and a rural Mobile Health Clinic. She has inspired DNP students to use data obtained through their DNP research projects to lobby for policy changes locally, regionally, and nationally. 

Joseph W. Tacy, PhD, RN, CNE 
Director and Professor 
Lamar University

Dr. Joseph W. Tacy is Director and Professor of the JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing at Lamar University. Dr. Tacy received his PhD in Nursing from The University of Texas at Tyler, an MSN in Nursing Education from James Madison University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Regents Studies from West Virginia University, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from Davis and Elkins College. Dr. Tacy has multiple years of experience in telemetry medical-surgical, orthopedic, and administrative nursing, which he integrates into his teaching and leadership. He has taught a wide range of courses, including contemporary issues, informatics, health assessment, clinical applications, and health policy. His instruction in health pol icy emphasizes the critical role nurses play in shaping healthcare systems, advocating for equitable access to care, and influencing legislative and regulatory frameworks. 

Dr. Tacy serves as a State Grass Roots Liaison (SGL) for AACN, representing nursing in Texas. A strong advocate for policy engagement, Dr. Tacy encourages nursing students and faculty to participate in health policy discussions at local, state, and national levels. Dr. Tacy strives to create a healthy work environment by embracing a culture of transparency and shared governance, and by allocating resources to support the well-being of the School, College, and University. He maintains a positive and enthusiastic approach to nursing education, and his students appreciate his dedication and willingness to go beyond the traditional role of a faculty member and leader. 

George Zangaro, PhD, RN, FAAN 
Associate Director
Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing

Dr. George Zangaro is the Associate Director of the DNP Executive program at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Previously, he was the Chief Policy and Scientific Officer at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. He served as Dean in the College of Nursing at Walden University serving over 16,000 students. He formerly served as the Director of the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis in the Bureau of Health Workforce at Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) leading a group of scientists forecasting the supply and demand projections for health professionals. He also served as the Director of the Office of Performance Measurement in the Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) at HRSA where he led the development, implementation, and analysis of performance measures across more than 40 different activities. Dr. Zangaro was previously an Associate Professor and Director of Nursing Research at The Catholic University of America. He also served as the Program Director for the Health Services Leadership and Management Program in the School of Nursing at the University of Maryland Baltimore. He received his bachelor’s degree in nu rsing from Columbia Union College and his master’s and doctorate (PhD) in Nursing from the University of Maryland Baltimore. 

Dr. Zangaro’s major career focus has been on the development of the nursing workforce to specifically address the areas of recruitment, retention, and educational development of nurses. Dr. Zangaro has served as a principal investigator, associate investigator, and consultant on several funded research studies. He is an experienced researcher and educator with several years of clinical experience. Expertise in systematic reviews and meta-analysis. In 2007, Dr. Zangaro retired from the Navy after 25 years of service. 

Speakers

Miranda Hawks, PhD, RN, CNL
Clinical Assistant Professor
MN Enrichment Team Lead
Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing 

Dr. Miranda Hawks is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. She earned her PhD in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia in 2016, following an MSN in Nursing/Clinical Nurse Leadership in 2010, and a BS in Biology from Georgia Southwest State University in 2007. Dr. Hawks is licensed as a Registered Nurse in Georgia and holds Certified Clinical Nurse Leader credentials. Additionally, she has completed Graduate Certificates in eLearning Design and Online Teaching from the University of Georgia. Dr. Hawks has served as an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University’s Wellstar School of Nursing and as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Georgia State University’s Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions. Her teaching interests span nursing ethics, pathophysiology, pharmacology, nursing informatics, evidence-based practice, qualitative research, and nursing research. She specializes in competency-based education, online teaching and learning, and the integration of the AACN Essentials into nursing curricula. Dr. Hawks is actively involved in eLearning design, faculty development, and mentoring. Clinically, Dr. Hawks has experience across various settings including community environments (e.g., schools), cardiac catheterization labs, and medical-surgical, operating room, emergency department, and clinic settings as a research nurse.
 

Rosa Arriaga, PhD 
Associate Professor
Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing

Dr. Rosa Arriaga is a Human Computer Interaction (HCI) researcher in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. Her current research interests are in the area of chronic ca re management and mental health. She designs and deploys mHealth systems that address gaps in chronic care and mental health management. The computational systems she designs fosters engagement, facilitates continuity of care, promotes patient self-advocacy, and mediates communication between patient and healthcare providers.
 

Patti E. Landerfelt DNP, APRN, CRNA, CCRN, CEN 
Senior Instructor
Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Dr. Patti Landerfelt is an assistant professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Her educational background includes a BSN and DNP from Emory University and a Master of Nursing from the U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing. She served America’s Heroes at the Atlanta VA Medical Center as well as other members of the metro Atlanta community as an ER nurse, critical care nurse, IV team nurse, and nurse anesthetist for 26 years. She currently teaches in the pre-licensure nursing program at Emory’s School of Nursing. She coordinates Pathophysiology and Adult/Older Adult Health Nursing didactic courses for BSN and MN students. Her research focuses on nursing leadership and the effects of leadership on hospital acquired infections as well as nursing workload and burnout.

Dr. Landerfelt’s first career was teaching in elementary public-school classrooms across the U.S. She has a Master of Music with an emphasis in Orff-Schulwerk, a pedagogical philosophy of teaching music to children. She currently incorporates Carl Orff’s philosophy of teaching along with David Kolb’s 4 stage experiential learning model into her andragogical approach to nursing education. Dr. Landerfelt strives to provide a holistic learning experience that fosters curiosity, generates hope, enables success, and creates a sense of wonder and joy in learning the most trusted profession.
 

Roy L. Simpson, DNP, RN, FAAN, DPNAP, FACMI
Professor, Clinical Track, Assi stant Dean for Technology Management
Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Dr. Roy L. Simpson is a distinguished leader in nursing informatics and executive nursing leadership, with over 45 years of dedicated experience in transforming healthcare through innovation. His work spans academia, corporate sectors, and multihospital systems, focusing on big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) applications in healthcare, workforce development, and informatics-driven decision-making to improve patient outcomes and nursing efficiency. In corporate leadership, he pioneered the HBOC Nurse Scholars Program (now McKesson), significantly advancing education in health informatics for nursing executives during the 1980s. This initiative helped disseminate over 100 scholars in nursing informatics faculty globally, fostering widespread adoption of this emerging specialty. In the 1970’s with HCA funding, Dr. Simpson created with Werley and Lang, The Nursing Minimum Data Set. Additionally, he has chaired expert panels for prominent organizations such as the American Academy of Nursing, AONL, and HIMSS, influencing policies on informatics, vendor collaboration, and technology integration in nursing practice.