NLN Announces Selections for 2025 Leadership Institute

NLN Announces Selections for 2025 Leadership Institute

Professional Development Program Emphasizes Individualized Executive Coaching & Enhanced Leadership Skills

Washington, DC — The National League for Nursing proudly announces the selection, through competitive application, of 42 nurse educators and nurses in practice for the 2025 NLN Leadership Institute. 

The Institute, under the NLN Center for Transformational Leadership, offers a dual track approach. LEAD is appropriate for nurses in education and practice who have recently been challenged with rapid transition into leadership positions; those already in positions of leadership who want formal leadership training; and still others who identify as emerging leaders or have leadership aspirations. A second track, Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators (Sim Leaders), is designed for the mid-career simulation nurse educator who aspires to a leadership role in simulation. Sim Leaders’ participants focus on maximizing their leadership potential to advance simulation initiatives in nursing education and practice.

These yearlong programs represent a significant investment in professional leadership development. Participants on both tracks spend a calendar year engaged in activities to identify personal and professional goals; learn about what makes an effective leader; and strategize how to retool skill sets and experiences to achieve individual and institutional benchmarks. To that end, everyone receives intensive one-on-one executive coaching. In addition, they attend virtual group coaching sessions, a retreat, and webinars, where they study leadership theory and development that includes case studies.

The Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators is designed to equip mid-career simulation educators with the leadership skills necessary to advance best practices in simulation education. Key components of the program include interactive sessions with simulation experts, scholarly activities aimed at creating strategic plans to enhance participants' simulation programs, and projects focused on career development and increased engagement with simulation organizations. Participants will also develop a scholarly project to be featured in the Simulation Innovation Resource Center (SIRC). Aligned with the League’s mission of advancing excellence in nursing education, this program prepares leaders to drive innovation and foster excellence in simulation education.

The 2025 Leadership Institute will have its first meeting as in-person orientation on February 10-11 in Washington, D.C. The Intensive Leadership Retreat is currently scheduled for June 22-25, also in Washington, D.C. The groups will later reconvene at the 2025 NLN Education Summit with the theme of The Challenge: Unraveling the Mysteries of AI on September 17-19 in Orlando, Florida.

“The current state of our nation’s health care system demands that the nursing workforce be prepared for leadership roles as part of dedicated interprofessional teams delivering safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse patient populations. As the leading voice of nursing education, the National League for Nursing is committed to nursing leadership development of the highest caliber, which the NLN Leadership Institute reflects,” said 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.

“The National League for Nursing LEAD and Sim Leaders programs provide unparalleled instruction and mentoring for a new generation of leadership in nursing. The resources tapped and the investment in these initiatives speak to the League’s unflagging dedication to building a strong and diverse nursing workforce to deliver outstanding care to advance the health of our nation and global community,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. “We look forward to another year of fulfilling achievement by our carefully selected 2025 Leadership Institute cohort.”

Chief Program Officer Dr. Gordon Gillespie serves as director for the NLN Center for Transformational Leadership. Dr. Janice Brewington, NLN LEAD consultant, manages the LEAD program with support from Dr. Inez Tuck, NLN consultant. The Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators is led by Dr. Kellie Bryant, director of the NLN Center for Innovation in Education Excellence, with support from Dr. Raquel Bertiz, senior manager of the center.

A complete list of 2025 Leadership Institute participants may be found under the LEAD and Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators programs. For more information, visit NLN.org. 

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