Participant Biographies

Maryann Alexander
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Associate Executive Director.
Maryann Alexander, PhD, RN is the Associate Executive Director of Regulatory Programs for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. In this position, she oversees the organization’s programs in regulation, education and research and the development of its continued competence initiative. Prior to her current position, she served as the Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Nursing. In this position, she led a 155 member Task Force that rewrote the entire Illinois Nurse Practice Act, updating it for the future of nursing in Illinois.

Her background includes extensive experience as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and an Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She has written articles and given numerous presentations on nursing regulation. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science degree from Northwestern University and her PhD in Health Policy from the University of Illinois.

Mary Alexander
Infusion Nurses Society (INS). Chief Executive Officer.
As Chief Executive Officer of the Infusion Nurses Society (INS), Mary Alexander is responsible for the management of an international, nonprofit specialty nursing organization of 5,800 members by assuring consistent delivery of professional services to members. As Editor of the Journal of Infusion Nursing, a clinical, research-based, peer-reviewed publication, Ms. Alexander writes bimonthly columns for the Journal and has editorial responsibilities for a bimonthly membership newsletter, INS Newsline. She is an editor of the Core Curriculum for Infusion Nursing, 3rd edition and has contributed two chapters to the INS textbook, Infusion Therapy in Clinical Practice. She is also responsible for the credentialing program of the Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation.

Ms. Alexander’s areas of expertise include infusion therapy with an emphasis on patient safety, practitioner competency and standards development. Ms. Alexander’s clinical experience spans a variety of practice settings, encompassing home care, alternate sites and acute care settings. She received her nursing diploma from Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing, her Bachelors of Science degree in Health Care Administration from Emmanuel College in Boston, MA, and her Masters of Arts in Business Administration from Framingham State College in Framingham, MA. She has maintained her certification in infusion nursing since 1985. In 2005, she achieved the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation from the American Society of Association Executives. She is Past President of INS and received the distinguished award of INS Member of the Year in 1992. She has spoken nationally and internationally on the benefits of the specialty practice of infusion nursing and standards of practice development.

• Last book I read: The Woods by Harlen Coben
• My favorite movie(s): Singing in the Rain
• My hobbies: shopping, reading, golf
• Little known fact about me: I did an Irish step dance on the Bozo the Clown television show on St Patrick’s Day
• Related websites: www.ins1.org www.nursingcertification.org

• Last book I read: Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change-- by David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney
• My favorite movie(s): Freedom Writers; Gone with the Wind; Dances with Wolves
• My hobbies: Reading, Travel, American and European History
• Little known fact about me: I used to raise and show English Bulldogs
• Related Websites: www.aacn.nche.edu

Susan Boyer
VT Nurses In Partnership, Inc. (VNIP). Director.
Susan Boyer is the founding Director of Vermont Nurses In Partnership (VNIP), a not-for-profit organization that develops educational resources and services to support transitions into the workplace for professional nurses and other staff in healthcare. Susan developed the VNIP collaborative network, established a project web site (www.vnip.orp), compiled the competency development resources in an electronic manual, built a sustainable business structure, and provides consulting services that share the model, framework, tools, and outcomes with agencies and health systems from across the nation and beyond. From 2002 through 2003 Susan was a clinical instructor for a cohort of 10 nurse students in VT Technical College Nursing Program.

Susan completed her initial nursing program at the University of Vermont in 1973, and earned her Masters of Education degree from Antioch University in 1999, with a focus in Organizational Development.

The award of 1996 Educator of the Year was conferred by the American Society for Healthcare Education and Training – NNE Chapter, in recognition of the regional impact of her Critical Care Course that was delivered via innovative techniques (Boyer, 1996). Her enthusiasm for establishing a workplace culture of teaching, learning, and nurture was acclaimed by the 2001 Vermont Nurse of the Year award from the Vermont State Nurse Association.

• Last book I read: Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell
• My favorite movie(s): Second Hand Lions
• My hobbies: Horses, knitting, grandchildren, downhill skiing
• Little known fact about me: I use my vacation time to do 100 mile competitive horse rides
• Related Websites: www.vnip.org, http://www.vahhs.org/vonl.htm, http://www.hcea-info.org/
  
  

Linda Burhans
North Carolina Board of Nursing. Practice Consultant.
Linda Burhans is a Practice Consultant with the North Carolina Board of Nursing and serves as an adjunct faculty member at the East Carolina University (ECU) School of Nursing.

Her clinical background includes pediatrics, neonatal intensive care, and home health nursing. She has over 30 years of experience in nursing management and administration. For the five years prior to moving into her current role, she was the Administrator for Service and Clinical Quality Management at a 731 bed hospital in eastern North Carolina.

Linda maintains her Certification in Nursing Administration (Advanced - CNAA) and as a Healthcare Quality Professional (CPHQ). She is currently a PhD Candidate at the ECU School of Nursing and will be completing her dissertation on the “Meaning of Quality Nursing Care for Staff Nurses”. Earlier this year, her article entitled “What Is Quality? Do We Agree, and Does It Matter?” was published in the Journal for Healthcare Quality. In February 2007 she presented two poster sessions at the annual meeting of the Southern Nursing Research Society. One of these detailed the Practitioner Remediation and Enhancement Partnership (PREP) program which she coordinates at the Board of Nursing.

• Last book I read: Textbooks for school!
• My favorite movie(s): Bell, Book, and Candle; You've Got Mail!
• My hobbies: Reading, walking
• Little known fact about me: I'm an atypical Leo

Michelle Byrne
Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI). Board of Directors.
Michelle Byrne RN, PhD is currently an Associate Professor of Nursing and Coordinator of the MS in Nursing Education program at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Georgia. She has taught as an academic educator for over 20 years with previous experience at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Alverno College in Milwaukee, and at Georgia State University. She has been a CNOR since 1993 and has over 25 years experience in perioperative nursing. She has been a longtime member of the Association of perioperative Nurses (AORN) Organization and has served and chaired numerous national committees. Currently, she is on the Editorial Board for the AORN Journal. Dr. Byrne has been elected to the National Board for Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) and has served as chairperson for the Research Committee which is currently evaluating a pilot study for an evidence-based portfolio for recertification and reactivation of the CNOR credential.

