American Academy of Nursing Announces 2024 Election Results

Secretary, Board of Directors, and Committee Members will Assume Leadership Positions Following the Academy's Annual Business Meeting

Washington, DC (October 10, 2024) —The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) announces its election results for Secretary, Board of Directors, Fellow Selection Committee, and Nominating Committee.

“I am thrilled to announce the latest additions to the American Academy of Nursing’s leadership on the Board of Directors and key committees,” said Academy President Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN. “A record number of Fellows voted in this year’s election, demonstrating the commitment of our members in determining the future of our Academy. Each of these individuals will steadfastly support the organization’s efforts to advance our vision of healthy lives for all people.”

Ronald Hickman, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN, Ruth M. Anderson Endowed Professor and Associate Dean for Research, The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, will assume the role of Secretary. Dr. Hickman conducts research that generates insights on supporting critically ill patients and their surrogate decision-makers facing serious health care decisions. His research has led to efficacious decision support and self-management technology and has earned him several national and international awards. Inducted into the Academy in 2015, Dr. Hickman has been highly engaged with the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science, he’s been a member of the Editorial Board of Nursing Outlook, and has participated in several Expert Panels (EPs), including as Board liaison this past year to the Child, Adolescent and Family EP, Environmental and Public Health EP, and the Nursing Theory EP. 

“I was honored to be elected to the Board of Directors last year and I look forward to expanding my service on the Academy’s Board by stepping into the Secretary role. This is a pivotal time as we embark on our new 2025 – 2028 strategic plan, which will elevate the Academy’s ability to make an impact on health policy in a continuously and rapidly changing health care landscape,” said Dr. Hickman.

Azita Emami, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean and Linda Koch Lorimer Professor of Nursing, at the Yale University School of Nursing, has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors. Dr. Emami is an esteemed global leader with over twenty-five years of experience in the field of nursing. She is also a prolific researcher with more than 90 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and serves as a powerful international advocate for expanding nursing’s role in primary care and for global healthcare access and equity. Dr. Emami is a trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Yale New Haven Health System, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering and the Washington State Academy of Sciences, and brings extensive experience serving on boards, including the National Clinical Scholars Program. Since her induction into the Academy in 2012, Dr. Emami has been an active member of the Global Nursing and Health Expert Panel, having served as its Chair.

“The American Academy of Nursing is uniquely positioned among other nursing organizations given its core focus on health policy,” said Dr. Emami. “As nurses, we must be powerful and empowered health care advocates on behalf of our profession, our institutions, and  most vitally our patients. Therefore, we must develop and make visible the research and knowledge supporting better care for all, and do so with a sense of urgency. The Academy is equipped to do this work and I look forward to our collective impact to improve health equity.”

Susan M. Grant, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Executive Vice President, Chief Experience Officer, Chief Nurse Executive, Wellstar Health System has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors. Dr. Grant has served as a chief nurse for five different U.S. health systems. In her current role, Dr. Grant sets clinical direction, drives policy and advocacy for nursing practice, and is responsible for financial, clinical quality, patient experience and nurse engagement for the system. She has led through public health crises, including Ebola and Covid-19. She currently serves on the Daisy Foundation Board of Directors, Vanderbilt University’s Dean’s Advisory Board, co-chair of the AACN/AONL Task Force on Academic Practice Partnerships, the JONA editorial board, and is Chair of the Wellstar Medical College of Georgia Health board. Dr. Grant, inducted as an Academy Fellow in 2010, is currently the Chair of the Building Health Care System Excellence Expert Panel, serves on the Academy’s Finance Committee, and recently spearheaded two of the Academy’s Policy Dialogues on the topics of optimizing the nursing workforce, exploring innovative reforms and policy implications post COVID, and nursing’s role in virtual models of care.

“I’m passionate about evolving nursing practice, improving nursing excellence and finding policy solutions to the challenges nurses face today, including workforce, wellness, and health equity issues,” said Dr. Grant. “With deep experience as a chief nursing executive and service on many volunteer boards, I bring a unique perspective to help the Academy move its mission to achieve health equity forward through relationship-building, engaging with diverse perspectives, fostering meaningful dialogue and strengthening partnerships.”

Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, RN, APRN-BC, FAANP, FAAN, Henderson Memorial Endowed Leadership Chair, Dean and Professor, Kent State University has been appointed by the Board of Directors per the Bylaws, Article VI, Section 6d, to serve on the Board of Directors for a one-year term to fill Dr. Hickman’s vacant position. Dr. Johnson-Mallard is an expert in women’s and reproductive health and studies behavioral change in response to culturally-appropriate nursing interventions. Dr. Johnson-Mallard serves as Secretary of the Ohio Council of Deans and Directors, is an advisor to NASEM (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine), and a Board Member of University Hospital Portage. Dr. Johnson-Mallard was inducted into the Academy in 2014, was elected previously to serve on the Board from 2021 – 2023 where she was appointed the Board liaison to the National Academy of Medicine Distinguished Nurse Scholar in Residence Program, and as Board liaison to several Expert Panels (EP), including the Breastfeeding EP, the Child, Adolescent & Family EP, and the Maternal & Infant Health EP. Dr. Johnson-Mallard is a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner and an active member of the Women’s Health EP where she has contributed to the Academy’s work to combat the Black Maternal Health crisis.

“I bring unique background information, expertise, and knowledge to the Board having served a term previously. I will use my position on the Board of Directors to further policies that will improve the health of the patients we serve and the nurses we mentor,” said Dr. Johnson-Mallard. “And I will continue to advance the Academy’s primary pillars of leadership, innovation, and science to ensure that we are equity-minded and forward thinking in our work.”

Teri Murray, PhD, PHNA-BC, RN, ANEF, FADLN, FAAN, Professor, Dean Emerita, and Inaugural Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Saint Louis University School of Nursing has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors. Dr. Murray is a transformational leader in nursing education, practice, and research. With a gubernatorial appointment, she served nine years on the Missouri State Board of Nursing (MSBN), including three years as President, four as Secretary, and seven as chair of the Education Committee, overseeing the state’s nursing education programs. As MSBN President, Dr. Murray was the Missouri Delegate to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, contributing to practice and education policies nationally. Appointed by the US Secretary of Health, she served on the Department of Health and Human Services National Advisory Committee for Nurse Education and Practice for four years, advising Congress on nursing workforce development programs and legislative issues impacting nursing. Dr. Murray was inducted into the Academy as a Fellow in 2011, served as Chair of the Fellow Selection Committee in 2023 and is serving as the current Chair of the Health Equity Expert Panel, where she has taken an active leadership role in planning several key policy dialogues and authoring consensus papers.

“I look forward to offering visionary and strategic leadership to the Academy, inspiring others, and driving change toward the Academy’s preferred future,” said Dr. Murray. “I am excited to work with the Board to advance the Academy’s mission of creating healthy lives, improving health, and promoting health equity through policy while embracing the values of equity, diversity, inclusion, inquiry, integrity, and courage.”

Continuing Board Members Include:

• President Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN, Dean and Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing
• President-Elect Debra J. Barksdale, PhD, FNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, ANEF, FAAN, Dean & Professor, University of North Carolina Greensboro
• Treasurer Bernice Coleman, PhD, ACNP-BC, FAHA, FAAN, Director, Nursing Research and Quality Improvement, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
• Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, CNS, FAAN, Dean, University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
• John Lowe, PhD, RN, FAAN, Joseph Blades Centennial Memorial Professor, University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing

This year’s election ballot also included positions for the Fellow Selection Committee and the Nominating Committee. The following individuals will join these committees at the conclusion of the Health Policy Conference.

Newly Elected Members of the Fellow Selection Committee:

• Nancy Blake, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAONL, FAAN, Chief Nursing Officer, Los Angeles General Medical Center
• Eileen Collins, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean and Professor, University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing
• Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy, MA, RN, FAAN, Editor in Chief Emerita, American Journal of Nursing; Contributing Editor, JAMA Health Forum
• Laura J. Wood, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, EVP Patient Care Operations & System Chief Nurse Executive, Boston Children's Hospital (Dr. Wood was re-elected to serve a 2nd term)

Newly Elected Members of the Nominating Committee:

• Mary Jo C. Grant, PhD, APRN, CPNP-AC, FAAN, Pediatric Critical Care Nurse Practitioner/Scientist, Primary Children’s Hospital
• Simmy King, DNP, MS, MBA, NI-BC, NE-BC, CHSE, FAAN, Chief Nursing Informatics and Education Officer, Children's National Hospital
• Patricia A. Reidy, DNP, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN, Amelia Peabody Endowed Professor, Interim Dean and Director of Community Engagement, MGH Institute of Health Professions

"I would like to thank the Academy’s Nominating Committee for their efforts to develop an incredible slate of candidates and to all Fellows who sought leadership positions in the association," said Academy President Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN.