Distinguished AACN Partner Award

Created by the AACN Board of Directors in January 2024, this award honors individuals who have had a significant and sustained relationship with AACN leadership to advance academic nursing. Nominations may be advanced by Board members. Award recipients will be acknowledged at either the Deans Annual Meeting or the Academic Nursing Leadership Conference. This is an ad hoc honor that will be awarded as needed throughout the year.

AACN is proud to introduce the Distinguished AACN Partner Award to honor individuals who have collaborated with AACN and made a significant and sustained impact on academic nursing. We are thrilled to announce the inaugural recipients of this prestigious award!

This is an ad hoc award which may or may not be awarded annually. The recipients of this award will be formally acknowledged at either the Deans Annual Meeting or the Academic Nursing Leadership Conference.

This award honors individuals who have demonstrated a significant and sustained commitment to advancing academic nursing through their relationship with AACN leadership. Recommendations may be advanced by members of the AACN Board of Directors. The CEO and Board Chair will review, select, and advance the names to the full board. Board members will review selected recipients for the award and will have the opportunity to raise dissent by notifying the Board Chair and CEO.

The recipients of this award will be formally acknowledged at either the Deans Annual Meeting or the Academic Nursing Leadership Conference.

2026 Award Recipients

George Haddad

George Haddad founded Liaison International in 1990 and currently serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He was instrumental in establishing a partnership with AACN, resulting in the launch of NursingCAS in 2010. NursingCAS has grown into one of the nation’s largest centralized application services for a health profession with over 64,000 annual applicants and nearly 300 schools of nursing now affiliated with the service.

In addition, in 2020, George initiated the Deborah E. Trautman Future Nurse Leader Scholarship program, which provides leadership development and funding support for future academic nursing leaders from schools affiliated with AACN and NursingCAS. To date, 12 graduate students from PhD and DNP programs have been named Trautman scholars having completed this innovative professional enrichment opportunity. George was also a member of the inaugural Advisory Committee for the Foundation of Academic Nursing, the focal point of AACN’s philanthropic efforts on behalf of academic nursing.