• Last book I read: Wildfire by Nelson DeMille
• My favorite movie(s): Bourne Confidential
• My hobbies: yoga, golf & tennis
• Little known fact about me: Being from Wisconsin I am a Green Bay Packer Fan and cheesehead.

Carol Clothier
Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). Vice President, Examinations and Post-Licensure Services.
Carol Clothier is Vice President of Examination and Post-Licensure Services for the Federation of State Medical Boards. In this capacity, Ms Clothier is responsible for managing the Federation’s contractual relationship with the National Board of Medical Examiners, the Federation’s co-sponsor for both the United States Medical Licensing Examination and the Post-Licensure Assessment System programs. She played a key role in transitioning the USMLE Step 3 examination from paper-and-pencil examination format to a computer based format, and in managing the public relations campaign for the newly implemented USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills Examination. Within her leadership role for the organization, Ms. Clothier also contributes to policy development, most recently in the arena of maintenance of licensure and continued physician competence.
Ms. Clothier joined the Federation in 1995 as Assistant Vice President, Communications and Education Services and assumed her current position in 1999. In 2004, she resumed responsibility for the Communications Services Department and now oversees the development and production of all communications services for the organization in addition to her roles as VP for Examination and Post-Licensure Services. She has more than 16 years experience in health care management in both for profit and non profit arenas.

• Last book I read: One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization
• My favorite movie(s): Oh Brother Where Art Thou
• My hobbies: Cooking, hiking, playing scrabble
• Little known fact about me: I ran a marathon (and survived).
• Related Websites: www.innvoationlabs.com/summit

Damon Cottrell
AACN Certification Corporation. Board of Directors.
Damon Cottrell began his career in San Antonio, Texas where he graduated from the Baptist Memorial Hospital System School of Nursing. He then moved to Dallas, Texas and continued his career in emergency and critical care nursing completing a Baccalaureate degree in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University in 1997 and a Master’s degree in an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist program also from Texas Woman’s University in 1999. Damon holds certification in adult acute and critical care nursing and as a certified Clinical Nurse Specialist from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Certification Corporation, emergency nursing from the Board of Certification in Emergency Nursing and as a Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Damon is currently a Director of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Certification Corporation. He has also been a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the Emergency Nurses Association, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists and other nursing professional organizations.

• Last book I read: The Ultimate Guide to Competency Assessment in Health Care. D. Wright.
• My favorite movie(s): Suspect
• My hobbies: Swimming, bicycling
• Related Websites: www.certcorp.org

Ruth Craven
University of Washington. Professor Emeritus, Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems.
Ruth Craven received a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Washington and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seattle University. She also received Board Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Continuing Education and Staff Development. In 2000, Dr. Craven was appointed Associate Dean of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, Educational Outreach & Community Relations in the School of nursing at the University of Washington

Dr. Craven’s scholarship is in gerontological nursing and in nursing education. In gerontological nursing, Dr. Craven focuses on safety and fall prevention for older adults. In nursing education, she is particularly interested in the dissemination of knowledge through continuing nursing education and eLearning. Dr. Craven teaches the biological aspects of aging to undergraduate and graduate students and is one of the professors in the Certificate of Aging. She teaches and mentors graduate students in care of older adults and in home care nursing. She is the PI of the Advanced Practice Home Care Nurse Practitioner training grant, the Informatics training grant and several Hartford Foundation grants. Her textbook, Fundamentals of Nursing: Human Health and Function (with Constance Hirnle, published by Lippincott, Williams and Wilkens) is in its fourth edition.

Dr. Craven is a Commissioner and site visitor on the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation and a member of the Executive Committee of the Commission. She also serves as a site visitor for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, to schools of nursing seeking accreditation. She also has served on the board of trustees of several major continuing care retirement communities in the Washington State area.

• Last book I read: The Arraignment by Steve Martini.
• My favorite movie(s): Hello Dolly
• My hobbies: reading, sewing, writing, decorating
• Related Websites: http://www.nursecredentialing.org, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation

Craig Deao
StuderGroup . Research Development Leader.
Craig Deao is Research and Development Leader and a member of the senior management team for Studer Group, a healthcare consulting firm, where he leads all product development and research, and serves as a member of the senior management team. In the past he has served as Senior Director for Education and Networking at VHA Inc, an alliance of health care providers. Mr. Deao earned his Master of Healthcare Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, from the University of Minnesota in 2000.

• Last book I read: Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big
• My favorite movie(s): Office Space
• My hobbies: learning to be a first time dad
• Little known fact about me: I have a degree in poultry science.
• Related Websites: www.studergroup.com

Annette Debisette
US Department of Health and Human Services, HRSA Bureau of Health Professions. Director, Division of Nursing.
Annette Tyree Debisette is a Captain in the United States Public Health Service and the Director for the Division of Nursing, Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, Rockville, MD. The Division of Nursing implements nursing workforce legislation authorized under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act and in FY 2006 administered programs totaling 149.8 million dollars. Dr. Debisette received her BSN and MS degrees in nursing from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, and PhD in Nursing from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.

• Related Websites: www.bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing, www.hrsa.gov

Joyce Dubow
AARP Office of Policy and Strategy. Senior Advisor.
Ms. Dubow is Senior Advisor in AARP’s Office of Policy and Strategy where she has responsibility for a broad health portfolio related to AARP’s health care reform initiatives. She has a special focus on private health plans in the Medicare program, health care quality and health literacy. Dubow is a member of several committees of the National Quality Forum and is the chair of its Consensus Standards Approval Committee (CSAC). She is also a member of the NCQA Measurement Panel on Geriatrics; the Technical Advisory Committee for Implementation of Ambulatory Care CAHPS; the Hospital Information Workgroup (CMS); the Public Advisory Group on Health Care Quality of the Joint Commission, and the National Advisory Board of the Practice Change Fellows Program. Dubow has been a member of NCQA’s Committee on Performance Measurement and its Standards Committees; the Personal Health Technology Council of the Markle Foundation; and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Advisory Panel on Medicare Education, as well as other ad hoc committees on health care quality.

In a “former life,” Ms. Dubow was the executive vice-president of the Georgetown University Community Health Plan, a university-sponsored prepaid group practice plan. She was also the Director of Policy and Legislation in the federal Office of Health Maintenance Organizations.

Ms. Dubow holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Urban Planning from Hunter College of the University of the City of New York.

Kelly Goudreau
National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. Immediate Past President.
Kelly A Goudreau received her Baccalaureate in Nursing degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada her Masters in Nursing as an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist from Washington State University and her Doctorate in Nursing Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After a number of years in the academic environment teaching in Associate Degree, Baccalaureate and Masters level nursing programs she returned to the clinical environment in her present role as the Director of Education at the Portland VA Medical Center.

In her role as the Director of Education Kelly oversees staff development at all levels in the organization, patient education and academic affiliations that bring multidisciplinary students into the health care environment. Orientation of nurses, ongoing competency assessment, succession planning and career development are important foci of her role. She is involved in nursing initiatives at the local, state and national level and is presently the Immediate Past President of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.

• Last book I read: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• My favorite movie(s): Science Fiction/Fantasy themes
• My hobbies: My children and soapstone carving
• Little known fact about me: I attended a one room school

Alexia Green
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dean, Nursing Program.
Alexia Green is Dean and Professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences (TTUHSC), School of Nursing. Her career has focused on teaching and practice in the areas of adult health, critical care and public health policy. She is a RWJ Executive Nurse Fellow Alumni (Class of 2001) and a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Her professional activities focus on providing significant leadership in addressing public policy issues related to solving the nursing shortage and other workplace issues. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice and the Journal of Nursing Education. Dr. Green is a current member of the American Nurses Association Political Action Committee Board of Directors and has served on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Governmental Affairs Committee. She is a past President of the Texas Nurses Association.

Coalition building is one of her strengths, having served as founding member of the Texas Nursing Education Policy Coalition, the Texas Nursing Legislative Agenda Policy Coalition, and the Texas Patient Safety Alliance. She also provided leadership for the establishment of the Texas Nursing Competency Consortium – a regional consortium working to develop and test a model competency system, integrate and promulgate a framework for nursing competencies that will be used in education and practice and recommend policy changes related to nursing competency assessment.

Alexia has a long history of political activism and advocacy in the health care arena, and has testified fifteen times before state and regulatory entities regarding nursing and health care policy issues. She currently serves on the Texas Health Care Policy Council, the Texas Health Workforce Planning Partnership, the Texas Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Committee, and the Texas Health Policy Institute Vision Project, all advising the Governor and legislators on policy strategies for the state. In addition, she has also held an elected political position in Texas, as the first woman ever to be elected to her local school board in the 56-year history of the school district.

• Last book I read: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down – Anne Fadiman
• My favorite movie(s): Beatle Juice
• My hobbies: Horse back riding
• Little known fact about me: I’m an extrovert…there is little not known about me!
• Related Websites: http://nursing.ttuhsc.edu/competency

Linda Groah
Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). Executive Director.
Ms. Groah’s career as a perioperative nurse has spanned more than 40 years. After graduating from St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she began work as a staff nurse in the OR. Since then, she has held many positions such as Assistant Director of Nursing Service and Nurse Executive and Chief Operating Officer at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco.

Linda Groah is a nursing leader who has influenced clinical and administrative nursing practice worldwide. Her work in developing financial models for surgical services is utilized internationally to link the cost and the quality of care for the surgical patient. Linda’s work in developing advanced clinical practice models for operating room nurses is consistently referred to in education, practice, and administration. In 1996-1997 Linda served as President of the Association of Operating Room Nurses. During her term she was instrumental in collaborating to explore the formation of an international organization of perioperative nurses. She also served as the first President of the AORN Foundation, raising more than $1 million in the first two years.

In 1988, she received the Award for Excellence in Perioperative Nursing recognizing her for outstanding leadership in operating room nursing. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the profession and to health care Linda was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2000. She has published numerous articles and contributed to several textbooks.

In 2005 she received the Nursing Leadership Award for California and that was followed by the Nursing Leadership Award for the United States sponsored by Nursing Spectrum. In 2006 she was honored by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Most Influential Women in Business.

J. Patrick Jones
Excelsior College. Dean of Assessment.
J. Patrick Jones is the Dean of Assessment at Excelsior College. Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. in Measurement, Evaluation and Applied Statistics from Columbia University in 1987. He has presented and published primarily in the areas of computer-based testing, equating, scaling and standard-setting procedures.

Patrick has served as a reviewer for and contributor to the American Educational Research Association, the National Council on Measurement in Education, the American Psychological Association, and the Association of Test Publishers annual meetings. He currently volunteers as a consulting psychometrician for the American Board of Nursing Specialties and he serves on the American National Standards Institute Personnel Certification Accreditation Committee. Dr. Jones joined Excelsior College in April 2002 after 20 years of service at the Professional Examination Service (PES) in New York, NY. From 1997 to 2002, he was Executive Vice President at PES.

• Last book I read: Freakonomics
• My favorite movie(s): Sophie's Choice, Million Dollar Baby, Paths of Glory
  
• My hobbies: Roller blading, bike riding
  
• Little known fact about me: Won curliest hair contest as a 4-year-old
• Related Websites: www.ansi.org, www.cpancapa.org, www.excelsior.edu, /www.nursingcertification.org

Jean Burns Lazarus
Alabama Board of Nursing.
Dr. Jean Lazarus is a lifelong proponent of continuing education and research-driven policy reform in health care and nursing. Her nursing career spans more than 30 years and began as a diploma graduate of the Mobile Infirmary School of Nursing in 1959. She received her B.S.N. in 1961 and her M.S.N. in 1963 from The University of Alabama. Dr. Lazarus also received a degree as educational specialist in 1978 and an Ed.D. in 1982 from Auburn University. She joined Troy State University in 1975 where she served as an associate dean of the ASN program and associate professor of graduate studies for 12 years.

Dr. Lazarus served as a member of the Alabama Board of Nursing from 1982 to 1989, serving two terms as president of the board. She was instrumental in assuring that the rules and regulations of the board of nursing complied with the new Alabama Administrative Procedures Act, which became law in 1982. She also worked diligently to rewrite the Nurse Practice Act. In 1990, Dr. Lazarus joined the staff of the board as research and education nurse consultant. She recognized that continuing education was one measure of continued competence and worked with national organizations, including the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, to establish nationally recognized CE providers.

Her many years of extensive regulatory research were the foundation for the Alabama Board of Nursing receiving the 2001 Regulatory Achievement Award from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Through Dr. Lazarus’s research on regulatory issues that impact competence, the board of nursing had research data on which to base decisions. She also was responsible for documenting the board of nursing’s history and served as executive producer of the resulting video. The Alabama Chapter of the National League for Nursing recognized Dr. Lazarus in 2002 with a Nightingale Award.

• Last book I read: The Saboteurs by W.E.B. Griffin & William E. Butterworth, IV
• My favorite movie(s): Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Aviator, Gone with the Wind
• My hobbies: Reading, woods hiking with my husband and dog
• Little known fact about me: Inducted as one of 400 outstanding women in the 100 years of women at Auburn University

Robin Lazenby
Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI). President.
Robin Lazenby is currently the director of perioperative services at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, Connecticut. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Worcester State College and a Master’s degree in Management with a focus in healthcare, also from Worcester State College. She was elected president of CCI in 2005 after service on Item Writing, Item Review, Job Analysis, and Test Specification Committees.

• Last book I read: The Doctor’s Wife by Elizabeth Brundage
• My favorite movie(s): Scrooge with Albert Finney, It’s a Wonderful Life
• My hobbies: Reading

Carrie B. Lenburg
Creative Learning & Assessment Systems. President & Consultant.
In 1991 Dr. Lenburg started Creative Learning & Assessment Systems, to provide consultation to administrators and educators related to innovative mobility programs and evaluation research. From this work she created her Competency Outcomes and Performance Assessment (COPA) Model. Not only is Dr. Lenburg’s work recognized nationally, the international impact of her work is also notable. She developed the Distance Learning Center at King Faisal Hospital, Saudi Arabia, to assist nurses there to earn a Regents BSN degree and has consulted across Canada and Taiwan.

From 1971-73, as associate director, Division of Research, National League for Nursing, she conducted the annual school surveys, and coordinated the National Open Curriculum Study focused on educational mobility programs in nursing. Her first book, Open Learning and Career Mobility, published in 1974, grew from this project. From 1973-1991, Dr. Lenburg coordinated the development, implementation and evaluation of the ground-breaking NY Regents External Degree Nursing Program (Excelsior College) based on self-directed learning and assessment of competence. She created the national network of Regional Performance Assessment Centers and intensive training programs for several hundred clinical examiners.

Dr. Lenburg earned a diploma from Norfolk General Hospital (1955), baccalaureate and master’s degrees from Case-Western Reserve University (1958 & 1960), and doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, with majors in Education Research and Sociology (1972). Dr. Lenburg received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Spalding University and distinguished awards from Case Western Reserve University, NY State Nurses Association, and NLN’s Linda Richards Award. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing, Nursing Hall of Fame, Teachers College, Columbia University and NLN’s new Academy of Nursing Education.

• Last book I read: Biographies of John James Audubon and Thomas Jefferson
• My hobbies: Photography, Birding, Gardening
• Little known fact about me: I write poetry

Nancy Lilliott
Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI). President-Elect.
Nancy Lilliott is currently an adult nurse practitioner/RNFA at TriCity Orthopaedics in Oceanside, California. She received her diploma in nursing from Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Dominguez Hills and her Master of Science in Nursing from California State University, Long Beach. She was elected President of CCI in 2006 after service on CRNFA Test Specifications, Item Writing, Form Review, and Cut Score Committees.

Vicki Lundmark
American Nurses Credentialing Center. Director of Research.
Vicki Lundmark holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Minnesota with a graduate minor from the Center for Advanced Feminist Studies. She also completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. Before coming to ANCC, Dr. Lundmark was a Senior Research Analyst at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, DC, where she worked on a variety of national and international studies for the U.S. Department of Education and other funding agencies. Her research projects have commonly employed a variety of methodological approaches and her major areas of interest are social stratification, women’s work, and professionalization. She became the Director of Research for the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2005.

Jeanne Martinez
National Board of Certification for Hospice and Palliative Nurses. Board of Directors.
Jeanne M. Martinez is the Quality Specialist for The Palliative Care & Home Hospice Program of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and immediate Past-President of the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN). In 2006, she was elected to the Board of Directors of The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), as Chair of the Accreditation Council. Ms. Martinez has a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Frances, a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois, and is a certified nurse in hospice and palliative care (CHPN® credential). She has dedicated her nursing career to hospice and palliative care, including administrative, education and consultative roles. Ms. Martinez is an ELNEC trainer, an EPEC Master Facilitator, and has authored numerous articles, book chapters and presentations on a variety of topics related to hospice and palliative nursing.

