Who is Involved

Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, FAAN, noted presenter and consultant, is currently a professor in the School of Nursing, Assistant Dean of Relational Excellence at the Adams School of Dentistry and formerly the Associate Vice -Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion/ Chief Diversity Officer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the end of 2019, she completed her presidency of the National League for Nursing, the voice for nursing education which has over 40,000 nurse educators and 1200 schools of nursing.

As one of nursing’s prominent thought leaders, guiding individuals in academic, corporate, health care and religious organizations in the exploration of marginalizing processes and lived experiences of difference, her expertise has and continues to be frequently sought.  She has been appointed to transformative healthcare initiatives including the Commission of Workforce for Hospitals and Health Systems of the American Hospital Association, the Tri-Council of Nursing, and the National Quality Forum’s steering committee which developed the first national voluntary consensus standards for nursing-sensitive care.  As the Senior Vice President for Clinical and Professional Services at the Tennessee Hospital Association and their first vice president of color for 2 decades, she designed and executed one of the nation’s first minority health administrators’ program, Agenda 21, which exists to this day. As a result, over 250 minority health care executives are serving and stewarding healthcare in the nation.  Her passion for equity of opportunity and penchant for holding courageous dialogues to steward and promoting human flourishing is evident in all her encounters and characteristically describes her as a prophetic and caring leader.

Dr. Jackeline Biddle Richard is an Afro-Latina registered nurse, immigration attorney, nursing education leader, higher education consultant, and lifelong learner.  She is a co-founder of the Society of Latinx Nurses, President of the El Paso Branch of the NAACP, founder of Soy Maravillosa: An Afro-Latinx Initiative, and recently recognized in her community as an emerging civil rights leader.

Kenya V. Beard, EdD, AGACNP-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, is a diversity science expert who has propagated research to strengthen diversity in nursing. Her equity workshops have been facilitated by the National League for Nursing and the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in Health Professions. She serves on the New York State Board for Nursing and the editorial board for the American Journal of Nursing.

Lucinda Canty is a nurse-midwife and Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. Her research interests include maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, reducing racial health disparities in reproductive health, promoting diversity in nursing, and eliminating racism in nursing and midwifery. She is an artist, poet, historian, and founder of Lucinda’s House, an initiative to promote maternal health equity.

Dr. Brigit Carter is the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer joined American Association of Colleges in Nursing. She is Professor Emerita at Duke University School of Nursing. Her current educational research is focused on the experiences of students with microaggressions and developing strategies to mitigate the impact of microaggressions.

Julia Chan is currently a 4th year BSN student at Penn State Main Campus. She serves as the Breakthrough to Nursing Director on the NSNA Board and was previously on the Student Nurses of Pennsylvania Board as NEC Central. After she graduates, she hopes to work in cardiac critical care and also go back to school to get a Master's in Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy.

Kahlil Demonbreun, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN is currently a practicing WHNP and the Women’s Health Medical Director at the VA Health Care System in Columbia, SC. He is the AANP State Representative for South Carolina, serves on the AANP Health Policy Committee, Chair of the FAANP Selection Committee, women's health representative on the National Veterans Health Administration (VHA) APRN Council, Board of Directors for the NPWH, Co-Chair for the ANA Scopes and Standards 4th. Ed. Workgroup, Chair of the Columbia VA Health Care System APRN Committee, and Chair for the South Carolina Board of Nursing’s Advanced Practice Committee.

As Press Ganey’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dr. Jeff Doucette is responsible for helping clients transform the patient and caregiver experience. In this role, he works to develop nursing leaders, improve clinical quality and efficiency, and improve employee and caregiver engagement by playing an integral role in the company’s safety, clinical, and workforce initiatives.

Dr. Marie O. Etienne is a thought leader on JDEI. She is a tenured Professor at Miami Dade College Benjamín Léon School of Nursing. She is a lifetime member of NBNA and President of the Haitian Alliance Nurses Association International (HANA-I). She serves as President-Elect of the Florida Nurses Association.

Laura Fennimore, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, FAAN is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. She served as an Organizational Affiliate Liaison to the ANA BOD and an inaugural commissioner for the National Commission.  Dr. Fennimore contributed to the policy sub-committee, participated in a commission podcast, and facilitated an ANA webinar about actionable allyship.

Rick García, PhD, RN, CCM, FAAOHN, FNYAM, FAADN is passionate about innovations in nursing education and brings these skills and talents to his position of CEO at OADN. Rick has been inducted as Fellow to the New York Academy of Medicine, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Associate Degree Nursing.

Nicole serves as director of the Nursing Center of Excellence at Press Ganey and partners with nurse leaders in the United States and internationally to provide guidance regarding patient experience, professional practice environments, and nurse engagement. Nicole is currently a 3rd year PhD student studying generational differences in nursing.

