Marla J. Weston, PhD, RN, FAAN, a nurse leader with nearly 30 years of diverse management experience in health care operations, is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Nurses Foundation (ANF).
Prior to joining ANA, Dr. Weston served at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) first as program director in the Office of Nursing Services, and then as deputy chief officer in the department’s Workforce Management and Consulting Office.
She oversaw policies, programs, and initiatives that supported the employees at all VHA facilities across the country. She also had responsibility for improving nurse retention, and for promoting nursing as an attractive career choice.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Weston served for four years as the executive director of the Arizona Nurses Association. During her tenure, membership increased 24 percent, while revenues rose 109 percent.
Dr. Weston graduated magna cum laude from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing. She graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University, with a master’s of science degree in nursing. She earned her doctoral degree at the University of Arizona, where she received an outstanding dissertation award.
Her dissertation, "Antecedents to control over nursing practice," addressed ways to increase the decision-making role of the hospital nurse – in short, nurse influence and power.