• Last book I read: currently reading One More Day and 1491
• My favorite movie(s): Life is Beautiful; Adam’s Rib
• My hobbies: Ballroom dancing
• Little known fact about me: I’m very good at ping-pong
• Related Websites:www.nbchpn.org, nursingcertification.org

Cynthia Miller Murphy
Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. Executive Director.
Cynthia Miller Murphy is the executive director of the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC). ONCC currently has five certification programs and is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), and the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS). Murphy holds bachelors and masters degrees in nursing and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). Prior to managing the ONCC Certification Programs, she was the Director of Education for the Oncology Nursing Society, and worked in various clinical positions in critical care and oncology nursing. Murphy actively participates in national credentialing organizations and frequently presents at credentialing conferences.

She held the office of secretary/treasurer (2001-2003) on the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) Board of Directors from 2001-2003. She was previously a commissioner (2003–2006) on the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the organization that accredits certification programs in wide range of professions and occupations. Murphy has also actively participated in the leadership of the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), and the ABNS Accreditation Council. Murphy is currently president-elect of NOCA.

• Last book I read: A Thousand Splendid Suns
• My favorite movie(s): Out of Africa
• My hobbies: gardening, cooking, biking
• Related Websites: www.oncc.org

Bridget Nettleton
Excelsior College. Dean, School of Nursing.
Bridget Nettleton is Dean of the School of Nursing at Excelsior College in Albany, New York. Dr. Nettleton has been with the College since 2001 and provides academic leadership to the nursing degree programs and administrative and managerial direction for the nursing school. Dr. Nettleton received a Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Administration and Policy Studies at the University of Albany. She received a M.S.N. from Russell Sage College. Dr. Nettleton has worked in the field of nursing education for over 25 years.
Dr. Nettleton has made numerous presentations at Universities and conferences throughout the United States, most recently “Performance Assessment” at National Taipei College of Nursing and “Competency Based Education” at Oakland University. Dr. Nettleton’s unpublished dissertation is titled “A Study of Variables Influencing the Accuracy and Consistency of Scoring a Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination”.

Bonnie Niebuhr
American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS). Chief Executive Officer.
Bonnie Niebuhr, MS, RN, CAE, is the Chief Executive Officer for the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS). ABNS was incorporated in 1991 to create uniformity in nursing certification and to increase public awareness of the value of certification. ABNS serves as an advocate for consumer protection by establishing and maintaining standards for specialty nursing certification. In addition to 12 affiliate members, 1 associate member, and 1 public member, 27 national specialty nursing certifying organizations are members of ABNS representing nearly 450,000 certified RNs and APRNs.

With 22 years of experience managing specialty nursing certification programs, she also is currently the CEO of the American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification, Inc., and from 1985 – 1994 she served as Director of the CCRN Program for the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

She has had a varied nursing career, from a critical care staff nurse to faculty member in a newly developed RN to BSN completion program; she found her niche in association management, focusing on specialty nursing certification. She also holds the CAE certification credential, awarded by the American Society of Association Executives, denoting certification as an association executive.

Bonnie earned a Bachelors Degree in Nursing from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and a Masters of Science degree in Nursing from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She currently resides in Aurora, Ohio.

• Last book I read: Jodi Picoult's - Nineteen Minutes
• My favorite movie(s): Sound of Music, Apollo 13, March of the Penguins, Air Force One
• My hobbies: Reading, Sewing

Leslie Anne Patry
Canadian Nurses Association. Manager, Certification Program.
Leslie Anne Patry is the Manager of the Certification Program at the Canadian Nurses Association. She is responsible for the overall management of the only national nursing specialty certification credentialing program in Canada. Leslie holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Ottawa, School of Nursing and since 1981 has worked off and on throughout her career as a Staff Nurse.

Her clinical background includes pediatric intensive care and cardiac surgery and recovery. In 2004 Leslie received a $17,000 Leadership Fellowship from the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. She has also won the Jean Jenny Prize for Excellence in Tertiary Health Care from the University of Ottawa. The prize is awarded to the student in the Masters of Science Nursing Program who has attained the highest academic standing in Tertiary Health Care.

Leslie has authored over 10 articles for various publications and presented at the following conferences: NOCA, Canadian Society for Gastroenterology Nurses, Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses, Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses and University of Ottawa Research Conference.

• Last book I read: Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, by Vincent Lam
• My favorite movie(s): Bon Cop. Bad Cop. The Incredibles.
• My hobbies: Running (currently training for a 10 km and then 1/2 marathon)
• Little known fact about me: One of my favourite treats is to curl up in bed, munch on a snack, drink a little Merlot and a read a "fluff" magazine (this drives my husband crazy, but he still loves me!)

Karen Plaus
Council on Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists. Director of Certification, Continuing Education & Recertification.
Karen Plaus is the Executive Director of the National Board for Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists and AANA Director of Continuing Education. She has been involved in credentialing for the past twenty years serving as Chair and Member of the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA), Chair and Member of the Council on Certification and Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. Dr. Plaus has lectured and written extensively on various credentialing and clinical anesthesia topics. She is co-author of the Nurse Anesthesia Textbook and Handbook.

• Last book I read: Sisters by Nora Roberts
• My hobbies: Reading, cycling, sailing, outdoor sports, baking
• Related Websites: www.aana.com

Belinda E. Puetz
Journal of Nurses in Staff Development. Editor-in-Chief.
Belinda E. Puetz, PhD, RN, is a diploma graduate who obtained a BSN and graduate degrees in adult education. Until May 31, 2006, she owned and operated an association management company in Pensacola, Florida, which provides association management services to nine national nursing specialty organizations, two certification Boards, and one Foundation. Since the sale of the company, Dr. Puetz has been Nurse Consultant for Dancy, Puetz & Associates, Inc.

