National League for Nursing Taps President of Laerdal Medical Corp. for Board of Governors
David A. Johnson Appointed Public Member
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC, December 20, 2013 — To fill the seat on its Board of Governors (BOG) designated for a public member, the National League for Nursing has turned to Laerdal Medical, its partner in so many successful collaborative initiatives. The Norway-based firm is a producer of health care educational equipment, online curricular resources, and other high-tech e-learning tools. David A. Johnson, Laerdals president and regional director of Laerdal Medical for the Americas, joins the NLN BOG, effective immediately, NLN and Laerdal leadership have announced.
"The NLN is honored to have David join the board, further strengthening the partnership between Laerdal and the NLN," said NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. "Over the past several years, as Laerdal has become one the Leagues key collaborators on a number of innovative projects to harness simulation and technology to advance excellence in nursing education, we have observed its corporate culture up close. We have seen how Laerdals values and vision, the commitment to walk the extra mile for its consumers and passion for continuous improvement, which involves thriving on challenge and building trust through mutual respect and honesty, reflect the same spirit that drives the NLNs mission and core values."
Added Marsha Howell Adams, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, president of the NLN and senior associate dean of academic programs and professor at the Capstone College of Nursing at the University of Alabama: "Bottom line, Laerdal and the NLN are in the business of saving lives, Laerdal through its business model and the NLN by supporting the nurse educators who prepare the next generation of frontline caregivers. We welcome David to his seat at the NLN table, where he will bring Laerdals perspective and his own valuable experience to bear on the success of our shared enterprise."
Added Marsha Howell Adams , PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, president of the NLN and senior associate dean of academic programs and professor at the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing: "The NLN is appreciative of the critical support provided by the Jonas Center to expand the number of doctorates among nurse educators, thus promoting academic progression and life-long learning in nursing education. Thanks to the Jonas Center, these emerging leaders may serve as exemplars and role models to advance the science of nursing education through their scholarship."
"Laerdal Medical is delighted that the National League for Nursing has invited the president of our Americas organization, David Johnson, to serve on its board of governors. The League has been a key driving force in development of simulation as a core learning methodology for nurses, and Laerdal has been proud to partner with the League in this mission. We are sure that David will be able to provide the board with a novel perspective on the opportunities that nursing will face in the coming years," remarked W. Clive Patrickson, PhD, CEO of Laerdal Medical.
More recently, Laerdal and the NLN have worked together to investigate the use of simulation in high stakes assessment, and in September, the NLN announced that grants from Laerdal and Wolters Kluwer Health, publishers of Lippincott nursing content, would fund the premiere program of the new NLN Center for Academic and Practice Transitions. The center will establish programs to smooth the transition from classroom to clinical setting for nursing students entering increasingly complex practice environments.
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 professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 39,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members. NLN members represent nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education, and health care organizations and agencies.
Editors and reporters:Please see below for more detailed biographical information about David A. Johnson. For interview opportunities, please contact NLN chief communications officer, Karen R. Klestzick at 202-909-2483 or kklestzick@nln.org.
Bio-Sketch
David A. Johnson
President, Laerdal Medical
David A. Johnson is president and regional director of Laerdal Medical, Americas. Laerdal is a pioneer and world leader in the field of resuscitation and simulation education. The company is most widely known for the introduction of Resusci Anne in 1960, marking the beginning of modern day resuscitation training.
Mr. Johnson began his career with Laerdal in 1987. He has been instrumental in many of the companys product development and marketing activities over the years. Prior to assuming the role of president in 2009 he was vice president for the US sales organization. Before joining Laerdal, Mr. Johnson held sales positions with Extracorporeal, Inc. a division of Johnson & Johnson and IVAC Corporation.
In addition to his seat on the NLN board of governors, Mr. Johnson currently serves on the board of directors of the Citizen CPR Foundation and is a corporate council member of both the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the National Patient Safety Foundation. His previous professional commitments include service on the board of directors of the Dutchess County AHA and on the affiliate board of HealthQuest, an integrated health care system in the Hudson Valley. Mr. Johnson earned a BS in business administration with concentrations in finance and marketing from Susquehanna University.