Indiana Nurse Educator Joins NLN Board of Governors Three Governors Re-elected

Results Announced at Annual Education Summit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY — October 24, 2012 — Connie S. Wilson, EdD, RN, CNE, a professor at the University of Indianapolis and the coordinator of its RN-BSN program has joined the Board of Governors of the National League for Nursing, following results of the Leagues election announced at the 2012 Education Summit last month in Anaheim, California. In addition to Dr. Wilson, three of the current governors at-large — G. Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN; Carol A. Boswell, EdD, RN, CNE, ANEF; and Pamela DiVito-Thomas, PhD, RN, CNE — have been re-elected to the board.

In a statement submitted with her nomination, Dr. Wilson lauded the NLNs mission of promoting excellence in nursing education to advance the nations health and the NLN core values of caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence. She also cited her desire to contribute to the NLN through her skills in organizational leadership, helping to continue the Leagues excellence in governance.

"As a longtime NLN member, Connie has been actively engaged at both the state and national levels in leadership positions," noted NLN president Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF. "We welcome her to the board, anticipating her valuable contributions and continued visibility as a role model for NLN members and other nurse educators in her home state of Indiana.

Added NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN: "Connie has demonstrated over many years her dedication to the NLN and its ideals through national committee service and through her leadership role in establishing a strong NLN presence in Indiana. Her experience is certain to help the League transform nursing education to sustain a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the nations health."

In her petition to serve another term on the NLN BOG, Dr. Alexander observed that leadership today "must be tethered to change management; courage; compassion; and membership connections," citing her own experience in crafting "landmark, game-changing efforts in academia, practice, and professional staff association roles…from a holistic perspective...rooted in the best interests of patients, students, nurse educators, and the creation of flourishing environments."

Dr. Boswell said she wanted to remain part of the BOG, "bringing commitment, dedication, and excitement for the process" to "advance each level of nursing education" represented by the NLN, from LPN to advanced academic and practice degrees, as the League "moves forward to address opportunities and challenges confronting health care today."

In her statement, Dr. DiVito-Thomas, likewise, expressed passion for continued board service, pledging to serve the NLN "by thinking through, supporting and promoting the science and practice of nursing education, both locally and nationally, with foresight and fortitude. Meeting challenges, as well as the splendid opportunities ahead, with a sensible sensitivity and skills of critical inquiry will contribute to the strength and soundness of the Voice of Nursing Education. Our time is now!" she declared.

Dr. Malone praised the dedication of the re-elected governors. "The NLN is indeed fortunate to have these busy, talented individuals step up again to facilitate continuity of national leadership that reflects belief in the core values and important work of the NLN."

Additional bio information can be found below.

Editors/Reporters: For interview opportunities, please contact Karen R. Klestzick, NLN chief communications officer, at (212) 812-0376 or kklestzick@nln.org.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 37,000 individual and more than 1,200 institutional members comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of
higher education and health care organizations.

Connie S. Wilson, EdD, RN, CNE, Professor/Coordinator of RN-BSN Program, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

In 2012 Dr. Wilson served on the NLN Member Engagement Committee that helped restructure the way the NLN interacts with its members to increase nimbleness and align member involvement more closely with the NLN mission, core values, and strategic plan. In addition, from 2008 through 2011, Dr. Wilson has been an abstract reviewer for the annual Education Summit and served as chair and chair-elect of the Constituent Organizations Advisory Council. She has served as president, president-elect, Program Planning Committee co-chair, and a member of the Finance Committee of the Indiana League for Nursing.

In Indianapolis-based activities, Dr. Wilson serves on the governing board of the Franciscan Alliance-St. Francis Hospital CCU, where she has also worked as a staff nurse, and is president of the University of Indianapolis Faculty Senate. Active in the universitys Lambda Epsilon chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the national nursing honor society, Dr. Wilson is treasurer and vice president and program chair. Beyond the state of Indiana, she is a peer evaluator and a member of the Task Force on Quality Improvement of the Higher Learning Commission, an independent corporation of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits degree-granting educational institutions in the north central region of the United States.

Dr. Wilson earned her BSN and MSN at Indiana University in Indianapolis and an EdD at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Her teaching expertise is in the areas of management/leadership; Capstone; medical/surgical; and ethics.

Abbreviated Bios of Re-elected Governors

G. Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, Clinical Professor/Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

PAST POSITIONS: Senior vice-president clinical and professional services, Tennessee Hospital Association; president and CEO of the Roxie Company; Nursing Director, Meharry Child Development Center.

NLN ACTIVITIES: Member, Executive Committee; governor-at-large, Board of Governors; chair, Audit & Finance Committee; member, Presidential Taskforce - High Stakes Testing; facilitator, Think Tank on Assessment and Evaluation; Think Tank on Diversity, panel member; Plenary Session, Summit 2008; workshop presenter, Summit 2007.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: National Student Nurses Association Foundation, trustee; American Organization of Nurse Executives, board member; Professional Examination Service, board member; International Academic Nursing Alliance, Sigma Theta Tau, member; Advisory Panel: Nursing Sensitive Standards, National Quality Forum, member; Workforce Commission, American Hospital Association, member.

Dr. Alexander earned her EdD at Tennessee State University in Nashville; an MSN at Vanderbilt University in Nashville; and a BSN at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. In addition to the NLN, she belongs to the American Nurses Association American Organization of Nurse Executives; North Carolina Nurses Association; and the North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders.

Carol A. Boswell, EdD, RN, CNE, ANEF, Professor and Co-Director, Center of Excellence in Evidence-Based Practice, School of Nursing, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Andrews, TX

PAST POSITIONS: Professor/chairperson, Odessa College.

NLN ACTIVITIES: Governor-at-large, Board of Governors; BOG liaison, Certification Commission; Nursing Educator Workforce Development Advisory Council, chair; Task Group on Programs that Facilitate Faculty Development, member; grant reviewer, NLN; Education Summit Program Planning Committee, member; item writer, NLN; member, Board of Review, NLNAC

OTHER ACTIVITIES: Permian Regional Medical Center, president, board member; Adult Protective Board, member; chair, member, Doctoral Studies Committee, chair, vice-chair, Faculty Affairs Committee, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; CNE site reviewer, Pathways to Excellence Reviewer, American Nurses Credentialing Center; Collateral reviewer, Sigma Theta Tau; external consultant, Medical Center Hospital.

Dr. Boswell is a graduate of the diploma program of the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Lubbock, TX. She continued her higher education at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Odessa, where she earned a BSN, then went on to earn her MSN and EdD at the universitys Lubbock campus. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Texas Nurses Association, and Phi Kappa Kappa.

Pamela DiVito-Thomas, PhD, RN, CNE, Professor of Nursing, Methodist College of Nursing, Peoria, IL

PAST POSITIONS: Director of Nursing, Coffeyville Community College, Coffeyville, KS; site coordinator, LUSON, Langston University-Tulsa, Tulsa, OK.

NLN ACTIVITIES: Governor-at-large, Board of Governors; chair, CNE Test Development Committee; ambassador, NLN; site visitor, NLNAC.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: Board member, Wong-Baker FACES Foundations; member, Board of Directors, Crisis Resource Center of Southeast Kansas; member, Chartering of the Institute for Oklahoma; director, Oklahoma Nurses Association.

Dr. DiVito-Thomas entered the profession with an associate degree in nursing from Tulsa Community College in Tulsa, OK. She went on to complete her BSN at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK; an MS at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Tulsa; and doctorate at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. She maintains professional membership in ANA-Illinois, the Oklahoma Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau International, in addition to the NLN.