Marcus Henderson, MSN, RN is a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing where he teaches in the undergraduate psychiatric mental health and community health nursing courses. Marcus practices as an acute care child/adolescent psychiatric nurse. In 2019, he was elected to ANA Board and appointed to serve on the Future of Nursing 2030 Committee at the National Academies. Marcus holds a BSN and MSN in Health Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Jackie is a Principal with Vizient. She is a member of local and national professional nursing association and currently is on the Advisory/Board for Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, Georgia State and Prevent Blindness National Board of Directors.

Dr. Kechi Iheduru-Anderson is the Inaugural Nursing Program Director and Professor at the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan. She is a current Fellow of the Association of Black Nurse Faculty (ABNF) Leadership & Public Policy Mentoring Fellowship. She had held other leadership positions in nursing practice and academia. Her research interests focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and antiracism in nursing practice, leadership, and education. Dr. Iheduru-Anderson is a prolific writer, nurse, and student advocate.

Kim Kim, MSN, RN, CDCES is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and serves on the Board of Directors and as chair of the NAHN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She is a DNP and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner student at the University of Saint Joseph and works clinically as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist for Moses Weitzman Health System.

Lourdes Moldre is a Nurse Executive Patient Care Director at UCSF. She has over 20 years of healthcare experience as a front-line RN, an acute care NP, and as a nurse leader. She was recognized by San Francisco Business Times as a 2022 honoree for 40 under 40 given, given to young leaders across the region. She is the Philippine Nurses Association of Northern California President-Elect.

Dr. Kim Regis is a Vice President of Operations and Chief Nurse Executive of Ambulatory at a large pediatric organization. She serves on the Board of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses (AAACN) and Liaison to the DEI Committee of AAACN.

Dr. Reinhard is a senior VP at AARP, directing its Public Policy Institute. She leads PPI's Family Caregiving Initiatives and serves as the chief strategist for the Center to Champion Nursing in America, a national resource center created to ensure that America has the highly skilled nurses it needs to provide care in the future.

With more than 35 years in the nursing profession, Dr. Cynthia Samuel has turned her passion for child advocacy into a personal mission. As a recognized, respected, and award-winning health equity innovation strategist, she is committed to next-level change in how the medical community serves children and supports nurses.

Blake K. Smith, MSN, RN, practices as a Clinical Documentation Sr Analyst at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, NE. In his position, he leads all projects on Patient Education/Health Literacy, Plan of Care, Business Continuity Access, and Promoting Interoperability for the health system enterprise. Smith advocates for clinicians to be successful in delivering efficient and quality information to improve health outcomes in the Omaha community.  He is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholar alum (2011-2012) and served as the first Chair of the New Careers in Nursing (NCIN) Scholars Network as a founding member. He locally serves as a member of the Nebraska Action Coalition (NAC) Diversity Task Force and Leadership Committee and president of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce Emerging Professionals Program at Nebraska Medicine/University of Nebraska Medical Center. Smith is a leader in men’s health and male inclusion issues in the nursing profession and previously served as the youngest president for the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) in its 46-year history. 

Dr. Ekta Srinivasa has over a decade of healthcare experience in various capacities as a nurse, an educator, and a researcher. In 2021, she founded Improving Healthcare Culture, a nonprofit established to provide instrumental support to healthcare workers and organizations seeking to prevent and mitigate workplace violence (bullying, harassment, discrimination).

Marisa Streelman DNP, RN, CMSRN, NE-BC, is the strategic advisor to the Chief Nurse Executive, at University of Michigan Health. Dr. Streelman has been an active member of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nursing (AMSN) for most of her nursing career, serving in multiple roles. Currently, she is serving as of President for AMSN through 2025. 

Dr. Taha has been a strong vocal advocate for children & families, pediatric nursing, nursing faculty, and students for over 3 decades in clinical practice and academia. Currently, she is a professor and practicing clinician as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Dr. Taha chaired the inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion taskforce for the society of Pediatric Nurses and co-chaired the inaugural DEI committee for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP). She served on the American Academy of Pediatrics-Bright Future taskforce to develop Health Equity Toolkit for Pediatric providers and families.

Dr. Taha is an immigrant from Jordan. Taha holds a BSN degree from Jordan University and MSN and PhD degrees in Nursing from Azusa Pacific University. She was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2018.

Dr. Roy Thompson was born and raised in Jamaica. In 2022, Dr. Thompson became a postdoctoral fellow at the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri. His research program is focused on improving nursing models of care delivery as a mechanism to address nursing staff shortages and health disparities among nursing home residents.

Dr. Ugorji is a nurse leader with administrative management skills leading programs from ADN – DNP and currently serves as the Chief Nurse Administrator at Metropolitan State University, MN. She serves as an external advisor to the MN Governor’s office on COVID-19 and Public Engagement and was a fellow with the CADFP. Dr. Ugorji has received several leadership awards, including the United States President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Community service, International Leadership Award from CAFBLC, & NANNNA Leadership Award.

Dr. Valdez is a Professor of Nursing at Sonoma State University and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Emergency Nursing. She has presented nationally on antiracism, bias, and DEI. Her research interests and publications include emergency nursing, DEI, bias, antiracism in nursing, and health equity.