Dr. Puetz is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development. She has founded 3 journals and edited 5 during her career. Dr. Puetz also has written or co-authored 6 books; one, Networking for Nurses, published by Aspen in 1983, received an AJN Book of the Year award in 1984.

Dr. Puetz is the founder of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization and an award in her name for excellence in staff development is presented annually by the Organization. Dr. Puetz has made numerous presentations in the United States and Europe and has consulted with colleges/universities, industries, professional associations, and other healthcare facilities. She also devotes time to career counseling for nurses, having contributed a column to RN magazine for many years.

Dr. Puetz currently is a member of the Elsevier Nursing Advisory Board and serves as a nursing consultant to the Delaware Media Group, a publishing and healthcare communications company.

• Last book I read: Harry Potter, number 7 and last one!!
• My favorite movie(s): James Bond series
• My hobbies: Reading, volunteering at the Wildlife Sanctuary; practicing yoga and Pilates
• Little known fact about me: I'm more afraid of moths than snakes or spiders

Donna Rae Richardson
CGFNS International. Director of Governmental Affairs and Professional Standards.
Donna Rae Richardson is the Director of Governmental Affairs and Professional Standards for CGFNS International. Previously, she was the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Women’s Health Initiative of the Nation’s Capital and Director of Clinical Trials Programs at Howard University Cancer Center which increased minority physician and patient participation in clinical trials. She also served as an Assistant Professor of Nursing and Medicine at Howard University.

A registered nurse and attorney, Ms. Richardson is counsel to the law firm of Joan Wilbon and Associates. As Director of Governmental Affairs of the American Nurses Association she directed the legislative and regulatory policies that led to the Nursing Immigration Relief Act and occupational health protections for nurses. Prior to that she was an attorney at the Department of Labor. She is a recognized speaker and resource on health care reform, HIV policy, women’s health research, occupational health for nurses, and clinical trial recruitment. Ms. Richardson was honored in the 2007 Class of Distinguished Citizens for her career in health and law by Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio.

• Last book I read: The Sixth Target by James Patterson
• My favorite movie(s): Miracle on 34th Street, the Bishop’s Wife, Gone With the Wind
• My hobbies: Collecting Dolls and Reading
• Little known fact about me: I am a Trekkie and an Elvis fan
• Related Websites: www.abns.org

Diane J. Skiba
University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center. National League for Nursing, Professor and Project Director, School of Nursing.
Diane J. Skiba, Ph.D., FAAN, FACMI, is a Professor and Health Care Informatics Option Coordinator at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Care Sciences Center. Since 1982, she has taught nurses in the field of nursing informatics. She currently is funded by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Division of Nursing Advanced Nurse Education Training grant to prepare nurses in the field of informatics. This grant supports their online Master’s degree and post MS program targeted for educators and funds the I-Collaboratory, an innovative online community to support informatics learners.

Secretary Leavitt recently appointed her to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP). NACNEP advises the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Congress on policy issues related to the Title VIII programs administered by the HRSA Bureau of Health Professions Division of Nursing, including nurse workforce supply, education and practice improvement.

She writes a column on Emerging Technologies for the National League for Nursing’s Nursing Educational Perspectives journal. She along with her colleagues, Drs. Helen Connors (University of Kansas), Diane Billings and Pamela Jeffries (Indiana University) and Mary Anne Rizzolo (National League for Nursing) were recently awarded one of the HRSA funded Faculty Development: Integrating Technology into Nursing Education and Practice Initiative grants. This five year grant is targeted toward preparing faculty to learn about informatics, telehealth, simulations and other emerging educational technologies.

• Last book I read: Endless Feasts: Sixty years of writing from Gourmet
• My favorite movie(s): Coming Home
• My hobbies: sewing cooking
  
• Little known fact about me: I am not a nurse
  
• Related Websites: www.uchsc.edu/nursing/informatics
  

Elaine Smith
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Clinical Assistant Professor and Project Manager, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses.
Elaine Smith has thirty years of professional nursing experience in clinical, administrative and educational roles. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University Of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Nursing where she teaches in the graduate and undergraduate programs. Ms. Smith serves as the Project Manager for the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In this capacity she manages all aspects of this multiphase project aimed at improving quality and safety competencies for nursing students and practitioners.

Ms. Smith’s research focus is on the perceptions of academic and nursing service leaders related to student and staff preparedness for practice from a quality and safety perspective. Her prior work includes serving as Corporate Director of Nursing Education for an 18 hospital healthcare system. She presents nationally on topics related to quality and safety, nursing staff development and Magnet designation. Her most recent publications on quality and safety can be found in the May/June 2007 issue of Nursing Outlook.

Elaine has been recognized for excellence in education by the NLN, National Nursing Staff Development Organization and the North Carolina Nurses Association. Ms. Smith is currently a reviewer for the Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing and served on the editorial board of the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development for five years. She is a member of the NLN, STTI, NCNA, NNSDO and AONE. She has just completed a term on the Board of Directors for the National Nursing Staff Development Organization. She holds a BSN and MSN from Adelphi University, an MBA from Dowling College and is completing her dissertation research in Adult and Continuing Education at Teachers College, Columbia University ( May, 2008). She is certified in Nursing Administration Advanced.

• My favorite movie(s): It's a Wonderful Life
• My hobbies: reading, browsing antique and flea markets,dining out with friends
• Little known fact about me: I love miniature dachshunds.
• Related Websites: www.qsen.org

Mary Smolenski
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Director of Certification.
Mary C. Smolenski has over thirty years experience in the health care field in a variety of settings ranging from clinical practice, nursing education, government and private sector consulting, military, and association work with over 23 of those as a certified family nurse practitioner. She received her doctorate in education in 1988, with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction.

Dr. Smolenski currently serves as the Director of Certification Services for the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She directs the certification and recertification processes of over 135,000 nurses in over 35 different specialties. She recently completed a six year term on the Accreditation Council for the American Board of Nursing Specialties and served as a board member for the American Accreditation Healthcare Commission/URAC, 1998-2005, along with being a member of many professional organizations.

