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

Tami J. Rogers, PhD, DVM, MSN, CNE
Professor of Nursing, Curriculum QA/Course Development
Rasmussen University

Dr. Tami J. Rogers holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Florida State University, a Master’s of Science in Nursing in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Phoenix, a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Nursing Education from Capella University. Tami practiced as a small animal Veterinarian for 12 years before transitioning to nursing, where her clinical background in nursing focused on the adult population in open-heart surgical recovery. Since 2003 Tami has served as Nurse Educator and Curriculum Manager at the Associates, Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral levels. Currently, she manages quality assurance and course development for the School of Nursing Curriculum Team. Dr. Rogers holds a specialty certification as a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) and has presented findings from research and evidence-based interventions at local and national conferences, including Sigma Theta Tau Annual Research Day, National League for Nursing Summit, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing BSN and MSN Conferences. Her current research interests include perceived self-efficacy for information literacy among faculty and students and use of embedded information literacy activities in nursing education, alignment of ACRL nursing information literacy competency standards to EBP competencies at undergraduate and graduate levels, meaningful evaluation strategies and feedback for the DNP specialty clinical practice experience, and cognitive and emotional impacts of graduate competency-based education.

Becky Costello, EdD
Director of Instructional Design
Rockford Public Schools

Dr. Becky Costello has been designing online learning for adults for over ten years. Her research area of interest is the impact of online faculty training on learning communities. In her current role, she designs professional learning opportunities for teachers and other certified staff at a large, urban public school district in Northern Illinois. She takes great pride in the collaborative relationships she builds with stakeholders in the instructional design process. Though she is not a nurse, she is invested in understanding the regulatory challenges, student and faculty experience, and other key aspects of online nursing course and program quality.

Speaker

Gwen Sherwood, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF
Professor Emeritus
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Dr. Gwen D. Sherwood was a Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. Her program of scholarship evolved from a model for caring relationships which led to examination of patient satisfaction with pain management, particularly from a multicultural perspective and the development of a Spanish Language tool, the Houston Pain Outcome Instrument. She also applied the caring model to spiritual dimensions of care and the impact on healthy work environments and helped develop the Methodist Caring Tool to examine patient satisfaction with caring. Through her work at the University of Texas at Houston School of Nursing she was co-investigator with the Medical School’s Center for Patient Safety to examine teamwork as a variable in patient safety.

Dr. Sherwood is co-investigator on Phases I, II, III, and IV of the award winning Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to transform nursing curriculum to prepare nurses in quality and safety for redesigned health care systems. She was a nursing leader for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University Inter-professional Patient Safety Education Collaborative to measure effectiveness of teaching modalities for interdisciplinary teamwork training involving nursing and medical students. She participates in the annual Telluride Science Institute on interprofessional education with the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a member of the National Patient Safety Foundation Research Committee. She has been a leader in developing nursing education across borders, working with nursing faculty in China, Thailand, Macau, Mexico, England, and Kenya.

She is Past President of the International Association for Human Caring and served two terms as Vice President of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing.