NLN Elects New Leadership

NLN Elects New Leadership

Two New Governors-At-Large Join NLN Board of Governors; Nominations Committee & NLN Certification Commission Welcome New Members

Washington, DC — The National League for Nursing announces the election and appointment of three governors-at-large: Jane Dus, DNP, RN, NE-BC, who joins as Public Member; Rebecca Hill, PhD, DNP, FNP-C, CNE, FAAN; and Majeda El-Banna, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF. Two of them replace retiring board members and all three will serve a three-year term from 2024-2027.

This year’s elections also added new members of the Nominations Committee and the NLN Certification Commission, with everyone installed in their new posts on Thursday, September 19, during the Annual Business Meeting at the NLN Education Summit in San Antonio, Texas.

NLN Chair Patricia Sharpnack, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, Dean and Strawbridge Professor at the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions at Ursuline College in Ohio; NLN Chair-Elect Yolanda Van Riel, PhD, RN, MEDSURG-BC, OCN, CNE, ANEF, chair of the Department of Nursing at North Carolina Central University and patient placement coordinator at First Health of the Carolinas-Moore Regional Hospital; and the remaining Board officers—Mark Hand, PhD, RN, CNE, as treasurer and Tedra Smith, DNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, CHSE, as secretary—will continue to serve through the end of their terms.

Dr. Sharpnack said, “I am proud to say that these colleagues are joining the leadership of an outstanding association of professionals committed to transformative excellence in nursing education. I look forward to working with each of our new at-large members in the coming year as we continue to provide vital services, resources and programming to the National League for Nursing’s engaged membership of nurse educators, deans and directors.”

NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, welcomed the newly elected governors at-large and new committee members, saying, “We are deeply indebted to these remarkable individuals for dedicating their personal time to serve nursing education. They generously bring their wealth of experience, as well as a tireless work ethic, to support and enhance our outstanding programs and activities in countless ways”.

About Jane Dus, DNP, RN, NE-BC

Jane Dus, DNP, RN, NE-BC, is the senior vice president and chief nursing officer-Midwest Region for Advocate Health. Her responsibilities include leadership and alignment of nursing practice and standards for the 28 hospital sites and over 20,000 nurses in the Midwest Region with a focus on quality, clinical outcomes, safety, patient experience, and financial stewardship, along with advancement and innovation in the delivery of care across the continuum.

Dr. Dus held several progressive leadership positions, including the chief nursing officer at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, before moving to Chicago to join Advocate Health Care in 2016. She holds a doctor of nursing practice degree from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor of science degree from John Carroll University. She is also an ANCC certified nurse executive.

About Majeda El-Banna, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF

The dean of Qatar University, College of Nursing, Majeda El-Banna also holds the title of associate professor in the School of Nursing at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Prior to these, El-Banna held several key academic and administrative leadership positions during her distinguished career. Her research focuses on advancing nursing education and enhancing student outcomes through the development, improvement and implementation of innovative teaching pedagogies grounded in evidence-based research. She has made a sustained contribution to shifting the classroom environment from teacher-driven to student-centered learning by using pedagogical models that require higher-order reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Her unique scholarly contribution to nursing education is well recognized nationally and internationally. Her educational research has been funded by the school, university and foundations. In recognition of her contributions to the field, Dr. El-Banna has been inducted as a fellow in the NLN Academy of Nursing Education. Additionally, she is a certified nurse educator (CNE) and serves as a subject matter expert reviewer for the Quality Matters program. Dr. El-Banna has received numerous teaching awards at the school and university levels. She was recently awarded the 2023 Nursing Excellence Alumni Award by the University of Nebraska Medical Center. This is Dr. El-Banna’s second time serving a term as governor-at-large for the NLN Board of Governors.

About Rebecca Hill, PhD, DNP, FNP-C, CNE, FAAN

Rebecca Hill, PhD, DNP, FNP-C, CNE, FAAN, earned her BSN from the University of Rhode Island, her MSN, post-master’s certificate in nursing education, and DNP from Duke University and her PhD in nursing from Boston College. She is a family nurse practitioner and certified nurse educator. Dr. Hill currently serves as the associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing in Boston, Massachusetts. During her tenure at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, she has taught in the prelicensure and master’s programs, both on campus and online, developed a Master of Science – Nursing Education Program, and has represented the school of nursing across the organization, within academic medical centers, and with the Board of Registration in Nursing for the state of Massachusetts.

In 2019, she was recognized as the recipient of the Nancy T. Watts award – the highest honor bestowed to one faculty member annually, recognizing exceptional teaching. Dr. Hill is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Nurses Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the National League for Nursing, and Sigma Theta Tau International. Dr. Hill currently serves on the executive board for the Massachusetts/Rhode Island League for Nursing (MARILN) and as co-chair of the international Committee on Interprofessional Research, Education, and Ankyloglossia Science. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 2023 and serves on the Breastfeeding Expert Panel.

Nominations Committee Election (3-year term: 2024-2027)

• Barbara Sinacori, PhD, RN, CNE, assistant professor and program director, Rutgers University

The Nominations Committee solicits nominations from individual and agency representative members for all League elected positions reflecting the organization’s diverse membership and identifies a slate of candidates that best support the mission of the League.

Certification Commission Election (3-year term: 2024-2027)

• Brenda Morris, EdD, RN, CNE, clinical professor of nursing, Arizona State University, Edison College of Nursing and Health Innovation
• Christopher Blackwell, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, AGACNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FAAN, associate professor and AGACNP program director, College of Nursing, University of Central Florida
  

The Certification Commission oversees and supervises the NLN Academic Nurse Educator Certification Program.

If you would like to submit a nomination for an open position for the 2025 election cycle, or for more information, visit NLN.org.

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