Some of Dr. Smolenski’s awards/honors include: attaining the Certified Association Executive certification (CAE) in 2005, being selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in June of 2004, being awarded the 2003 National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) Leadership Award for her work in the credentialing field, and recognition in 2000 Notable American Women, Tenth Commemorative Edition (2004) and International Who’s Who of Professionals, 1997. She co-authored a chapter called Credentialing and Clinical Privileging and the Advanced Practice Nurse in Advanced Practice Nursing: Essentials for Role Development, Lucille Joel, editor, F.A. Davis, 2004. In addition, Dr. Smolenski, a retired Air Force Reserve nurse Colonel after thirty years in the Reserves, was the principal investigator on a Tri-Service Nursing Research grant completed in August 2005 on the history of the Air Force Nursing Services.

• Last book I read: The Memory Keepers Daughter
• My favorite movie(s): Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of OZ
• My hobbies: Travel, Reading and Writing , Crafts
• Little known fact about me: Went to Jonestown Guyana (Jim Jones suicide incident) to receive/ care for the survivors . Cared for Jackie Speier (Calif legislature)
• Related Websites: www.nursecredentialing.org

Tancy Stanbery
Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN). Certification Officer.
Tancy Stanbery has worked in the field of adult education for twenty years. She began her career as guidance counselor for the Illinois Army National Guard, then spent eight years in the community college environment, and the past eight years in certification including information technology and most recently emergency nursing.

David Swankin
Citizen Advocacy Center. President.
Mr. Swankin is President and CEO of the Citizen Advocacy Center, and a partner in the law firm of Swankin & Turner.

Mr. Swankin is an attorney specializing in regulatory and administrative law. He has a broad background in both government and public interest advocacy. His government career included assignments in the White House and the U.S. Department of Labor. He has provided legal services to numerous public interest and professional organizations, including serving as Special Counsel to the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators, a General Counsel to the National Consumers League, and Special Counsel to the Consumer Federation of America. He served as a Commissioner on the Pew Health Professions Commission during 1997 and 1998. He served as a member on The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee that wrote the report “Health Professions Education – A Bridge to Quality” in 2003. Mr. Swankin was appointed a Senior Fellow to the Center for the Health Professions, UCSF, in June 2003.

Previously, Mr. Swankin served as Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards and Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor. He served as the first Executive Director of the White House Office of Consumer Affairs in the mid-1960s.

Mr. Swankin was a member of the original National Advisory Council to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has served on the faculty of the University of Southern California (Washington, D.C. campus), and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Society for Testing and Materials. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, and has received numerous public service awards.

Sharon Tanner
National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Executive Director.
Sharon J. Tanner is the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission’s Executive Director

The NLNAC, Inc., a subsidiary of the National League for Nursing located in New York City, is responsible for the accreditation of post-secondary and higher degree nursing education schools and programs including practical nursing, diploma, associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs. Currently, NLNAC accredits approximately 1,300 nursing programs.

Dr. Tanner has served as Associate Vice President for Instruction and Distance Learning for the North Carolina Community College System. Previously, she served as faculty, associate dean, and academic dean in diploma, associate, and baccalaureate nursing programs. She has been involved in nursing education and nursing service administration for over twenty years.

Dr. Tanner holds a doctorate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Administration and Policy Studies in Higher Education with a concentration in assessment and evaluation. She also holds a master’s in nursing with concentrations in primary and secondary care in Maternal-Child Nursing and Women’s Health. Her primary research focus has been related to accountability policies and practices in higher education. In addition, she has practiced in a number of nursing service and administration roles including advanced practice as a clinical nurse specialist.

Active professionally, Dr. Tanner has been involved in regional, state, and national organizations including serving on boards for a number of associations, as a charter member for the Tennessee Center of Nursing, and as president of N-OADN, the National Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. She has been involved with the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission for more than fifteen years as a peer reviewer and more recently on the Board of Commissioners.

Pamela Thompson
American Organization of Nurse Executives. Chief Executive Officer.
Pam is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She is responsible for the overall administrative operations of AONE, which represents almost 6000 nurses in executive and leadership practice. AONE has offices in Washington, DC and Chicago, Illinois.

Prior to joining AONE, Pam was Vice President for the Children’s Hospital, Obstetrics, Psychiatric Services, and Strategic Planning at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Pam earned her BSN from the University of Connecticut and her MS from the University of Rochester. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

• Last book I read: The Story Teller’s Daughter
• My favorite movie(s): Braveheart; Dances With Wolves; Casablanca, the Christmas Carol
• My hobbies: Cooking; travel
• Little known fact about me: I enjoy horseback riding, skeet shooting, and raising chickens
• Related Websites: www.healthcareleadershipalliance.org, www.aone.org

Sandra K. Tunajek
Council for Public Interest in Anesthesia. Executive Director.
Dr. Tunajek currently serves as the Executive Director of the Council for Public Interest in Anesthesia (CPIA) and is responsible for the leadership, accountability, management and vision necessary to ensure the quality and coherence of the CPIA activities. Her primary role concerns coordinating education and promotional initiatives related to anesthesia safety and risk management, practitioner fitness-for-duty, consumer advocacy, and ensuring the conduct of the appellate review process for certification, recertification and accreditation.

The CPIA is responsible for the AANA Wellness Program; the Peer Assistance Advisors; and liaison activities with Institute of Healthcare Improvement, National Patient Safety Foundation, and National Rural Health. She also serves as the AANA consultant for the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation (ANCC COA) and represents the AANA at the Congress of Nursing Practice and Economics.

