The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has announced the results of its 2020 election to fill seats on the AACN Board of Directors and Nominating Committee.
With votes cast by more than half of all member deans from the nation's nursing schools with baccalaureate and higher degree programs, those selected to serve as AACN's top leaders include:
· Board members: Cynthia McCurren (Chair-elect) from Grand Valley State University; Jean Leuner (Secretary) from Auburn University Montgomery; Jerry Mansfield from Mount Carmel Health System; Victoria Niederhauser from the University of Tennessee Knoxville; Randolph Rasch from Michigan State University; Jan Strom from Aurora University; and Marjorie Wiggins from Maine Health System;
· New members of AACN's Nominating Committee: Tracey Murray from Coppin State University and Rita Trofino from Saint Francis University.
"On behalf of AACN's member deans, faculty, and students, I am delighted to welcome these new and returning members to the Board and Nominating Committee who are committed to helping shape the future of academic nursing," said AACN Board Chair Ann Cary, PhD, MPH, RN, FNAP, FAAN. "In keeping with AACN's commitment to strengthening ties between nursing education and practice, we are particularly pleased to welcome two new members from the practice community who will be filling two newly created seats on the AACN Board. We applaud all of our Board and Committee volunteers who are committed to providing the leadership and vision needed to take AACN to new heights."
Those elected to the AACN Board of Directors and Nominating Committee will begin their terms of service following the business meeting at AACN's Deans Annual Meeting on Monday, March 23, 2020.
Cynthia McCurren, PhD, RN, Dean and Professor of the Kirkhof College of Nursing at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), was elected as Chair-elect for two years and will serve as Board Chair from 2022-2024. Prior to her current appointment at GVSU in 2007, she served in a variety leadership and teaching roles at the University of Louisville (U of L) from 1983-2007, including Interim Dean and Associate Dean for academic affairs, and Director of nursing research for U of L Hospital. Active in Michigan's nursing community, she currently serves on the Board of the Michigan Organization of Nursing Leaders, is the past President of the Michigan Association of Colleges of Nursing, and was an appointed member of the Michigan Task Force for Nursing Education/Michigan Nursing Education Council.
Jean Leuner, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN, Dean and Professor at the Auburn University Montgomery College of Nursing and Health Sciences, was re-elected to a two-year term as Board Secretary. Her career as a nurse educator includes service as Dean of the University of Central Florida College of Nursing from 2003-2015 as well as previous academic leadership roles at the Medical University of South Carolina, the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and Saint Anselm College. Currently a member of AACN's Audit Committee, Dr. Leuner has been very active in the association, serving as Board Member at Large, Governance Task Force Member, Program Committee Chair, Faculty Development Working Group Chair, State Grassroots Liaison, and as a mentor to new deans.
Victoria Niederhauser, DrPH, RN, PPCNP-BC, FAAN, Dean and Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Nursing, was elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors. Prior to assuming her current position in 2011, she held various leadership roles at the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing & Dental Hygiene and held academic appointments at George Mason University and George Washington University
Randolph Rasch, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, Dean and Professor of the College of Nursing at Michigan State University, was elected to a two-year term as Board Member at Large. Prior to his current role, Dr. Rasch held leadership positions at the nursing schools affiliated with Vanderbilt University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Greensboro, and North Carolina Central University. Active within AACN, he currently serves on the AACN-AONL Advisory Committee and has served as a member of the PhD Summit Planning Committee and as a State Grassroots Liaison.
Jan Strom, PhD, MPH, RN, Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health at Aurora University, was elected to a two-year term as Board Member at Large. She previously served in top academic nursing roles at both Northern Illinois University (2012-2017) and Elmhurst College (2007-2012). A dedicated member of the AACN community, she has served on the Government Affairs and Membership Committees, as a State Grassroots Liaison, and as a lead presenter at New Deans Mentor sessions.
Jerry Mansfield, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer of the Ohio Region for Mount Carmel Health System, was elected as a Practice Representative to the AACN Board of Directors. He recently served as the Executive Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Patient Experience Officer for Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health. He currently serves on the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research Board of Directors, the Nurse Executive Council of the Beryl Institute, and the Clinical and Nursing Advisory Board of the O'Neil Center for Patient and Family Engagement. In addition to holding executive roles at two major academic health centers (MUSC and The Ohio State University) and academic appointments over the past 20 years, he was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow (2005) and served as an advisor to several RWJF programs, including the Bridging Health and Health Care Advisory Group and the Future of Nursing Scholars Program.
Marjorie S. Wiggins, DNP, MBA, RN, FAAN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer of the Maine Health System, was elected as a Practice Representative to the AACN Board of Directors. With more than 30 years of experience in nursing practice and leadership, she has been an active supporter of many of AACN's signature initiatives. She has served on the Clinical Nurse Leader Implementation Task Force and the Governance Task Force and currently serves on the Essentials Task Force.
Continuing members of the AACN Board of Directors include Chair-Elect Susan Bakewell-Sachs from Oregon Health & Science University (who will serve as Chair from March 2020-March 2022); Treasurer Lin Zhan from University of Memphis; Jean Giddens from Virginia Commonwealth University; Judith Karshmer from Arizona State University; Julie Sanford from the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and Terri E. Weaver from the University of Illinois at Chicago. AACN President and Chief Executive Officer Deborah
Tracey Murray, DNP, CRNP, FNP-C, Dean of the College of Health Professions at Coppin State University, was elected to serve a two-year term on AACN's Nominating Committee. Her leadership experience extends to serving as Health Commissioner on the Baltimore Commission on Aging and Retirement Education, member of the Nurse Leadership Institute Advisory Council, and member of the Maryland Regional Action Coalition.
Rita Trofino, DNP, MNEd, RN, Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Education and Nursing Department Chair at Saint Francis University, was elected to serve a two-year term on AACN's Nominating Committee. She has served in a number of volunteer roles at AACN, including on the Steering Committee of the Organizational Leadership Network, the Membership Committee, as a mentor in the New Dean Mentor Program, and as a site visitor for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Continuing Nominating Committee members include Jeanette Andrews from the University of South Carolina and Stephen Cavanagh from the University of California-Davis. AACN Board Chair Ann Cary from Florida Gulf Coast University will join the Nominating Committee when her term as chair ends in March.
