Dr. Julie Sanford from The University of Alabama Appointed Chair of the AACN Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 31, 2026 – The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is pleased to announce that Julie Sanford, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, the Angelyn Adams Giambalvo Dean and Professor at The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing, has been appointed Chair of the AACN Board of Directors. Dr. Sanford officially began her two-year term as Board Chair today following AACN’s Spring 2026 Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across the nation to strengthen nursing’s impact on improving health and healthcare,” said Dr. Sanford. “Having served in leadership capacities at public and private institutions, my experience in diverse academic settings will help to ensure that all perspectives are considered in Board decision making and strategic planning.”

Dr. Julie Sanford is one of the nation’s most respected leaders in nursing whose contributions to education, research, policy, and practice have elevated the profession. Prior to her current appointment at The University of Alabama, she served as dean and professor of the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing and as director of the school of nursing at James Madison University in Virginia. Her distinguished career in academic nursing has included leadership and teaching roles at the University of South Alabama, University of Southern Mississippi, and Spring Hill College.

A catalyst for innovation, Dr. Sanford has been a leading voice for the profession and an effective champion for programs and policies that serve national and local needs. In 2018, she presented testimony before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in support of the reauthorization of Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs. She secured more than $13 million in federal and foundation funding to increase access to nursing education for disadvantaged populations living in rural, underserved areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and Virginia. In the international arena, she developed partnerships for research and study abroad opportunities with universities in Japan, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

For AACN, Dr. Sanford has served on the Board of Directors as Secretary and Member-at-Large; on the Nominating and Government Affairs Committees; as chair of the Baccalaureate Education Conference Planning Subcommittee; as a State Grassroots Liaison; as a team leader and Report Committee Member for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; and as a mentor in the New Dean Mentoring program. She is a graduate of the AACN-Wharton Executive Leadership Program and the Leadership for Academic Nursing Program (now the Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing program).

“Engagement within AACN has helped to strengthen my leadership capacity and deepened my commitment to developing the next generation of academic nurse leaders,” added Dr. Sanford. “I consider my connection with AACN to be a career highlight as it has afforded me the opportunity to shape my strategic thinking and decision-making skills in service to member schools.”

Joining Dr. Sanford on the AACN Board of Directors are these fellow members: Chair-Elect Valerie Howard from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Treasurer Judith Karshmer from Arizona State University; Secretary Christine Verni from Niagara University; Practice Representatives Kimberly Hunter from the University of Iowa Health Care and Julie Swann from Emory Saint Joseph Hospital; and Members-at-Large Bimbola Akintade from East Carolina University; Lorna Finnegan from Loyola University Chicago; Eileen Fry-Bowers from the University of San Francisco; Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow from Duquesne University; Versie Johnson-Mallard from Kent State University; and Shannon Bright Smith from Florida A&M University. In addition, AACN’s President and Chief Executive Officer Deborah Trautman serves as an ex-officio member of the AACN Board.

To read more about AACN’s 2026 election results, click here.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the voice for academic nursing representing more than 890 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide. AACN works to establish quality standards for nursing education; assists schools in implementing those standards; influences the nursing profession to improve health care; and promotes public support for professional nursing education, research, and practice. Learn more at aacnnursing.org.

# # #