From 1994 – 2006, she served as the Director of Practice for the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) where her primary responsibilities include policy development related to standards and guidelines for practice, employment and reimbursement issues, and credentialing, regulation, and accreditation processes. She has lectured extensively on the accreditation and regulatory process, professional nursing trends and issues, as well as topics related to the specialty of nurse anesthesia. She is also a published author in the profession of nursing and the specialty practice of nurse anesthesia. She currently authors the Wellness Milestones articles in the AANA Newsbulletin.

Prior to joining AANA, she was active in state and national association activities serving as Chairman of the Council for Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists and Chairman of the AANA Practice Committee. In 1990, the Governor appointed Dr. Tunajek as the Advance Registered Nurse Practitioner representative to the Kentucky Board of Nursing. A 2002 doctoral graduate of Rush University, Chicago IL. Dr. Tunajek received her anesthesia education at St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia in Parkersburg, WV.

Deborah Vandewater
Canadian Federal Government, First Nations & Inuit Health Branch.
Deborah Vandewater is the Project Coordinator for the Atlantic Nursing Policy Project with First Nations & Inuit Health Branch of the Canadian federal government. She is also the author of several policy papers for various nursing colleges and associations. Her papers cover topics such as continuing competence for health professionals, recruitment and retention of critical care nurses, nursing health human resources, retirement and retention of late career nurses and problematic substance use in registered nurses.

She has served as the Senior Analyst with the Canadian Forces, Health Division, to implement a Primary Health Care Model within the Forces. She has also been a part-Time Professor at both St. Francis Xavier and Dalhousie University Schools’ of Nursing. In the past twenty years she has been involved in various capacities with the Canadian Gerontological Nurses Association for the last 20 years.

Deborah has Masters and Bachelor of Nursing degrees and she is Certified in Gerontological Nursing with the Canadian Nurses Association. She is a member of the Complaints Committee, College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia.

• My favorite movie(s): Pretty Woman, Yentyl, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sound of Music
• My hobbies: baking, quilting, reading, entertaining
• Little known fact about me: I could happily live on a cruise ship for the rest of my life.

Linda Waters
Prometric. Vice President, Professional Association and Consulting Services.
Linda Waters serves as vice president for professional and association segment at Prometric. In this role she provides oversight to a group of client service and sales professionals who develop customized solutions and strategic program development for credentialing programs. Her previous positions at Prometric have included program manager and business leader for health-based programs. Of particular note is Dr. Waters’ successful contribution to the first large-scale conversion of a paper-and-pencil licensure program to computer-based testing.

Prior to joining Prometric, Dr. Waters served as a faculty member at the University of Delaware and the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Waters holds a Ph.D. in educational measurement and statistics from the University of Delaware. In addition her education includes a masters and bachelor degrees in nursing from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. Dr. Waters is very active in the testing industry through major organizations such as NOCA, ATP and CLEAR. Dr. Waters serves on the Board of Directors of both ATP and CLEAR and is a former president of CLEAR.

• Last book I read: Enrique’s Journey
• My favorite movie(s): Somewhere in Time
• My hobbies: reading
• Little known fact about me: I want to teach adults the pleasure of reading.
• Related Websites: www.prometric.com

Liz Wiseman
Mindshare Learning Systems. President.
Liz Wiseman is the President of Mindshare Learning Systems, an executive development firm, devoted to the development of strong, collective leadership in its client organizations. At Mindshare Learning Systems, she works with clients to design and deliver workshops and learning systems to build leadership and align organizations behind key business initiatives. She provides 1-1 coaching to executives, providing assessment data, feedback and coaching to help clients strengthen their leadership skills and effectiveness.

Prior to Mindshare, Liz worked at Oracle Corporation for 17 years in various executive roles in the Education and HR organizations. Most recently, she worked as the Vice President of Global Products and Services for Oracle’s $400 million education business, where she led product management, marketing, pricing, eLearning, and internal training globally. Prior to this, she worked as Vice President of Oracle’s Human Resource Development organization, working closely with Oracle’s top management team to align the organization behind a strategic direction and build leadership at all levels of the organization. She facilitated the senior executive team through a strategic planning process, launched and ran the Oracle Leaders’ Forum -- Oracle’s senior leadership development and strategic work process -- and rolled out a corporate wide strategic communication process. Prior to this, Liz was the Director of Oracle University, starting and leading Oracle University from a small new-hire training department to a full corporate university with global scope.

In her various roles at Oracle, she has led several significant globalization and consolidation initiatives, saving the company over $30 million annually, and has worked and traveled extensively internationally. She is a frequent speaker at events and conferences.

Prior to Oracle, she worked as a curriculum developer at Interact Performance Systems and as a financial analyst at IBM. Liz holds a Bachelors degree in Business Management and a Masters of Organizational Behavior from Brigham Young University.

Jan Wyatt
Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. Executive Director.
Jan Wyatt has spent more than 35 years in health care education, service and advocacy. Before assuming her current position as Chief Executive Officer of the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) in 1998, Jan spent more than 25 years in clinical nursing practice and teaching and administration as an adult nurse practitioner, faculty member and department head in graduate nursing programs including the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the University of Maryland. As an award winning nurse practitioner and nursing educator, Jan is a regular speaker at national and international health education nursing and certification conferences where she has presented on topics related to certification, education and continued competence of pediatric nurses.

As the chief executive of the PNCB, Jan has led the expansion of certification exams and continuing education services for general practice and advanced practice pediatric nurses, quadrupling nursing certification enrollment over the past 10 years. Jan remains active in clinical practice as a volunteer nurse practitioner in her community. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington DC Metropolitan Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.

Jan received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from Keuka College, NY, Masters in Nursing from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and PhD in Health Education from the University of Maryland.

• Last book I read: Blink and Tipping Point by M. Gladwell ( “Lay of the Land” by R. Ford)
• My favorite movie(s): Princess Bride
• My hobbies: Golf, Gardening, Bird Watching
• Little known fact about me: I’m a “weather geek”