Speakers

Rachel L. Minahan, MA  
Chief Government Affairs and Policy Officer
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Rachel Minahan joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2018, where she leads the Association’s advocacy and policy portfolio. In this role, she works closely with Members of Congress, the Administration, national coalitions, and AACN member institutions to advance health and health care through a nursing lens. She also serves as Executive Director of the Nursing Community Coalition, a 64-member organization representing a broad spectrum of nursing education, practice, research, and regulation.

Prior to AACN, Rachel spent more than a decade in government relations and policy, including eight years as a Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Assistant at Polsinelli and Wheat Government Relations. She began her career on Capitol Hill and as a field organizer in Iowa, experiences that grounded her deep commitment to public service and advocacy.

Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government from American University, and a Master of Arts in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She has also served as an assistant adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies, where she taught courses on the foundations of health systems and policy. 

Josh Adams, PhD
Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Josh Adams is AACN's Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs. Josh is a policy and research professional with extensive experience in advocacy, regulatory affairs, and strategic communications. He specialize s in translating complex policy and research issues into clear, actionable insights that inform decision-making and drive organizational impact. With a background spanning nonprofit, association, and corporate sectors, Josh has led initiatives to advance policy priorities, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and develop evidence-based strategies that connect research to real-world outcomes.

Andrew Bryant 
Government Affairs Coordinator 
American Association of Colleges of Nursing 

Andrew Bryant joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in January 2024, where he helps implement AACN’s federal advocacy and legislative strategy. In this role, he helps keep various stakeholder groups and coalitions appraised of the latest developments at the federal level, leads presentations to student groups, coordinates various aspects of AACN’s Hill Days, and drafts advocacy alerts, press releases, and letters on key federal priorities.  

Prior to AACN, Andrew worked for two years as a Policy Assistant at Faegre Drinker Biddle and Reath LLP, where he provided support to a team of government affairs professionals working in numerous issue areas, including healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and transportation. Andrew began his career in advocacy as a field organizer in Virginia, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Amanda Rosensky 
Government Affairs and Policy Manager 
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Amanda Rosensky joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) as the Government Affairs and Policy Manager in October 2025. Prior to joining AACN, Amanda was a Presidential Management Fellow and civil servant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Ser vice, where she worked first as a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) policy specialist before moving to the Agency’s government affairs team where she liaised with Congress to ensure the success of the 16 federal nutrition programs. Amanda began her career as an AmeriCorps VISTA, serving at Wake Forest University to strengthen their community engagement. Amanda earned her Bachelor of Arts in Politics & International Affairs and History from Wake Forest University and has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Virginia.

Speaker

Rachel Minahan, MA
Chief Government Affairs and Policy Officer
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Rachel Minahan joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2018, where she leads the Association’s advocacy and policy portfolio. In this role, she works closely with Members of Congress, the Administration, national coalitions, and AACN member institutions to advance health and health care through a nursing lens. She also serves as Executive Director of the Nursing Community Coalition, a 64-member organization representing a broad spectrum of nursing education, practice, research, and regulation.

Prior to AACN, Rachel spent more than a decade in government relations and policy, including eight years as a Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Assistant at Polsinelli and Wheat Government Relations. She began her career on Capitol Hill and as a field organizer in Iowa, experiences that grounded her deep commitment to public service and advocacy.

Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government from American University, and a Master of Arts in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She has also served as an assistant adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies, where she taught courses on the foundations of health systems and policy.
 

Speaker

Rachel Minahan, MA
Chief Government Affairs and Policy Officer
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Rachel Minahan joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2018, where she leads the Association’s advocacy and policy portfolio. In this role, she works closely with Members of Congress, the Administration, national coalitions, and AACN member institutions to advance health and health care through a nursing lens. She also serves as Executive Director of the Nursing Community Coalition, a 64-member organization representing a broad spectrum of nursing education, practice, research, and regulation.

Prior to AACN, Rachel spent more than a decade in government relations and policy, including eight years as a Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Assistant at Polsinelli and Wheat Government Relations. She began her career on Capitol Hill and as a field organizer in Iowa, experiences that grounded her deep commitment to public service and advocacy.

Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government from American University, and a Master of Arts in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She has also served as an assistant adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies, where she taught courses on the foundations of health systems and policy.
 

Speaker

Rebecca K. Vortman, DNP, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC
Clinical Associate Professor
Associate Department Head
DNP Health Systems Leadership Co-Program Director 
University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing

Dr. Rebecca Vortman is a Clinical Associate Professor, Associate Department Head, and Co-Director of the Health Systems Leadership DNP Program at the University of Illinois Chicago for the Population Health Nursing Science department and serves as a Perioperative Education Consultant, and Associate Editor for the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Novice Nurse Digital Publication, The Stitch.

She has over thirteen years of experience in perioperative nursing, education, and leadership. Dr. Vortman is recognized as an international, national, and regional leader and expert in perioperative nursing and is currently serving a second term as a board member for AORN.

Her policy focus is on workplace safety initiatives and surgical smoke evacuation practices. She has disseminated her scholarly work through publications and presentations at the local, regional, national, and international levels. She co-led a state-based grassroots coalition to successfully pass a surgical smoke evacuation law in Illinois.

Dr. Vortman received a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Illinois Chicago. She is certified as an operating room nurse (CNOR) through the Competency and Credentialing Institute and holds a nurse executive advanced certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Speakers

Sofia Aragon, JD, BSN, RN
Executive Director, Washington Center for Nursing
Mayor, City of Burien

Sofia Aragon is the executive director for the Washington Center for Nursing and Mayor for the City of Burien. As Washington State’s nursing workforce center, WCN works to address the nursing shortage. Public policy is her passion. In her previous role as Governmental Affairs Advisor for the Washington State Nurses Association, she represented registered nurses, ARNPs United of Washington, and the School Nurse Organization of Washington. She advocated for legislation on workplace safety, full state adoption of the Affordable Care Act, higher education and public health funding, banning toxins in the environment, racial equity, and other issues. She was elected to the Burien City Council in 2019 and elected Mayor in 2022. As Chair of the Burien Airport Committee, she influences regional, state, and federal legislation to mitigate the health impact of exposure to communities by SeaTac International Airport. Most of Washington state’s communities of color live within a 10-mile radius of SeaTac airport. She partners with other cities, public health and community-based organizations to lessen exposure from the airport and health disparities among communities living and working near the airport. She also voted to pass city ordinances for environmental preservation and addressing climate change, such as requiring the use of compostable products, a tree ordinance, and a city Climate Action Plan. She earned a BA in Economics from UW-Seattle, a BSN in Nursing from Seattle University, and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University-Chicago School of Law.