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.

Speakers

Marta Okoniewski, MPA
Director of Student Engagement
AACN

Marta Okoniewski, MPA, is the Director of Student Engagement at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). She led the development, launch, and growth of the GNSA, a national network providing high value programs, services, and resources to nursing students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs. Prior to joining AACN, Ms. Okoniewski worked as the Program Coordinator at New York University College of Nursing within the Academic and Clinical Affairs Department. She received her master’s in public administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Scranton.

Anne Pearson, BA
Student Services Coordinator
AACN

Anne Pearson is the Student Services Coordinator at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). She supports graduate nursing students across the country through the Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA) and Liaison leadership program. She has a background in education equity policy research and received her baccalaureate degree in political science from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.  

Speakers

Noah Brown, MPA
Jonas Grant Manager
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Marta Okoniewski, MPA
Director of Student Engagement
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Speakers

Maja Djukic, PhD, RN, FAAN
Assistant Dean for Research
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Maja Djukic joined the Cizik School of Nursing on Sept. 1, 2020, as the John P. McGovern Distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Research. She is a widely published nurse scientist who has pioneered national research of new graduate nurses to identify key gaps in quality and safety competencies essential for high-value patient care. The more than $7 million in extramural funding she has secured in the past decade includes three current studies on which she serves as primary investigator that examine various issues affecting the nursing workforce.

Earlier in her career, Djukic received two prestigious career development awards – the Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholar Award and the Josiah Macy Junior Foundation Faculty Scholar Award. She was elected co-chair of the Interdisciplinary Group on Nursing Issues (IRGNI) at Academy Health and is currently an Associate Editor for the Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice journal.

Prior to joining Cizik School of Nursing, Djukic was an associate professor at New York University College of Nursing, where she earned a PhD in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing Education. She began her nursing career Oklahoma, receiving an Associate Degree in Nursing from Tulsa Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from North Eastern State University

Speakers

Brittany Hay, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor
University of South Florida

Dr. Brittany Hay is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, lead director of the nurse practitioner concentrations, and director of the adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner concentration. She has extensive experience in the advanced practice nurse role caring for patients and families prior to becoming faculty. As a DNP, she has engaged in multiple successful systems level initiatives utilizing evidence-based practice and quality improvement approaches. Dr. Hay has advanced education and scholarship in diagnostic reasoning and teaching. She leverages competency-based educational strategies to support student development of the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for successful contemporary practice.