Past Award Recipients

2024 Recipients

  • Lynda Benton

    Dr. Lynda Benton

    Dr. Benton has been a great ally to the nursing profession and a strong supporter of academic nursing in her work as Johnson & Johnson’s Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives, Global Community Impact Division. She was a champion for innovation in nursing education and practice who has helped to expand the pipeline of underrepresented groups into nursing and advance health equity. She was instrumental in helping t…

  • David Benton

    Dr. David Benton

    With a career spanning over three decades, Dr. David Benton is recognized globally as an expert in nursing and regulation. His insights and guidance in healthcare provider organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and government have shaped nursing legislation and health policy worldwide. We celebrate his retirement as the CEO of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and applaud his influential work.

  • Loressa Cole

    Dr. Loressa Cole

    As the former CEO of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Enterprise, including the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Dr. Loressa Cole has been a longstanding collaborator with AACN. Her tireless commitment to advancing nursing and fostering excellence in the profession has earned her this well-deserved recognition. Cole's retirement marks the end of an extraordinary era, and we are grateful for her invaluable contributions to academic nursing.