Speakers

Karen Doyle, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is the senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). She has 40 years of nursing experience across executive leadership, emergency nursing, care management, and patient experience. As CNO, Dr. Doyle oversees nursing practice, patient outcomes, operations, strategic planning, policy formulation, and regulatory compliance at UMMC’s Downtown and Midtown campuses. She brings a broad array of experience as a transformational executive leader and change agent who has led innovative patient experience and clinical practice initiatives, policies, and solutions.

Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, is the Chief Nursing Executive and Executive Vice President, Accreditation and Certification Operations for The Joint Commission. In this role, he oversees the accreditation and certification services for more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs; all activities related to surveys, eligibility and application processes; customer account management; and federal compliance requirements. Dr. Grubbs also administers accreditation and certification policy development, surveyor education and development, survey technology, and the ongoing development and refinement of the accreditation process. Previously, he served as Vice President of Regulatory and Accreditation Services for HCA Healthcare and as the Assistant Vice President of Programs for the National Patient Safety Foundation.

Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD, RN, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, serves as professor and the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON). Dr. Ogbolu is the first alumna to serve as the school of nursing’s dean. After 21 years in clinical practice as a board-certified neonatal nurse practitioner, she was appointed to the UMSON faculty in 2010 as deputy director of the School’s Office of Global Health, became its director in 2015, and then Department Chair of Partnerships, Professional Education and Practice in 2019. Her interprofessional and community-engaged research and schol­arship, teaching, and professional activities have focused on addressing disparities in care locally and globally. She has served as the executive sponsor of UM Nursing, the University of Maryland Baltimore’s 19-year academic-practice partnership that spans across the University of Maryland Medical Center’s 12 hospitals. 

Dr. Laura Klenke-Borgmann, PhD, RN, leads large-scale competency-based curricular transformation grounded in simulation science and experiential learning. As an academic leader and simulation scholar, she designs and implements comprehensive curriculum redesign aligned with national and international competency frameworks. Her work integrates SimZones, assessment science, and structured experiential learning to advance practice readiness. She specializes in translating competency standards into coherent curriculum architecture — aligning outcomes, learning experiences, assessment strategies, and faculty development to ensure sustainable implementation. She welcomes collaboration with institutions advancing simulation-informed, competency-based education across diverse global contexts.

Jacquelyn McMillian-Bohler, PhD, RN, is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean of Academic Innovation and Evaluation at Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON). A recognized leader in nursing education, Jacqui’s work focuses on competency-based education and innovative teaching practices that enhance learning outcomes and promote student success. As an Essentials coach for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), she mentors institutions across the country in implementing competency-driven models and regularly presents nationally and internationally on faculty development, teaching strategies, and educational innovation. With a passion for faculty development, Jacqui’s scholarship centers on creating inclusive, evidence-based teaching and learning environments. She has published and presented widely on these topics, with a particular focus on enhancing faculty effectiveness and supporting the professional growth of nurse educators. Her work is grounded in her "master teacher" model, which has shaped her approach to fostering educational excellence across 
nursing schools. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to education, including the Duke University Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award at DUSON. In addition to her academic leadership, Jacqui is a Certified Nurse-Midwife with over two decades of clinical experience, providing full-scope women’s health care in Charleston, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Louisville, Kentucky. Her research and clinical work aim to address health disparities, especially maternal mortality. Most recently she was the co-principal investigator on a grant to enhance doula training for families during the perinatal period. A global advocate for women’s health, Jacqui has precepted nursing students internationally, including in China, South America, and the Philippines. She holds a BSN from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, an MSN in Nurse-Midwifery from Vanderbilt University, and a PhD in Nursing Education from Villanova University.

Dana Tschannen, PhD, RN, is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Dr. Tschannen earned her PhD from the University of Michigan with a focus on interprofessional team communication and its impact on patient outcomes. She received her Master’s in Nursing Administration and Patient Care Services and Bachelor's of Science in Nursing also from the University of Michigan. Dr. Tschannen’s has extensive expertise in quality and safety, evidence-based practice, interprofessional communication, and innovative health professions education. Her leadership spans pre-licensure to graduate-level program development, implementation, and evaluation. Her scholarship focuses on engaging nurses and interprofessional teams in quality improvement and evidence-based strategies to improve patient outcomes and strengthen clinical decision-making. As an academic leader and early adopter of technology-enhanced learning, Dr. Tschannen has developed immersive simulation-based educational programs that promote teamwork, empathy, cultural humility, and the translation of evidence into practice. Her work, most recently including the development of feedback literacy training that uses AI-enhanced scenarios to provide learners with immediate feedback, reflects a sustained commitment to preparing healthcare professionals to deliver safe, compassionate, patient-centered care in an increasingly complex, technology-driven healthcare environment. As an AACN Essentials Coach, Dr. Tschannen has partnered with schools across the country to support the transition to competency-based education. Dr. Tschannen's scholarship and academic leadership have been recognized through numerous national awards, including the Midwest Nursing Research Society Health Systems, Policy, & Informatics Distinguished Scholar Award and selection as an American Association of Colleges of Nursing Leadership for Academic Nursing Fellow.

Dr. Elizabeth Wells-Beede, PhD, RN, serves as Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Nursing at the UNT Health Fort Worth, College of Nursing. Prior to joining UNT Health Fort Worth, she served as a Clinical Associate Professor at Texas A&M University College of Nursing. Dr. Wells-Beede has co-led initiatives that have secured more than $20 million in funding to implement innovative virtual reality (VR) simulations across educational and clinical settings for nursing students, practitioners, and other health professionals. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Society for Simulation in Healthcare and most recently the Academy of Nurse Educators. Dr. Wells-Beede served on the Board of Directors for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) from 2020 to 2024. As Senior Associate Dean, she has helped lead the launch of four academic programs—undergraduate and graduate offerings—including the successful early implementation of a pre-licensure program.