Speakers

Mary Ann Siciliano McLaughlin, EdD, RN, ANEF
Clinical Associate Professor
Rutgers University

Dr. Siciliano McLaughlin is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Rutgers University - Camden School of Nursing. Dr. McLaughlin is an experienced nurse, educator, leader, author, clinical editor and consultant in nursing. She is passionate about developing and mentoring future and current professional nurses. She strives to positively contribute to the advancement of the nursing profession.  

Dr. McLaughlin’s areas of experience and expertise include cardiac nursing, medical surgical nursing, education, publishing, NCLEX, disease management, telehealth, nursing management, professional identity, leadership, and ethics.  

Dr. McLaughlin’s scholarship interests include publications and presentations related to cardiac nursing, medical surgical nursing, NCLEX, professionalism, and ethics. The main focus of her scholarship revolves around ethical practice in nursing. She has presented locally, nationally, and internationally relating to her scholarship on ethics and her model, the Siciliano-McLaughlin Model of Ethics. 

Nelda Godfrey, PhD, ACNS-BC, RN, FAAN, ANEF
Professor, Professional Practice, and Director, Nursing Career Success, Identity and Innovation  
Sinclair School of Nursing  
University of Missouri

Nelda Godfrey is Professor, Professional Practice, and Director, Nursing Career Success, Identity and Innovation at the Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. A thought leader in nursing innovation and nursing education, Dr. Godfrey writes often on new care delivery models that can be influenced by a stronger emphasis on the nurse within—researching and developing strategies to crea te the whole person experience in nursing practice going forward. Her work with the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing is transforming the way nurses, health care professionals and society understand what it means to “think, act and feel like a nurse.” This work offers new language and new knowledge for the journey—helping nurses heal, flourish and expertly care for others.

Dr. Godfrey received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri, her Masters in Nursing and credential as a Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of Kansas Medical Center, and her PhD in Nursing with an emphasis in ethics from the University of Missouri. Scholarly accomplishments include seminal work in professional identity in nursing and implementing the AACN Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education.  Programmatic achievements include creating the KU Community College Nursing Program in which community college students dually enroll in their community college and KU simultaneously, allowing them to graduate with an associate degree in nursing and a bachelor of science in nursing at the same time. Dr. Godfrey serves on the American Nurses Association Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board and was formerly one of two co-leads for the Missouri Action Coalition supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

M. Lindell Joseph, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAONL
Clinical Professor and Director of the DNP & MSN in Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership Programs at the University of Iowa College of Nursing    
University of Iowa College of Nursing  

Dr. Lindell Joseph is passionate about advancing nursing leadership and innovativeness through thought leadership, research methods, and extensive publications. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Nurse Leader, the official journal of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, at the University of Iowa College of Nursing. From 2019-2024, Dr. Joseph served on the Advisory Council of the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing. In that role, she co-led the development of th e Conceptual Model for Professional Identity in Nursing and chaired the Nurse as Leader Committee. An outcome of this committee is a position statement entitled “A Call for Dialogue to Advance the Concept of Nurses as Leaders within the Profession and the Public.” Dr. Joseph’s other areas of expertise are leadership effectiveness, innovativeness across academia and practice, and the General Effectiveness Multilevel Theory for Shared Governance. She has been called a proactive, “action-oriented theoretician.” Lastly, she recently co-edited the eighth edition of Leadership and Nursing Care Management.

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

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MSN, MPH, MS, MSW, BS, RN, ANP-BC, LCSW, PMHNP-BC, FAAN
Executive Director
Institute for Policy Solutions
Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Professor
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos is the Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Solutions and the Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. He is also the founding director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH). Dr. Guilamo-Ramos is a nurse practitioner, dually licensed in adult health and psychiatric-mental health nursing.

Widely regarded as a scholar and leader in SDOH and in developing, evaluating, and translating nurse-driven, community-based interventions, his research has been funded for two decades by NIH, CDC, and various federal agencies. His work has been published in leading scientific journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The British Medical Journal, Nature Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and the American Journal of Public Health.

Dr. Guilamo-Ramos has served as a member of the ad hoc NASEM Committee on Unequal Treatment Revisited: The Current State of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare; the NASEM Standing Committee on Reproductive Health, Equity, and Society; and the board of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino-focused civil rights organization. He also serves on the Latino Commission on AIDS Board of Directors as vice chair and as the chair of the board of directors for Power to Decide. 
 

Speaker

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MSN, MPH, MS, MSW, BS, RN, ANP-BC, LCSW, PMHNP-BC, FAAN
Executive Director
Institute for Policy Solutions
Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Professor
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos is the Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Solutions and the Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. He is also the founding director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH). Dr. Guilamo-Ramos is a nurse practitioner, dually licensed in adult health and psychiatric-mental health nursing.

Widely regarded as a scholar and leader in SDOH and in developing, evaluating, and translating nurse-driven, community-based interventions, his research has been funded for two decades by NIH, CDC, and various federal agencies. His work has been published in leading scientific journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The British Medical Journal, Nature Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and the American Journal of Public Health.

Dr. Guilamo-Ramos has served as a member of the ad hoc NASEM Committee on Unequal Treatment Revisited: The Current State of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare; the NASEM Standing Committee on Reproductive Health, Equity, and Society; and the board of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino-focused civil rights organization. He also serves on the Latino Commission on AIDS Board of Directors as vice chair and as the chair of the board of directors for Power to Decide. 
 

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